Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-07-10


for using it was now presented, and
it was resolved to send it for
ward, as had been intesded. In this
contingency it was also resolved TO notify
The Governor of South Carolina that he
might expect an attempt would be made
to provision the fort, and that ii the attempt
should not be resisted, there would be no
attempt to throw in men, arms or amuntion,
without further notice, or in case Of an at
tack upon the fort. This notice was ac-
cordingly given, whereupon the fort was
attacked and bombarded to its fall, even
awaiting the arrival Of the proyi joining expe-
dtion. 1t is thus seen that the assault
upon and reduction of Fort Sumter We're
in no sense a matter of self-detence on the
part Of the assaiIants. They well knew
that the garrison in the fort could by no
possibility commit aggression upon them.
They knew they were notified that the
giving Of bread to the few brave. hungry men
of the garrison was all that would on that
occasion be attempted unless themselves, by
resisting SO much, should provoke more
They knew that this Government desired
to keep garrison in the fort, not to assail
them, but merely to maintain visible POI
session, and thus to preserve the Union
from actual and immediate dissoluti> n,
trusting, as hereinbefore stated, to time,
discussion, and the ballot box for final adj
iuslment; and they assaled and reduced
The fort for precisely the reverse object
to drive out the visible authority of the
Federal Union, and thus force it to imme-
diate dissolution.
That this was their oil ect the Executive
well understood, and having said to them
in the Inaugural address, You can have
no conflict without being yourselves the ag-
gressors," he took pains not only to keep
this declaration good, but to keep the case
SO far from ingenious sophistry that the
world should not misunderstood it. By
the affair at Fort Sumter, with its surround
ing circumstances, that point was reached.
Then and there, by the assailants Of the
government, began the conflict, without a
gun in sight or expectancy 10 return their
firing, save only the few in the fort, sent to
that harbor years before for their own pro-
lection, and still ready to. give that protect
ion in whatever was loyal. In this act,
discarding all else, they have forced upon
the country the distinct issue Of dissolution
or blood, and this issue embraces more than
the fate of these United States. 1t pre-
sents to the whole family of man the ques-
ton whether under constitutional republic
or democracy government OF the people,
the same people eau or cannot maintain
its territorial integrity against its own do
mestic foes. 1t presents the question
whether discontinued persons, too few in
NUMBERS to control the administration ac-
cording to the organic law in any case,
can always, upon the pretense made in this
case, or any other pretenses, or arbitrarily
without any pretense, break up their gov
eminent, and thus practically put an end
to free government upon the earth. 1t
forces us to ask, is there in all republics this
inherent and fatal weakness? Must gov
eminent Of necessity be too strong for the
Liberties Of the people, or too week to main
tain its own exlstences.
So viewing the issue, no choice was left
but to call out the war power of the gov
eminent, and so To resist the force employ
ed for its destruction by force for It's pres
eryation. TIE call was made, and the re-
spouse of the country was most gratifying,
surprising in unanimity and spirit thc most
sanguine expectation. Yet none of the
States commonly cal ed slave States, except
Delaware, gaze a regiment through the
regular State organization. A few regi-
ments have been raised within some other
of those States by individual enterprise,
and received into the government service.
The seeded States, so called, and to
which Texas had been joined about the time
of the Inauguration, gave no troops to the
cause of the Union. The border States,
so called, were not uniform in their action,
some of them being almost for the Union,
while in others, as in Virginia, North Car
/ DINA, Tennessee and Arkansas the Union
sentiment was nearly depressed and siIenc-
ed. The coure taken in Virginia was the
most important. A convention called by
the people of that State to consider this
very question of disrupling the Federal
Union was in session at the capital Of Viz
ginia when Fort Sumter fell. To this body
the people had chosen large majority Of
professed Union men. Almost Immediate
/ ly after the fall of Sumter numbers of that
majority went over to the original minori-
ty, and with them adopted an ordinance
for withdrawing the State from this Union
Whether this change was wrought by their
approval of assault on Sumter or of their
great resentment to the Governments resis-
/ lance to that assault, is not definitely
known. Although they have submitted
the ordinance for ratification to vote az
the people to tie taken somewhat more
than month distant, the Convention and
Legislature, which was also in session at
III same time and place, with leading men
OF the State, Immediately commenced act
ling as if the State was already out Of the
union. They pushed military preparations
vigorously forward all oyer the State
They seized the United States annory at
Harpers Ferry and the Navy Yard at Cos
port near Norfolk. They received, perhaps
invited into their Stats, large bodies Of