The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-04-20
The Southern Rebellion.

broken out in the Gulf States, and which
eliminated Oh Friday last in the lombard
mrnt of Fort Sumter. For the convenience
Of those, who have not access to daily papers,
we give condensed account of the principal
events which have transpired up to the hour
ofgoing to press.
PRELIMINARY.
From the 9Th to the llth of April contin-
uous correspondence by telegraph was kept
up between Gen. Beauregard, Commanded of
the Rebel army and Mr.. Walker. Secretary
of War Of the so called Government of the
Confederate State. Orders were given to
Gen. Bcauregard to demand the Surrender
of Fort Sumter and. in the event Of the
failure Of Mrjor Anderson to comply with
this demand, to proceed to reduce It. This
demand being refus,d BY Maj. Anderson. the
rebel forces on
FRIDAY
opened fire on the fort Up to this time no
effort had been made to reinforce or even pro.
vision Fort Sumter nor had single vessel
been seen by the Carollnaus. The guns Of
the fort were At once run out, and worked a S
effectively as seventy hAlfstarved men, who
composed its garrison could do SO.
SATURDAY.
The firing was resumed on both sides early
in ,hc morning. At one o'clock Major An
deIson : flag staff was carried away by a shot
from one Of the Rebel batteries. The frame
houses III the fort were sci on fire by the
shells and hot Shot thrown into them, and
Major Anderson was forced TO surrender
His men, as well as himself, were worn down
with fatigue, loss Of sleep and insuiiiclcncy of
proper food. The terms Of capitulation were
decided upon by Gen. Bcauregard as follows ::
That is-Flrst. Attending all proper facil
tiles for removing him and his command,
together with company arms and property,
and all private property.
Secondly That the Federal flag he had SO
long and so bravely defended should be salu-
ted blythe vanquished on taking it down.
Thirdly. That Anderson should he low.
ed 10 fix the time of surrender.
SUNDAY
at noon, in order TO carry out the arrange.
ments, General B.auresard. accompanied by
his aids, Gov. Pickens and his aids, and sew
eral prominent legal gentlemen, went down
in the steamer Charleston to witness the sur.
render and evacuation.
A reporter for one Of the Charleston papers
says:
When We went into Sumter through the
port hole. we found the Major busy disribu-
ting letters to the officers and men of his
force. lie appeared to be in pei feet health
lie was all smiles, and chatlcd in an easy
vein
Anderson also expressed some surprise at
The remarkable issue Of so lengthy bornbard.
ment in the total absence Ct bl'yx.l. Majo,
Anderson reiterated the assurance that the
two explosions IN his fort on Saturday were
.l'aSed ny the ignition Of loaded bombs which
could not be removed from the burning build.
ings. lie also stated that the fort had been
on fire three times on the first day, but that
he exlinguishcd it. He expected some ore
then to come and helf him put out the flames,
AMI said that it was nothing more than usual
in civilized warfare.
Fifty guns were fired by Maj. Anderson as
a salute to his flag, according TO the teIms Of
capitula,ion. While this was going on one
of the carssons exploded, which killed one
man and wounded four others.
After remaining in the fort some minutes,
Major Anderson got into the barge Of Capt
Gllls, ofthe United States Navy, and 1owed
TO the steamer lisa bel. The boat was manned
by eight Federal saiors. and carried in her
stern sheets a small Federal flag
On board the Isabel. during the TEN porary
absence Of Major Anderson. Captain Gillis
said he did not know whether Anderson
would 90 round to New York in the Isabel,
or in the fleet. This he wolld determine
when he got outside
Next to tue fact. that in all this two days
bom hardment not man was injured per.
hapS the most rtmarkable feature Of the fight
was, that several war vessels were nearly all
the time outside the haibor. and made no
attempt 10 render assistance to the fort.
THE SCENE AT FORT SUMTER.
An officer who visited the fort soon after
the terms Of evacuation were made states
that the scene there presented is beyond con.
ception. Without. the walls have the
appearance, at a distance, of having been
covered with an emense number Of brick
poullices spattered in every direction. This
is the SCATTERING effect OF the shot. Within
the entire fort wore an aspect as if the hand
OF the destroying angle had swept rulhlessly
by aud left not solitary object to relieve the
general dcsolatiou. The blackened walls of
the officers and soldiers quarters were yet
smoking, ashes and embcrs met the eve at
every tuTn, while the shot and Shell which
had been rained upon the stronghold lay in
great quantities upon all portions of the
parade ground
The appearance of both Major Anderson,
his officers and men, indicated the terrible
nature of the ordeal from which they had
just emerged. Deprived of sleep for many
hours, fatlgued with their labors at the guns.
and prosua,ed by their battle with an Gle
ment which waeed beyond control, they
Looked worn, hsggard ready to drop with
sheer exhaustion.
When the fire was at its greatest height
Mayor Anderson stated that the only manner
in which they could breathe was by lying
flat upon the ground within the classmates,
with their faces TO the earth, while, added to
The danger, was the occasional explosion CT
the piles of shells col lccted for service at diff
ferent points within the fort.
EFFECT OF THE NEWS.
The daily papers bring us the most enthu-
s'astic accounts ti the temper Of the people
upelr the receipt Of the news, Of the unplo-
voked and cowardly attack on Fort Sumter
and its handful of half starved men by six to
ten thousand rebel troops. All party dis.
tinctions are forgotten aud, men are rail- sing
by tens Of thousands to the suppot of the
Government. On Monday the President
issued the following proclamation:
Proclamation of the President OF the
United States.
By The President of the United States-