Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-11-23
TO THE people on souru otRoIIEl

the people Of South Caroiins on landing at Port
Royal.
TO THE PEOPLE Oh. souTH etRoLIEA.
In obedience to the orders of the President OF
sthese United States of America, 2 have landed
on your shores with small force Of national
troops.
The dictates Of duty which, under these cir
cumstsnces, l owe to q great sovereign State, and
to proud and hospitable people, among whom
have passed some Of the peasantest days OF my life
prompt me to proclaim that we have come amongst
you with no feelings of personal auimosty-no de-
sire to harm your citizens, destroy your property
interfere with any of your lawful rights your
social and LEGAL Institutions beyond what the csus.
es herein briefly alluded to may render unayoida
be
Citizens Of South Carolina, the civilized world
stands appalled, at the course you are pursuing
appalled, at the crime you are committing against
your own mother-the best, the most enlightened
and heretofore the most prosperous Of nations You
are il state Of active rebellion against the laws
of your country. You have lawlessly seized upon
the FORTS arsenas and other property belonging to
our common country, and WITHIN your borders
With this property you are in arms, and wsging a
ruthless war against yonr constitutional Govern
ment, and thus threatening the existence of Gov
ernment which you are bound by the terms of q
solemn compact to live under and faithfully support
In doing this you not only undermining and pre-
pairing the way for totally ignoring your own pos
tical and social existence, but you threatening
the civilized world with the OdiouS sentiment that
self-government is impossible with civilized man.
Fellow-citiZens, implore you to pause and re-
feet upon the tenor and consequences Of your acts.
If the awful sacrifice made By the devastation of
our property, the shedding Of fraternsl blood in
battle, the mourning and waking Of widows and
orphans throughout our land, are insufficient to de-
ter you from further pursuing this unholy war,
then ponder beseech you, upon the ultini ate but
not less certain result which Its further progress
must necessarily and naturally entail upon your
once happy and prosperous state. Indeed, can y9u
pursue this fratTicidG war, and continue to Undue
your hands in the loyal blood of your cOuutrymen,
your friends, your knsmen, for other object than
to disrupt the Confederscy of great people a
Conf deracy established by your own hands-in or
der to set up, it possible an independent Gov
ernment, under which you can never live in peace,
prosperity, or quietness7
CarOlinians we have come among you as loyal
men, fully impressed with our constitutional obhga-
tons to the citizens of your State. These obIiga-
tons shall be performed as far as in our power
But be not deceived. The obligation of suppressing
armed combinations against the constitutional au-
thorities is paramount to all Others If in the per-
formanCe of this duty, other minor but important
obligations should be in any way neglected, it must
be attributed to the necessities Of the case, because
rights dependent on the laws of the State must be
necessarily subordinate to military exigencies crea
ted by instruction and rebellion
T. w. SHERMAN.
BrigadieF General Commanding.
HEADQUARTERS q. e., PORT ROYAL, S. c.
November g, 1861