New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-05-03

CHdIlGe IN regard B1ckenB, nNtCe WOllQ DC
| given to the Commissioners
The crooked paths Of diplomacy can scarcely
furnish an example 30 wanting in courtesy, In can
dor and directne8s as was the course Of the United
States Government towards our Commissioners in
Washington. For proof of this, refer to the an
| nexed documents marked, taken in connection
with further facts, which now proceed to relate
Early in April the attention of the whole country
was attracted to extraordinary for an
| extensive military and naval expedition in New
| York and other Northern ports. These prepare
| tons commenced in secrecy, for an expedition
whose destination was concealed, and only became
and 7th OF April, transports and vessels of war,
with troops, munitions and military supplies,
! sailed from Northern ports bound Southwark.
Alarmed by 50 extraordinary demonstration,
| the Commissioners requested the delivery of an
answer to their official communication of the 18th
| of March, and thereupon received, on the 9Th of
| April a reply dated on the 18th of the previous
| month, from which it appears that, during the
whole interval whilst the Commissioners were re.
ceiving assurances calculated to inspire hope OF
the of their mission, the Secretary of State
and the President of the United States had already
determined to hold no intercourse with them what.
ever, to refuse even to listen to any proposals
| they had to make, and had profted by the delay
created by their own assurances in order to pre-
pare secretly the means for effective hostile opera
| TONS
tually confessed by the Government of the United
Statds, by its act of sending messenger to Char
lesion to give notice of its purpose to use force il
opposed in its intentions Of supplying Fort Sumter.
No more striking proof of the absence of good
| faith in the confidence of the Government of the
United States towards the Confederacy can be re.
quired, than is contained in the circumstances
which accompanied this notice.
According to the usual course of navigation, the
vessels composing the expected feet, and designed
for the relief of Fort Sumter, might be looked for
| in Charleston harbor on the 9th of April; yet
with our Commissioners in Washington, detained
tbofst OH ho
| military movement.
The notice was not addressed to them, but mes.
senger was sent to Charleston to give notice to the
Governor of South Carolina, and the notice was SO
given at late hour on the 9th of April, the eve OF
the very day on which the feet might be expected
| to arrive.
That this maneuver failed in its purpose, was not
| the fault of those who controlled it. heavy tenn
pest delayed the arrival of the expedition, and gave
time to the commander of our forces of Charleston
to ask and receive instructions of this Government
Even then, under all the provocation incident to
the contemptuous refusal to listen to our Commits
sioners, and the treacherous course of the Govern
| ment of the United States | was sincerely anxious
to avoid the effnsion Of blood, and directed pro
| posal to be made to the commander of Fort Sum
| ter, who had avoWed himself TO be nearly out Of
provisions, that we would abstain from directing
our fire on Fort Sumter if he would promise to moi
open fire on our forces unless first attacked. This
| proposal was refused. The conclusion was, that
The design of the United States was to place the
l
taneous fire Of the fleets. The fort should, OF
course, at once be reduced. This order was exc
cuted by Gen. Bpauregard with skill and success
which were naturally to be expected from the well
known character of that gallant officer and altho
| the bpmbardment lasted some thirty-three hours
our flag did not waive over the battered walls unit
after the appearance of the hostile fleet off Char
! lesion.
Fortunately not life was lost on our side, and
we were gratifed in being prepared. The neces
sity Of useless effusion of blood by the prudent
caution of the officers who commanded the flee
| in abstaining from the evidently futile effort tc
| enter the harbor for the relief of Major Anderson
| was spared.
| refer to the report of the Secretary of War and
the papers accompanying it, for further particulars
| of this brilliant affair.
deserved tribute to the noble State the eminent
soldierly qualities of whose people were conspicu
ously displayed the people Of Charleston fol
months had been irritated by the spectacle of a
| fortress held within their principal harbor as
standing menace againsttheir peace and independ.
ence, built in part with their own money-its
custody conded with their long consent to an agent
who held no power over them other than such as
they had themselves delegated for their own bene.
| ft-intended to be used by that agent for their
| own protection against foreign attack. How il
was held out with persistent tenacty as means Of
offence against them by, the very Government
which they had established for their own protec,
ton, is well known. They had beleaguered it for
months and felt entire confidence in their power tC
J capture it, yet yielded to the requirements o.
| discipline, curbed their Impotence, submitted
| without complaint to the unaccustomed hard
| Ships abors aud privations of a protracteG
siege, and when at length their patience was re
| lieved by the signal for attack and success had
| crowned their steady aud gallant conduct even in
the very moment of triumph they evinced chival.
rous regard for the feelings of the brave but I'M
fortunate officer who had been compelled to lower
| his flag.
All manifestations of exutaton were checked
| in his presence. Their commanding General, with
their cordial approval and the consent of his Gov
| ernment, refrained from imposing any terms that
would wound the sensibility Of the commander of
| the fort; he was permitted to retire with the
honors of war, salute his flag, to depart freely
| with all his command, and was escorted to the
vessel on which he embarked with the highest
| marks of respect from those against whom his
| guns had so recently been directed
| Not only does every event connected with the
siege reflect the highest honor on South Carolina,
but the forbearance of her people and of this Gov
| eminent from making any harsh use of victory
obtained under circumstances of such peculiar
provocation, attest to the fullest extent the alb
sence of any purpose beyond securing their tran
guilty, and sincere desire to avoid the calamities
of war. a-a
| Scarcely had the President of the United States
received intelligence of the failure of the scheme
which he devised for the reinforcement of Fort
Sumter, when he issued the declaration of war
against this Confederacy, which has prompted me
| to convoke you. In this extraordinary production
lObdl ISuOrduCe OF Lne
existence of an independent Government, which,
possessing the entire and enthusiastic devotion of
its people, is exercising its functions without ques-
ton over seven sovereign States-over more than
five millions of people, and over territory whose
area exceeds 100000 square miles. "
He terms sovereign States combinations too
powerful to be suppressed in the ordinary course
of judicial proceedings, or by the powers vested in
the marshals by law"
He calls for army of seventyf thousand
men to act as posse consitdtats in aid of the pro.
cess of the courts of justice, in States where no
courts exist whose mandates and DEGREES are not
cheerfully obeyed and respected by a willing
people.
He avows that the first service to be assigned to
the forces which have been called out will not be
to execute the processes of courts but to capture
forts and stronghoids situated within the admitted
limits of this Confederacy, and garrisoned by its
troops; and declares that this effort is intended to
maintain the perpetuity of popular government.
He concludes by commanding the persons COM
posing the " combnatiors" aforesaid to wit the
five millions of nhabitar ts CT these States to retire
peaceably to their respective abodes within twenty
days.
Apparently contradictory as are the terms of
thissingular document one point was Enthusiastically
evident.
The President of the United States calls for an
army Of rs 900 men, whose first service was to be
to capture our forts. 1t was plain declaration of
war, which was not at liberty to disregard be-
cause of my knowledge that, under the Constitu-
ton of the United States the President was usurp
ing power granted exclusively to the Congress
a ID nj nrnn Df nnranl min tjpph hath