Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1861-08-14
abandonment, of Fort su,ntcr.

riods in the history of nations and indirdu-
ais, when the force OF even this Proverb, is
illustrated. The Law, or rather the demands
OF Justice, sel-respect, National honor, and
the vnlicetion of our Nationality in the eyes
of Europe, all demand that we should. retain
possession of For. Sumter at any and every
sacrifice; and no man in this Nation is more
deeply impressed with the paramount impor-
tance Of doing, than is Abraham Lincoln, the
President of the United States. He feels
and recognizes his duty in the premises; but
the Law of necessity steps in, puts at defiance
hi wishes and his duty, and sternly forbfds
lis attempting to hold or relieve the noble
Fortress so promptly snatched from the hands
of the Rebels and Traitors Of Charleston by
the timely action Of Major Anderson. Bu-
chanan and his Trnitsr Cabinet, had delbeE
ratcly planned the Robbing of our Arsenals
under the ssperihtendence Of, and with the
cvnnviaucc OF the miserable fellow Fi1Jjdd:'
whose porraitnow hangs 90 conspicuonsly in
the Rogne's Gallery Of our city Polices and
we all know, that when Major Anderson took
possession Of Fort Sander, Floyd demanded
its restoration to the Rebels, and Buchanan
actually yielded to the demand, until threat,
encd with danger to his person if he vcntured
",,o,. aay .iri, aci Of trcachcry. lie yielded
TO :, :,rrn nccc>s;.y; but in yielding he deter
mined 10 accomplish hy management and
inc-.c. what be had I.',t the courage TO do
openly. lie accordingly reiusci to permit the
fo.i 10 be reinforced as ii could have been in
those days. with the cncccssary men and stores
to enable it TO hold out fol 4 year at least.
against any force which could he brought
against it; and it w;.s not until after Morris
Island had been fortified, thai he sanctioned
the aboltive attempt at succor made hy the
.Stor Of tie II,est; and even couatclmandcd
that order before it was carried into effect.
From Christmas until the fourth Of March,
TIE Traitors and Rebels Of Charleston and the
Cotton States, received every countenance
and support from Mr. Buchanan which could
be afforded them: and when lie retired from
Office on the .Ith inst, he gioatcd over the
conviction, that he had iostered Rebellion and
Treason until they had become SO rampant,
that they were beyond the control of his sue
cessor And the one great source of his slo-
riiication was, that Fort. .Sumter was without
provisions and that, of necessity, the gar
rison must surrender from starvation before
it would be in the power of the Republican
Administration to relieve and reinforce it.
Of course, Abraham Lincoln could know
nothing of this treason; and when in his
inaugural he spoke of occupying the public
Forts and collecting the Revenue, he little
dreamed that bis Predecessor had reasonably
arranged TO make the abandonment of Fort
.Sumter political necessity. He was soon
appriscd however, that the Treason of his
Predecessor, had cunningly devised fox him
tile most serious modification TINT could be
inflicted; and that he had presented to him
the alternative Of permitting Anderson and
his command to Starre or promptly to with
draw them, and ignominiously permit the Fort
to fall into the hands of the Rebels. To REIN
force the garrison or to supply them with
Provisions, are equally impossible, because
James Buchanan and his associate Traitors,
dcsigncdly refused to do so while it was in
their power to do it and compelled the COLI
rnandlnent of the Fort quietly 10 permit the
construction of works in his Immediate yicin-
ty and lrdcr the range Of his guns, which
w. - cntctualIy prevent his being relieved
when an honest man assumed the Govern
mcnt on the 9TH Of March. Buchslan's final
act Of Treason has been consummated. He
prevented the late Congress passing law
giving power 10 the Executive to call for vol
untccrs to occupy and recapturc the l.u,.c
Forts and Arscnals; and he designedly left
Fort !Sumicr in a position which rcn:.ers re-
lief physically impossible without an army Of
from ten to twenty thousand men, and the
employment of naval force greater than we
can command and he and his myrmidons
now exultingy and tauntingly say to the Re.
publican President" Do your worst. We
have dcsignedly withheld from you the me ans
of relieving and holding Fort SHmtcr, and we
invite you to the pleasing alternative OF per
hitting Anderson and bis command to Stare
within fifteen days, or Of ignominiously aban.
doning it to nest of Traitors and Rebels
whom We have nursed into existence as the
only certain mode Of destroying the Rcpubli-
can Party"