Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-07-11


tackled and lbombarded to its fall, without
even awaiting the arrival Of the provision
ing expedition.
1t is thus seen that the assault upon, and
reduction of Fort Sumter, was in no sense
matter of selfdefense on the part of the
assailants. They well knew that the garrison
aggression upon them; they knew--they were
expressly potiied-that the giving of bread
to the few brave. and hungry men of the
garrison was sS all which would on that occa.
sion be attempted, unless themselves, by re-
sisting SO much, should provoke more.
They knew that this Government desired to
keep the garrison in the fort, not to assail
them, but merely To maintain visible possess
ion, and thus to preserve the Union from
actual and immediate dissolution. trusting as
herein before stated, to time, discussion and
the ballot-box for final adjustment, and they
assailed and reduced the fort, for precisely
the reverse object, to drive out the visible
authority of the Federal Union and thus
force it TO immediate dissolution. That this
was their object, the Executive well under
Stood and having said to them in the In
augural Address. You can have no conflict
without being yourselves tho aggressors,
he took pains notonly to keep this declara-
ton good, but also to keep the case 10 free
from ingenious sophistry as that the world
should not misunderstood it, BY the affair
at Fort Sumter, with its surrounding circum-
stances, that point was reached. Then and
thereby the assailants ofthe Government be-
gan the conflict of arms without gun in
sight or in expectancy to return their fire,
save only the fe~ in the fort sent to that
harbor years before, for their protection, and
still ready to give that protection in what
ever was lawful In this act, discarding all
else, they have forced upon the country the
distinct issue immediate dissolution or
blood. And this issue embraces more than
the fate of these United States. - 1t presents
to the whole family of man the question
whether constitutional republic or democ-
racy, a government of the people, by the
same people, can or cannot maintain its
territorial integrity against its own domestic
foes. 1t presents the question whether dis.
contented individuals, too few in numbers tC
control the administration according to the
organic law in any case, can always, upon
the pretenses made in this case or any othe,
pretenses, or arbitrarily without any pre-
tense, break up their government, and thu,
practically put an end to free government
upon the earth. 1t forces us to ask III
there in all republics this inherent and fata
weaknessY 'oMust government of neces
sity be too stroag for the liberties of its owr
,stencsp Isi. -
So viewing'the issue, no choice was left
but to call out the war power of the Govern
ment, and so to resist force employed for it,
destruction by force for its preservation. Tht
call was made and the response of the coun
try was most gratifying, surprising in una
nimity and spirit the most sanguine expecta
tion. Yet none of the States commonly
called Slave States, except Delaware, gave
regiment through regular State organi
zation. A few regiments have lecn organ
lied wi hin some others of .hose States by in
dividual enterprise and received into tn
, Government service.
| OF course the seeded States, so called
and to which Texas had been Joined abou
the time of the Inauguration, gave no troop
to the cause of the Union. The Borde
States, SO called were not uniform in thei
action, some of them being almost far tn
Union, while in others, AZ Virgini
North Caroline, Tennessee, and Arkansas
:, the Union sentiment was nearly represse
and silenccd. The course taken in Virgini
was the. most remarkable, perhaps the mos
important .yt.s
A Convention elected by the people o
that State to consider this very question o.
disupting the Federal Union, was in session
at the capital of Virginia when Fort Sumte
fell. To this body the people had chosen
large majority of p:ofessed Union men. AL
most Immediately after the fall of Sumter
many members Of that majority went owe
to original Dsunion minority, and with then
adopted an OF dinance for with lrawng til
State from the Union.
i Whether this change was wrought b,
their great approval Of the assault upol
| Sumter, or their great resentment at tn
Governments resistance to that assault,
not definitely known. Although they sub
mttcd the ordinance for ratification to
vote of the people to be taken on day the
somewhat more than month distant, tn
| Convention and the Legislature, which wa
also in session at the same time and place
with leading men of the State, no. member
of either Immediately commenced acting n
if the Stare, was already out of the Unior
They pushed military preparations vigo
ouly forward alhover the Stale. They seize
i the United States Armory at Harper Ferry
and the Navy Yard at Gosport, near MOI
folk. They received, perhaps invited, int
their State large bodies Of troops with the
warlike appointments from the so-calle
Seeded States. They entered into treat
Of temporary alliance with the so.called Coz
federate States, and sent members to the
! Congress, at Montgomery, and finally the
, permitted the insurrectionary Governmer
to be transferred to their Capitol at Ricl
mOnd
, The people of Virginia have thus alowe
this giant insurection to make its nest witt
in her borders, and this Government has n
choice left butto deal it where II finds i
and it has the less to regret as the loyal cit
zens have in due form claimed its protection
Those loyal citizens this Government
bound to recognize and protect as being i
: Virginia. In the Border States, so calleC
} in fact the Middle States, there are thos
who favor policy which they call "arme
: neutrality extbat i, an arming of those State
to prevent the Union forces passing one way
or the disunion the other, over thei
soil. This would be disunion completed
Figuratively speaking 1t would be the built
ing Of an impossible wall along the line O
separation, and yet not quite an impassabl
one,. for under the guise of neutrality
would tie the hands Of the Union men, an
/ freely pass supplies from among them to th
| insurrectionists, which it could not do as a
open enemy At stroke it would take a
, the trouble off the hands of Secession, exec,
only what proceeds from the external blocl
l. IA u A