Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1861-07-13


public mind for the evacuation of Fort
Sumter as a military necessity. Orders
were Immediately issued for the reinforce
ment of Fort Pickens it being impossible
to send these orders by land, they were
sent by seattle first return to the order
being received one week before the fall of
Fort Sumter, showing that the Brooklyn,
acting under Buchanan's quasi armistice,
refused to land troops for the reinforce
ment of Fort Pickens, before the crisis be
reached at Fort Sumter.
To pevent the evacuation of Sumter,
before the reinforcement of Fort Pickens,
the Government planned an expedition to
yictual Fort Sumter, to be used or not,
as circumstances might require. Contin-
geucies required the consumation of this
plan, and Gov. Pickens, of South Caro-
lima, was notified that if the victualine was
not resisted, no attempt would be made to
throw in men, arms, or ammunition withs
out previous notice.
The fort was taken without waiting for
the victualiDg expedition; thus the attack
on Sumter was in no sense an act Of self
defense. The assailants knew that in no
event could Sumter be mischievons, and
were notified that the feeding of hungry
men was the only object that the Gov
erDment had in view, wishing only to
maintain nominal possession of the fort,
thus preserving the Union from dissou.
ton, and trusting to time, discussion and
the ballot. box for a final adjustment OF
the difficulties.
The assailing of the fort had as its OBJ.
ject the driving out of all visible authority
and forcing immediate dissolution. This
the Executive understood, and having ir
his inaugural declared to the South thai
it could have no conflict without being the
aggressors, he took pains to keep thi:
declaration good in the circumstances sur
rounding the Sumter affair. Then anC
there the Confederates began the conflict
by which they have forced upon tht
country the destructive issue of immediate
dissolution. or blood, embracing more
than ever the fate of the Union. 1t solve
the question whether peoples govern
ment can maintain the integrity of its ter
ritory against domestic foes; whethe
individuals, too few to control the Ad
ministration by organic law, can break u
the Government, thus ending free govern
ment on the earth.
i Itforces this question upon us: Must th
Government be too strong for the people
liberty, or too weak to maintain its ow
existencel No choice was left but 10 ca
out the war power of the Government {
resist the force employed for its destruC
tion. The response to the call surpasse
the most sanguine expectations, of tn
Administration Delaware alone, how
ever, of the slave States responding.
few slave State regiments have been raise
: by individual enterprise, and accepted.
II The Border States were not uniform
action. The course taken by Virgin
was the most remarkable and importan
, The State Convention, called to consid,
this question, was in session when ii
n news Of the fall of Fort Sumter was r,
ceiyed, with large Union majority, whiC
then went over and carried the State Of
: of the Union.
The State made extensive military pr
r parations. seized upon Federal propert
received large bodies Of Confederate trooI