The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-07-06
TILE PRESIDENTS
MASSAGE.
sRNArn.

AFrl'RruOu.
Mr.. BALE, from ths Jsint Committee r.
porte that the Prssidsnt vvsld communicsi
forthwith In writing.
The Pnsidents Message was received an
read. IL is as follow,
rBE mBssAGE.
Fellow C'asens Of tAe Senate ard Hons o
Representatives:
Having been convened On an extrsordin .ry
occasion, a. authorized by tho Constlt ution,
your attention 10 not called 10 any ordinsry
subject 81 Legislation. Al the beginning Of IN.
present Presidential srm, four months ago. ths
funetiors OF the Federal Government wsrs
fcurd 20 Be generally su.p,nded, within ths
several states Of South Carollna, Georgia, Ala
bsma, Mi,sissippi, Louisiana and Fiorid.,
excepting OILY those Of the Post oaic, ID,
psrtmsnt. within these ststss all the fsrts,
arssnsla docky arda, custom houses and the
like, iuclueing the movable and STATIONARY
prcpsrty ia and shout thsm, had been s.izei,
and were held In oPon hostility 10 this Govsrn-
ment, sxc.pting only Forts Pieksns, Taylor
srd Jefferson on and near the Florida coast
and Fort Ssmtsr, in CHARLESTON hlrbor, South
Csrolina. The forts thus seized had bssn put In
Improved condition. new oaes had besu Quilt
and armed foreei had bean organized, and
we're organizing all ayowedly with the sane
hostile purpose. TIE forts remaining In tbs
possession Of the Federal Government In
and nsu thess states wsrs either bssisps4
or msnao,t by wuliko prep lr,tionA aud
especially Fort Sumter vas nearly ssrrouud.
cd by we'll protected hostile batteries with
guns equal In qualify 10 the hest OF its
own, and outnumbsring the later ss psrhaps
ten TO ons. dl.prop rticnsts share OF tie
federal musks's and rihoa had somehow fvuui
their way i1to those states and had bean
esiEsd to be ussi against the Govssn sent.
Accumulation Of the public revenus. lying
within thom, had beea seized for the s,ae
object; the navy was sestisred ia distant seas,
leaving but very snail part Of II within
the immediate reach Of The Gsymnmept.
great numbers and Of thos, rsiigning, aisrSo
proportion had taken up arms against the gov
srnmsnt. simultaneously and Ia con-
mon with all this, the purpose 70
sever the Federa, Union was openly
svowed. la scoordancs with this purposs, an
ordinancs had be,n adopted In each Of thsss
states declaring the states rsspoctivsly 10 be
separated from the National Union. A for
muIa for instituting a combined government
Of those states had bean promulgated, and
this illegal organization, In the character
OF tho "Confsderats States" was already In
yokinG recognition aid and intervention, from
foreign powers. Finding this condition Of
things and bslisying II TO be an imperative
duty upon the incoming Executive TO pro
wnt II possible, the consum nation Of such
attempt TO destroy the Federal Union, q
choice OF means 10 that end became indis osasa.
tie. This choice vas made, AMI was declared
In tho inaugural address. The policy chosen
looked to the exhaustion Of all peaceful meas.
ares before resor: to any stronger ones
prcpsrty not slready wrestsd from tho Govern
msnt, and TO collect the revenue, relying for
the rsst on time discussion, and the baIlot-box;
IL promised continuance tf the malls, at Gov
eminent expsase, 10 the very people who were
ssisting the Government, and II gave re-
peatsd pledges against any disturbances 70
any OF the people or any Of thsir rights, Of all
that which President might constitutionaily
and justiaAably do In such . case, everything
was forborns, without which II was believed
possible to keep the Government on foot.
On the fifth Of March, the present incum-
bents hrs. full day In Office, lsttsr from Maj.
ASDERsos commanding at Fort Su ntsr, writ
ten on the 2Sth Of February and received al the
War Department on tho fourth ut March, was
by that Department placed In his hand. This
htter expressed tho professional opinion Of the
writer, that reinforcemsntS could not be thrown
into that fort within the timN for his relief rem
dered necessary by the limited supply Of pro-
visions, and with visw Of holding possession Of
the name with force Of lees than 20, 600 good
and we'll disc plin I'd men. This OF inlon was con
CURED In by all the officers OF his command,
snclosures VI MSjor AHDERsoy's letter. The
whole was imm .diatsly laid before Lisutsnant
General SCorT, who at once concurred with
Major Anderson In his opinion. On rshsc.
iion. however, hs took full tims, confnlting
with othor officers both Of the ar ny and the |
navy, and at the end Of four days came relue-
family, Tut decidedly, TO the same conelu
sion as before. He Al.o stated at the
same time that no such sufficient force
Was thon at the control of the q Jyern-
mont, OF could be Rad and bFough. 10
tho ground within the time whom the proyis-
iors In the fort would bs exhausted. In a
purely military point OF Wow, this reducsi the
duty of the Atministration 10 tho case TO the
mere M after Of getting the garrison safely out
OF the fort, IL was believed, however, that to
30 abandon that position, utdor the clrcum-
stAnoss, would DO utterly Iu'nous that the
nscessity under which II was TO be done
would not DO fully understood that
by many 1t would be construed ~
a part Of a voluntary policy that at homs
IL would discourage the friends OF tho UGion,
sLlbolden its adversaiiss, and go far to insure
TO the latter a roooRni Ion abroad. that in fact
It would bs cur national destruction consum-
mated. This could not 10 allowed. Starvation
" az ROty upon the garrison, and ere Il would
be reachsd, Fort Pickens might DO roinioi c,d.
7 ais last would bs clear indication Of policy,
and would better enable the country to ac.
Cept tho evacuation Of Fort Sumter. As q
military necessity, an order was at once direct
od 70 DO sent for tho landing Of the troops from
the steamship Brooklyn into Fort Picksns.
This order could not 20 by land, but must take
Tho longer and slower routs by sea. Toe first
return rows from the order was received jult
1ns We before the fall " Sumter. The news
Iteeh was that the officer commanding ths
Sabine, TO which vAssel the troops had bean
tranhsred from the Brooklyn, acting upon
eome quail aimhtics OF the late adminlstrA-
ton, and OF the exlstsnos Of which the present
up 10 the time the order vas
had only too vague and uncertain
rumors 10 fix attention, had refused 10 land the
troops to reinforce Fort Pickans, befoss crisis
would be reached at Fort Sumter was lmpossi-
BILE, rendered. 30 by tho near exhaustion
Of provisions In the latter named fort.
In pr,caution against such a oopjuneturs, ths
Government had few days before commenced
might be TO relieve Fort Sumtsr, which sxpe-
dition was II tended 10 DO ultimately used or
not, according to circumstances. The strong
est anticipated case for using Il was now pre-
sentd. ABd II was resolved to sand II for aArd,
a. had bstn Intended 10 this contingency Il
was alto resolved to ro.ify the GOVGnof of
South Carolina that he might sx poet an attempt
wsuld be made to provision the Fort, and that
II the attempt should not 10 resisted, Il ere
would 10 no attempt 70 throw In men, arms
or ammunition. without further notice, OF in
eass Of an attack upon the Fort. Th's notice
Waa accordingly given, whereupon the Fort
was attacked and slmbaIdsd to its fall, with.
out even awaiting the arrival OF the proYis
icninR expedition.
1t Is thus seen that the assault upon, and ro-
ducuon OF Fort Sumtsr was, In no son'e,
mattsr NJ solr defence on the part Of the aAsAl.
auts They well knew that the garrison in the