Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-09


IN by all the officers Of his command and the mem
oranda on the subject were made together With IN
closures of Major Anderson's letter.
The whole was Immediately laid before Lieuten-
ant General Scott, who st once coneurred with MAJ.
Anderson's opinion. On reflection, however, he
took full time for consultation with other officers
both of the army and navy, and at the end OF Jour
days came reluctantly but decidedly to the same
conclusion as before. He also stated at the same
time that such sufficient force was not at the CON
troll of the government and could not be raised and
brought to the ground within the time when the
provisions II the fort would be exhausted. In
purely military point of view, this reduced the du
~ OF the administration in the case 10 the mere
matter OF taking the garrison safely out of the fort
1t was believed, however, that TO abandon that pc.
sltlon under the circumstances would be utterly
ruincus; that the necessity under which 1t was to
be done wou1 not be fully understood; that by many
II would De construed as part of voluntary policy
that at home 1t would DISCOURAGE the friends ofthe
Unon,embolden Its adversaries and 90 far to insure
TO the latter recognition abroad that in fact it
would be ouPlnatonal destruction, if consuInma-
mated. This could not be allowed. Starvation
was not yet upon the garrison, and ere it would be
reached, Fort Piekens might be reinforced. This
last would be a clear Indication Of policy, and
would better enable the country to ac2ep6 the
uation of Fort Sumter as a military necessity. An
order was at once directed to be sent for the land
ing of the troops the steamship Brooklyn into
Fort PIckenS. This order could not go by land but
must take the longer and slower route by sea. The
first return news from the order was received but
one week before the fall Of Fort Sumter The
news itself was that the officer commanding the
Sabine-to which vessel the troops had been trans
ferred from the Brooklyn-acting upon some quasi
armstice of the late administration up TO the time
the order was dispatched, had only two vague and
uncertain rumors to fix attention, and had refused
to land the troops. To reinforce Fort Pickens be-
fore crisis would be reached at Fort Sumter was
impossible, rendered so by the next eXhauAtion of
latter named m n inn
against such a conjuncture the government had
few days before commenced preparing an expedi-
ton well adapted might be, to relieve Fort
Sumter, which expedition was intended to be ulti-
mately used or not, according to circumstances.
The strongest anticipated for using it was now
presented, and it resolved TO send it forward as
had been intended in this contingency. It was also
resolved to notify the Governor of South Carolina
that he Eaight expect an attempt would be made TO
provision the fort, and that if the attempt should
not be resisted there would be no effort to throw IN
more arms or ammunition without further notice.
or in case of an attack upon the fort This notice
was accordingly given whereu9on the fort
was attacked and bombarded even to the fall
without even waiting the arrival of the pro-
Yisioning expedition. 1t is thus seen that the
assault upon and reduction of Fort Sumter was
in no matter OF selfdefanse on the part of the as
saiants. He well knew that the garrison in the
fort could by no possibility commit aggression upon
them. They knew they were expressly notified
that the giving of bread to the few brave and hung
ry men of the garrison was all which would on
that occasion be attempted unless themselves by re-
slsting 50 much should provoke more They knew
that the government desired to keep tho garrison in
the fort not to assail them but to merely maintain
visibls possession and thus to preserve the Union
from actual and immediate dissolution, trusting as
herein before stated TO time discussion and the bal
lot box, for final adjustment and they asssiled and
reduced the fort for precisely the reverse object to
drive out the visible authority of the federal Union
I'D 10 diafn hot
this was their object the executive well understood
And having said to them in the inaugural address.
'sYou can have no conflict without being yourselves
the aggressors," he took pains TO keep this deea-
ration good. but also kept the free fro the
power of ingenious sophistTy as that the world
should not be able to misunderstood it. By the az
fair at Fort Sumter, with the surrounding cIrcum-
stances, that point was reached. Then and there,
by the assalants of the government began the con-
ict of arms, without gun in sight or in expectan
cy to return their fire the few in the fort sent
to that harbor years before for their own protec-
ton and are still ready to give that protection in
whatever is lawful. In this act discarding all else
they have forced upon the country the destructive
issue, immediate dissolution or blood; and this
issue embraces more than the fate of these
United States. 1t presents TO the whole family
of men thequestion, whether q constitutional re-
public or democracy, a government OF the people
by the same people can or cannot maintain its ter
ritorial integrity against its own domestic foes 1t
uals too few in number to control the administra-
ton according TO organic law in any case, and al
ways upon the pretenses made IN this case or any
other pretenses or arbitrarily without any pretence,
can break up their governm mt and thus practically
put an end to free government upon the earth. 1t
forces US ask lis there in all republics this nhe
rent and fatal weakness must government of ne
aessiy be strong for the liberties of its peO
pie. or two weak TO maintain its own existence
So viewing the issue, choice was left but TO call
81, ,,oF4 ard 10
resist the force employed for its destruction by
force for its preservation. The call was made, and
the response of the country was most gratifying,
surprising in unanimity and spirit the most san
guine expectation. Yet none OF the States common
" called slave States except Delaware, gave reg
iment through regular State organization. A few
regiments have been organized within some others
of these States by individual enterprise and recey
ed into the government service. OF course the Sc
ceded States socslled and TO which Texas had been
Joined about the time of the Inauguration. gave no
troops to the of the Union The border States
so called were not uniform in their action, some of
them being almost for the Union, while in others,
as Virginia North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkan.
sas the Union sentiment was nearly repressed and
senced. The cou sc taken in Virginia was the
most remarkable, perhaps the most important a
convention elected by the people of the State to
consider this very question of disruptng the Fede
raj Union in session at the capital of Virginia
when Fort Sumter fell To this body the people
men Almost Immediately after the fall of Sumter.
many members of that majority went over to the
original dsunion minority, and with them adopted
an ordinance for Withdrawing the State from the
Union. Whether this change was wrought by their
great approval of the assault upon Sumter, or the
great resentment at the governments resistance to
that assault is not definitely known. Although they
submitted the ordinance for ratification TO vote of
the people to be taken on day then somewhat
more than month distant, the convention and the
legislature which was also in session at the same
time and place, with leading men of the State not
members of either Immediately commenced acting
as if the State were already out of the Union They
pushed military preparations vigorously forward
all over the State; they seized the United States
armory at Harper's Ferry and the navy yard at
Gosport near Norfolk. They received, perhaps
invited into their State large bodies of armed troops
with their warlike appointments, from the sJ-csled
seeded States. They formally entered into treaty
of temporary alliance and co operation with the
called Confederate States, and sent members to their
lngress at Montgomery and finally they permitted
the insurrectionary government to be transferred
to their capital at Richmond. The people Of Vir-
ginis have thus allowed this giant insurrectOn to
make a nest within her borders and this govern
ment has no choice left but to deal with it where it
finds it. and it has the less regret as the loyal c
zens have in due form elaine its protection. Thos
loyal citizens this government IS bound to rec
ognize and protect as being in Firg nid, as
one Of the bordes States so called in fact
in the Middle States there are those who favor q
policy which they call armed neutrality, that is, an
armIng of those States to prevent the Union forces
passing one way, the disunOn forces the other.
over their soil This would be disunioa completed;
fgurativey speaking it would be the building of
impossible wall along the line of separation and |
vet not quite an impossible for. under the gQise
of neutrality it would tie the hands Of the Union
men and freely pass supplies from among them to |