Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-05-08
The American Revolution.

| Il needs no comment of ours to impress the pub
| lie with the great Importance of the news from
| America. We are axious to speak with caution on
this subject, and not cause alarm which may posi-
| bly, prove to have been unnecessary. Therefore we
we would rather let the telegraphlc summary from
Queenstown speak for itself. The steamer left New
| York on the 9Th and on the day previous the signs
| of an approaching conflict, which had been visible
| for some weeks before, became SO marked that
| panic took place in Wall street. In what may be
called the two chief cities of the rvafFederatons
| the belief that war was at hand prevailed equally
In New York there was. as we have said, panic on
the Stock Exchange, while from Charleston the ttla
graph announces that the dread moment had arriV-
ed. and rupture would at once take place. 1t was
even feared that military operations had begun on
the part of the SOutherners. No news had been re-
ceived from Fort Piekens for several DAYS and this
| had led to the belief that the communication had
been cut of by the Southern troops. From Charles
ton it was announced that Major Anderson had been
called upon to evacuate Fort Sumter within forty
! eight hours the alternative being that the place
| would be bombarded. The belief at Washington
was that the Government as determined as that
| of SecessOnists. Every man had been ordered on
| duty frigate, with two first class merchant
| steamers, would sail at with sealed orders;
but we learn from private source that there were
still doubts as TO whether they were intended to
| leive Fort PickenS or 70 proceed to ST Domingo
n such is the momentous intelligence which we pub
| lish to-day. We may here, however, repeat the
hope so often expressed on this side of the ocean,
that if the two sections of the late MON be destn-
ed to separation the change may be accompl she
without spilling of blood. 1t may, perhaps, be too
late to indulge in such wishes, yet will not give
! up all hope that at this late hour moderate
cOunsels may have prevailed, and that this tratric
| dal war has been checked in the outset. But sup
| posing that the worst has happened, and, either
through the naval operations of the United States
| or attack the Federal forts by their rivals
hostilities have begun, 1t is plain that conflict of
no common kind must follow. The Confederate
States though without a navy, and consequently
forced for the most part to remain the defensive
will be enemy not easy to deal with. True, they
are not powerful in men or resources as they
ticipsted some months ago TIE fidelity Of the BOr
der States to the Union has been great disappOint-
ment to the Montgomery politicians and their ambi-
tious President. The Border States particularly ktn
lucky and Tennessee, contain population which Tor
military purposes, perhaps, suFpasses any in the
| Union The fine race which inhabits these regions
would prove formidable enemies to the Government
| at Washington. if they had resolved on seeding.
! Then there would have been the accession of
large white population without any great ad mixture
| of negroes, and furthermore considerable wealth,
which, in the present state Of the Southern Exche
| quer, would have been very acceptable. But,
though for the present at least the Border States
stand fast by the Union. yet the South shows bold
front. The seeding States, being in earnest
| and fighting for their independence have raised an
army which the other p have not succeeded in
matching. According to all accounts the Southern
1
spirits. For weeks it has been difficult keep the
/ Charleston regiments from attacking Fort Sumter,
and at Pensacola we find that Fort Pickens was
| hard pressed by a considerable force. The iron
fOundries in Virginia turning out guns to be
/ used against the government which owes the ale
| glance of Virginia itself. Troops provisions and
| ammunition were flowing into the Confederate
| army" was the intelligence received few days
since. 1t seems clear that, if peace be preserved,
it will lot be by any yielding the part OF the Sc
| cessIOnists.
Il lcoud be great political error not TO say crime
| i the Republican President should plunge Tie 1eo
o0Ord into in order to ShOl7 his enactment to las
party his consistency 9th has former py .FciDleS
| When Mr.. Buchanan published his UNHAPPY mes,
saga document to which it is probably owing
that South Carolina was followed into secession ,by
six other States-the Republican party, and indeed
opinion generally throughout the North was so
much inhamed against the President that Mr.. Lin
coin found fancied it necessary to rcpudate these
sentiments. IucautiouSly giving utterance to bis
own opinions wherever he his journey
from the West he arrived at Washington pledged
not only to keep but to retake the Forts belonging
to the Union in the seeded States, and to refuse
any recognition of Southern independence. The
collection of the duties at the Southern ports
also made part of the new Presidents programme
How difficult it has been found to carry out all
tais is evident from the long delay which has
taken place. Before Mr.. Buchanan left
Office Major Anderson in extreme
danger, no time was to be lost in relieving Fort
Pickens, and the Confederate states themselves
were lowering their tariff and letting in the pro-
ductons of Europe at rate which would make ev-
cry idler inlthe border States take to smuggling
once. 1t was thought that the moment Mr.. Lincoln
was installed a resolution would be taken But this
was not to be. For full month the President and
his Cabinet have been debating what is to be done,
and only on the 9TH is it announced that the poll
of coercion has triumphed.
The delay seems all the more To be regretted,
since confidence among men of business had been
almost restored There up nearly to the last
day of March feeling that the worst was over and
that however lamentabe might be the disruption of
the Republic, there would not be added to this mis-
fortune the still greater calamity OF civil war The
absorbing interest in military and political matters
was passing away, AMI business resuming its
usual course. What will be the result of a coils
ion between the two Governments is than any
enc can predict. The vision of privateers at sea,
and partisan bands along the frontier be so ter
rible to Americans that it is possible the public feel
ing of the people may restrain the act of their rulers
But, should this quarrel begin AID continue until
both sides reused into animosity. the war,
though short, may be as savage as any that has
been carried On even by the Spanish race. The
Americans in the highest degree excitable and
vindctve; the erocity which they carry into their
domestic conflicts would be increased largely when
one side fancied itself to be resisting tyrants and
the other furnishing traitors. But had rather not
speculate on so great calamity as such war would
be. We would rather hope that the good sense of |
the Americans and the peaceful cOunsels Of this |
country may bring about reconciliation before the
dispute has been too far enyenomed. As l0n- |
the two sections of the Union refrain from hos
tiities it would be the height OF arrogance and fol-
ly to interfere; but when the soil and of the
New World are likely to be stained with blood |
foreign nations may surely demonstrate in the cause