Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-05-28

Special corrts,ord.uss Of The London rimes.

NORfeRk- April 10 sumter mas 1aien az sasl, %
much may be accepted. Before many hours hope
to stand amid the ruins of spot which will proba-
bly, become HISTORIC, and has already made more
noise in the world than Its guns gallant as the de-
tense may have been. The news viii produce an
extraordinary impression at New York-lt will
disconcert stock jobbers. and derange the most in
genous speculatons. But, considerable as may be
its results in any part of the Union, venture to
say that nowhere will the shock such painful
COMMISSIONS as In the Cabinet of Washington. where
there appeared to exist the most perfect conviction
that the plan for the relief of Sumter could not fail
70 be successful either through the force of the
petition provided for that object. or through the
uHwIllingness Of the leaders at Charleston to fire
the first shot, and TO compel the surrender of the |
place by actual hostties.
The confidence of Mr. Seward in the strength of |
the name and of the resources of the United States
Federal Government must have received q severe
bio but his condolences are by no means Of weakly
constitution, and 1t will be long ere he can bring
himself to think that ali his prophecies must be
given up one after another before the inexorabe |
logic OF facts, with whiGh his vaccinations have been
in 'lrrepresslbie conflict" ltseems to me that Mr..
Seward has all along undervalued the spirit and !
the resolution of the Southern slave States or that
he has disguised from others the he entertains
of their extent and Vigor The days assigned for
the life of the secession have been numbered over
and over again, and secession has not yielded up |
the ghost. The ''bravAdo" of the South has been /
sustained by leeds which render retreat from its |
advanced position impossible. Mr. Seward will !
probably find himself hard pushed TO maintain his /
vie VS. in the Cabinet in the face of recent events
which will no doubt. be used with effect and kill |
by Mr.. Chase. who is undere>S9d to be favor of
letting the Solth go 1t lists. wi>>out any more
trouble, convicted he is that It 70 element of
weakness in the body poll tic, while he would be |
prepared TO treat treason any at empts in the
ma ming States of the Union to act the doctrine
of secession
But the Union party must now prevail. As yet l |
do not know whether the views expressed relative
10 the destination of the greater part of the troops
and stores sent from the North were correct for it
cannot be learned here how many ships were off
Sumter when it surrendered; but notwithstanding
what has occurred Ieterate the assertion that the
Washington Cabinet always said and say they had
no intention to provoke conflict there, and that
had the authorize les at Charleston continued their
permission TO the garrison TO procure supplies in
their markets there would have been immediate ac-
ton their part 70 precipitste the fight, though
they were determined TO hold II and Fort Plckens.
as well as Tortugas and Key West. and to victual
and strengthen the garrison of the former as soou
as they were able. Fate was against them. The
cision and mower of their opponents were against
them But their defense will be that they toll net
do anything Ll they got troops. and ships and mu-
Ditions of war together, and that they did as mu
as they could in q month. Sumter IN fact was a
mouse in the jaws of a cat, and the moment an at
tempt made to release the prey by external in
huence, the jaws were closed and the mouse was
disposed of The act will produce, believe. in
spite of what see, very deep impression through
out all the States, and will tend 10 bring about
collision between the high>handed parties on both
sides. When Mr.. Lincoln came into Office it was
| discovered that promise had been made By out
| going members of the preceding Government to
surrender the Southern forts.
That promise was ignored by the incoming Minis
try The Southern Commissioners insist on it that,
apart from the compact of Mr.. Buchanan Cabinet,
pledge had been given to the South that attempt
would be made to reinforce the forts without no.
tice to the government al mig 1mery, and go far
as can be ascertained the authorities at Washington
did cause TO be conveyed to the Southern Confeder
atom the expression of their Intention to victuH
Sumter but whether they did 80 in respect to their
pledge, if it existed in consequence of the deci
sion at Charleston to prevent the issuing OF further
| supplies to the garrison, is uncertain. The with
drawal of the permission to market was all but an
| act of war. If the United States Government
would act on the hypothesis that the Southern Con
federation independent power, it would sure
ly have considered the proceedings prelude to
! immediate hostility. But the course thus adopt
ed arose out of the preparations made by the
| United Stat Q vsrnment in fitting out expedi-
tons, the objects OF which were scarcely dubious.
| The Commissioners of the Southern States at
Washington never acknowledged, at least met with
decisive rebuff just as Virginia saw her represen-
| tatives from the Convention on their way TO ask
| Mr. Lincoln to explain his intentions Ths Commis-
| soners were given 70 understand that their pres
ence useless and that the forts would be rein>
forced and the intelligence thus furnished to the
Government at Montgomery il resolved to act
| by summOning Major AndeI son to surrender before
succor could arrive and in the event of refusal by
compelling him TO yield in the sight of the woudbe re-
lievIpg sluadron As soon the commissioners found
that Mr. Lincoln had made his decision, they de-
parted in no very yielding temper, and washed
their hands in v2ledictOry paper Of the results.
| Ii my intention to have left Washington early
in the week, and to have reached Charleston before
these gentlemen had departed but the heavy storms
and h1ods which washed away part of the railway
between Washington and Richmond. at the other
side of the Potomac, prevented my departure, and
Lot only arrested the mails from the South and the
Journey of the Virginia delegates for several days
out obliged the Commissioners to take the round
about course by rail to Baltimore, thence by steam
er to Norfolk. Va. and then by rail 10 Charles
ton. which am now pursu ng, one day later.
Although the ministers at the Capital affected to
dscredit the existence of any design to seize upon
the CITY, their acts indicated an apprehension OF
danger. at least desire to take all possible pre-
cautions against treschery. The D strict Militia
were Iled out and sworn for service and the !,
showed that there were more citizens IN the ranks
ready TO stand by the Government than there were
secessonlsts who would not defend 1t. Tuesday
Wednesday and Thursday last were very busy
DAYS The companies forming the b4ttalIons OF the
District militia were mustered and marched of
from their various quarters to the enclosure in
front OF the War Department where they took or
refused the oath of service, as the humor moved
tn. m 1t is scarcely possible TO imagine more
heterogeneous looking body of men the variety OF
|
great as if specimen squad had been taken from
the hattalions Of the Grand Army of 1872
The general effect Of the men and of their habili
ments is decidedly French, and there Is even a
email com Jsny OF Z1uayes, but cannot understand
how tn Sc little Indepe ndent bodies be brought
into line, or depended on for united action. On the
DAYS above mentioned the monotony Of the wide,
teess streets was broken intervals by the tap of
| the drum beating pas IN the French fashion, and
then came the crowd of idlers who fond Of
| cheap military display. To company Of forty
rank and flC there generally two drummers and
six or seven officers more and the glory OF epau-
lets shines out brayey through the cloHd of French
| gray. and light and dark capotes. The musters are
| not am told as they should be. There are some
| male faces rounded shoulders and weak frames in
the ranks but the majority are very fair specimens
of fine race of men, and some companies WEI e
| composed of soldier like, stout fellows, who on
r,ouired active service 70 them up for any
| tary duty Not fourth of those bound to serve
were ready, however. to come forward and light for
the Government at Washington and it is probable
that nothing short Of struggle for life or d. ath
would induce one half to take the field. Not one
| half of the militia ia properly armed
1t is a great army paper; no army in the world
is so magnifcently Offered even IN proportion to
it numbers. The strength of the militia of the
whole of the ex- United States is nearly 100000 Of
men of all ranks Of these, there are no less tran
S39 generals Of ali sorts 500 colonies and field
officers. $500 captains and subalterns-kentucky
boasts of ISS generals. New York has not less than
3yZ, Michigan is rlC1 III AOO BchSEdAs anu 81 Oh'
} But unless there were some popular passions to
excite the country, the actual force available for
the field would be fractional part Of these grand
totals The American Minerva which Rprang from
the womb of the great Revolutionary war with
panoply of proof, believes that she IL inVincble,
and there is unqueshonsbly strong military spirit
among the people generated by the incidents which
attended their national birth, and developed by the
2 subsequent small wars in which they have been
engaged with rather impotent enemies. Whether
this spirit will be called forth in the North and West
, as largely as it has unquestionably been il the
: South. remains to be seen.
: The evidences of a near approach of civil war
are now beyond all dispute. but the nature Of the
conflict wall depend the steps taken by the beli-
gerents. If the Southern States await invasion
{ they will fight over loaded mine. To avoid the
horrors of a conflict On their own soil they will
: probably seek to make good their boast of march
: ing on Washington; but whether they reach it is
quite another matter. The present means of de-
Tending it are very contemplate, but vast popula-
tons are close at hand which can furnish thousands
) of men for its protection. The city contains no
st ategca points, and in military sense its posses
sion is not important it would be worth while to