The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-07-13
PRESIDENTS siEssAGE.
Fellor citizens Of tie Senate and House Of r.
Sc, tQttUeS:

Having been convened in extraordinary
sion as authorized by the Constitution
your attention Is not called to any ordi-
nary subject OF legislation. At the begin
ming Of the present Presidential term four
months ago, the functions Of the Federal
Government were found to be generally
suspended within the several States of
South Carolina, Georgia, ALBANIA, Missi,-
sippi Louisiana and Florida, excepting
those only of the Post Office Department
Within these States all the forts, arse
mails, dockyards, custom houses, DC, in
Guiding all the movable and stationary
property in and about them, had been
seized and held in open hostility to this
Government, excepting only Forts Pckens,
Taylor and Jefferson, on and near the
! Florida coast, and Fort Sumter III Charles
ton harbor. The forts thus seized had
been put in improved condition; new
ones had been built and armed Other
forces had been organized and were Or
ganizing, all avOwedly for the same hos
tile purpose The forts remaining in the
Federal possession III aud Near tisose
States were either besieged or menaced
by warlike preparations. Especially Fort
Sumter was nearly surrounded by well
protected hostile batteries, with guns equal
in quality 10 the best of its own, and out
numbering the latter rs ten TO one
/ disproportionate share Of the Federal
muskets and rifles had somehow found
their way into these States. and had been
eeized 10 be used against tie Government
Accumulatons of the public revenue had
been seized for the sane object The
navy was scattered in distant seas leav ing
bnt very small pant of il within the nm
mediate reach Of the Government O.ii
GERS OF the federal army had resigned IN
( great numbers, and Of those resi- i.ncd a
great portion had taken up arm against
. the GnEerEDnrHt. simultaneously ana IN
/ c"nns' tlnn with all this. purpose 10 sever
Federal tnion WAS openly avoHed -
la accordance with thl- purpose, ai ordi
nance had been reported, in each Of these
Site, declaring the States respec ively
t" he separated from the Fec, raj Union
The formula Tor institutiug combined
Government for these States had been
rromul-a,e and thi, illegal organization
III the chagacte. o! the Confederate Sate<
Was already asking recognition, aid and
intervention from foreign powris. Find
lng this coEdliI II Of means, and believing
II 10 be an imperative duty upon the in
coming Executive TO prevent, If possible
. the cOnsummaIion OF such attempt to de
stroy the Federal Cuion, 4 choice of two
thing. u that end became iudi> >pensabie
. Ia.s choice was made and declared IN the
inaugural address The policy chosen
looked 10 thr exhaustion OF all peaceatle
incLsuIes ue:O.e resort 10 auy sIougCr
one Ii >uu-!4t only 10 hold the pubic
places and property OF rsa ly vrcsted
nom the government. and 10 collect the
rcyenu relying for the ics. on time. dis
ct!ssIon aud the ballot box. promised
. the continuance OF the mails al the Coy
( eTumruts rApcusc to the very people who
Were resisting the Government. aud gave
repeated pledges aga.ns, any u uIJunce
. OF any oi the c pie or NJ Of their rights
J OF al thai w;Ich President might con
. st.;Hiisuaiiy and iusiit.hiy do ia -uch a
/ case. Everything was for! olne without
which It WAS bciI,ved possible 10 keep the
} Government on foot
ou ihe titL. Of March, the present in
, cunIbeTte tirst tall day in Office, a letter
from Maj ior Anderson, commanding at
, Font Sump;cr, written on the 2Hth of
I February and received al the War De
pariuI.u; Oh the Iih March, was bv that
department; placed in his hands This
letter expressed the professional opinion
Of the writer that rc!uturcements could
. uOt b. thrown INTO that tort ia time tor
his r.!lci, (I,Ldcfed Lec, .saiy by the
limited supply OF provisions and with y
. view OF holding possession oi the same J.
/ with a force OF less than 10000 we'll d!sci-
p!lHcd men. THIS opinion WAS coucurTed
/ IN by all the officers Of his command aud
thc.riucm J.-u udI on the subject were made
Inclosures of Major AndeTson's letter
/ The whole was immediately laid before
Lieutenant General Scott, who at once
coacurred with Major Anderson in his De
ci.ion. tn reflection, however, he took
full time j. consulting with other officers,
both OF tie army and navy, and at the
end OF four days came reluctantly but de-
cldediy TO the same conclusion as before.
lie also stated At the same time that 10
such sufficient force WAS then at the con-
tIo! pt The government or could be raised
aud brought 10 tile ground within the
time when the provisions ia the fort would
be exhausted. In purely military point
of view, this contIwed the Administration
TO the mere matter OF getting the gar
rISou safely out Of the iort. 1t was be-
: Heyed. however, that To SO abandon that
sItuat!Or under the circumstances would
be utterly ru.nUus; that the necessity
under which Ii Was to e done would no;
be fully understood; that by many il
would be construed as a part of a voiun
tary policy; that a. home 1t would dis
rn lis adversalies and 20 tar 10 insure &c
the latter a recognition abroad, and tina!
j in fact it would be our national destruc
tion. This could not be allowed. SIarva
t Oh was not yet upon the garrison, and
ere il would be reached, Fort P!cken.
might be RENT, reed Til, last would bt
clear indication of policy, and wOuid
better enable the country to accept the
evacuation o.. Sumter as a military neces
: sity Then an order was at once directed
to be sent for the landing of the troop,
from the steamship brooklyn into For
Pickens. This order could not 20 by laud
bu, must take the surer aud slower route
by sea. The first returning news from
the order was received just one week be
fore the iall OF Sumter. The news itse
was that the officer commanding the Sa
bine, To which vessel the troops had beer
, transferred from the Brooklyn, actin.
upon some al ini>tice of the ate adm MS
, traiion, up 10 the time the order was dis
|. patched, had only too vague and uncer
! tain rumois 10 hX attention, had refuse,
to land the troops To now reintorc,
y ! Fort Pickens, before the Cris.s would b,
= reached at Fort Sumpter was impossible
rendered by the mere exhauston o
provisions in tht. latter named fort. II
Procautun against such q contingency th'
government, had few days before com
I, menced preparing an expedition as wei
). adapted as might be to relieve Fort Sum
. ter, which expedition was intended to b
). ultimately used or not, according to tn
circumstances. The staongest possib!
cause for using it was now presented, an,
). it was resolved to send it forward, as ha,
$ been intended. In this contingency,
:, Vos resolved to notify the Governor @
ID South Carolina, that he might expect al
attempt would be made to provision til
fort, aud that if the attempt should not b
tol tla.,Il. Sl.clill La % NJ 1