The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-04-18
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people Of the Confederate States viii defend tesr ber
Ties 70 the last against this fragrant and opeu a,tent a.
their subugation to sectional power.
This communication cannot he properly closed without
dvertiUg to the date OF your memorandum ma oaisl
Of the undesgred Of the 12h March, was dssversd
to the Secretary OF State is1h Of ina,
mon,h, the gentleman who delivered informing hm that
the Secretary OF this Commission would call at twelve
o'clock noon on the next day, for answer. At the
appointed hour Mr. Pickett did cali and Informed By
the Assistant Secretary OF State that the engageeao
the Secretary Of State had prevented him from giving
he note hs attention The Assistant Secretary OF State
then asked for the address Of Messrs Crawford and For
syth, the members OF the Commission then present In
TINS city, took note OF the address a card and
gaetd TO send whatever reply might be made their
| iodgngs Why this was not done II is proper should
De mere explained The memorandum is dated March
10 and was not delivered until April s. Why was it
withheld during the intervening twenty three days? In
the postscript 10 your memorandum you say 1t Twas do
hyed, as was understood with their Messrs Forsyth
and Cawfords) consent" This is true but it ia also
true that on the 18th of March Messrs Forsyth and
uawiord were assured by person occupying
high official position In the government and who, az
they believed speaking by authority that For, sum
ter would be evacuated within very days. and that
no measure changing the existing status prejudicaly
the Confederate States respects Fort Pckens then
contemplated, and these subsequently,
repeated with the addition that any change
respects Pckens would be notified TO us On the let
OF April we were again informed there might be an
attempt to supply Fort Sumter with provisions bat that
Governor Pcaens should have previous notice OF at
tempt. There suggestion Of any reinforcement.
The undersigned did not hesitate that these as
surances expressed the intentions Of the administration
at the me or at all events Of prominent OF that
ADMINISTRATION This delay assented TO for the ex-
press purpose OF attaining the great end Of the mission
Of the undersigned, To VITA pacific solution OF
existing complications The inference deducibIe from
the date OF your memorandum, that the undersigned
had, OF their velon and without cause consented
to this long hiatus in the grave duties with which they
were charged Is therefore not consistent Jest ex
position Of the facts of the The intervening twenty
three days employed in active unofficial Efforts the
object Of which to smooth the path pacific So
ution, the distinguished parsonage alluded 10 cpope-
rating with the Undersigned and every step eTr
is recorded In writing and In possession tse TN
dersigned and Of their government II only when
all these anxious efforts for peace had exhanse
and became clear that Mr. Lincoln had determined
appeal to the sword to reduce the people Of the Confede
rate States TO the will Of the section party whose Pre-
sdent he is that the undersigned resumed the Official
negotiation temporarily suspended and their secre
tary for reply to theh Official Of March r.
is proper to add that. during these twenty three
days. two gentlemen Of official distinction as high az mat
Of the parsonage hitherto alluded to aided the under
signed intermediates In these unofficial negotiations
for peace. st
The undersigned, Commissioners Of the Confederate
States of America having thus made they
deem material in the memorandum hled in the Depar<
ment on the 10th Of March last, have the honor be-
Nsre JOHN FORSYTH, t. r..es ~ II
MARTIN j. CRAWFORD, aal
true copy Of the original by delivered TO Mr. \.
\anGnnl = n6ecretary Of State Of the United