The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-07-06

port the CONSTITUTION OF the United Sthtce,
during the term Of their public service.
They held secret, midnight councils in
and out of the Capital--concocted and
matured deep and desperate scheme 20
] break up the Union-assigued 10 each
conspirator his part, and went TO work
in fearful earnest TO execute the wicked
| plot, The genius Of Milton, in @ Para
disc Los" has furnished as, in the Pan
demonium Of fallen spirits, wiih'the only
council superior in its wicked machina-
| tons against the peace and happiness Of
man and, in the apostate angels, the only
| conspirators more determined or active in
working the ruin Of the human race.
The success, in the race for President
Of the Republican party, which had few
/ years before sprung into gigantic pro-
| portions from the lamentable grave Of the
| Missouri Compromise. and been wonder
fully strengthened by the disgraeeful
scenes and conflicts in Kansas, was the
signal, the occasion for an open and de-
FAINT revolt Of the Gulf States, South
Carolina taking the lead sshe had been
the prime mover, and rs her people were
more submissive and Obedient TO the die
tation Of her public men, and the other
States wero 10 follow in such order as
their loyalty would permit. Had har-
mony prevailed in the Democratic party,
and the lamented Douglas been chosen as
! its candidate, conservative men, North and
South, would have rallied TO his support,
and Mr. Lincoln would have been de-
feated, in all human probability, But
this did not suit the schemes of the arch
coHspirators. They, with their satel-
lites entered the Democratic Conventions
at Charleston and Baltimore sowed the
seeds Of discord broadeast, and succeeded
b.. in dividing the delegates into two hostile
parties--the one nominating Judge DOUG
las and the other John 9. Breckinidge,
then ringleader of disunion in disguise,
and now General in the service of the
rebel army. Owing to the dissentions
and gross corruption of the Buchanan
Administration, Mr.. Lincoln was elected
| by mere plurality vote; aud South
Carolina strutted haughtily out Of the
Union according TO her theory, shook her
little Palmetto flag deiiantly at the Stars
and Stripes, and went straight TO bur
nishing her arms and digging dirt for
fearful conflict with the Government of
the United States 'o.
What succeeded this event in the Halls
Of Congress and transpired in three de-
partments of the Cabinet, will transmit
81 the names Of several chief cOnspirators to
an Immortality of infamy as enduring as
the day we commemorate. High treason
stalked with an uplilted crest and bra-
zen face, like the serpent in the garden
of Paradise, and in the very noontide of
day through the halls and along the cor
ridors of the National Capitol, where
Jackson, and Clay, and Webster had
combined their great powers andIldve of
country TO crush the monster DisuniOn in
the cradle and official completely with
the traitorous plot, plundered the public
property, and diyulged important Cabinet
secrets TO avowed enemies in arms, un-
der the immediate eye of President Blu
chanan; yet no chosen thunderbOlt, red
with the wrath of the outraged Govern
ment, struck the guilty parties TO the
earth. The tiercest anathemas OF the
present generation will fall with coheen-
trated force on the devoted heads OF
Davis, Benjamin, Ioombs, Yancey, Wig
: fall, Floyd, Thompsoy and their cohdju-
tors in the great conspiracy, as the au-
thors Of the ruin and bloodshed that
/ shroud the whole country, on this hith-
erto happy day, in deepest gloom and
the generations to follow in our footsteps
/ will point the youth Of their times to the
names and memories Of these traitors, as
r we have pointed our children To the
. names and memories Of a Catalina, an
{ Arnold and Burr. aa7 tt .n.s
In short time the other Gulf States
followed in the wake of South Carolina
and the new Government rose in tempo
rary form and proportions, from the tur-
/ bid waters embracing the entire line Of
American coast on the Gulf Of Mexico
And here the process Of dismember-
ment came TO a dead halt for the Border
/ States did not appear TO be in a hurry tC
, get out of the Union. The States Of Vir-
ginia and Tennessee, ,with their large
, population for soldiers, and their large
E stores of provisions for the support Of an
1 army, must be plucked from the Union
p at any hazard, or the scheme would
! fail, and the conclaye of cOnspirators sink
into disgraceful scorn and conten1pt--
/ Tennessee had declared in direct vote
her loyalty, by an overwhelming major,
7 ity, aud Virginia had called a conYehti0n
+ largely for the Union, which was in SEES.
sion aud celebrating on the troubles o.
I the times. Some bold and startling steT
. was necessary to jostle these loyal States
from their allegiance, and the conspira'
{ tors had the recklessness and insane har
( dihood necessary 10 take that step. Ont
, single drop of precious blood would pro.
badly dissolve the seal 10 the bond o
p Union, and kindle the flames of civil wal
o. al over the South, but the cowArdly
I Government at Washington will not shoC
{ it. In an unexpected hour the rebel bat.
Z teries Of Fort Moultrie opened a terriii,
r stream Of shell aud shot on Fort Sumpter
and kept up an incessant fire until th,
: furnishing garrison surrendered, aud f0l
Z the first time since this day was mad,
5 immortal as the birthday OF American
e Liberty, civil war held its disgusting
1 orgies Of blood under the eyes Of ia,
q Federal Government, and In presenc,
e of our national Gag Here was sirucl
the FIRST blow; here was shed III,
4 first blood. lie fell on the Uniol
Q men in this State like a thunder Dol
d from a oloudless sky, and, reeing under
. the shock, they Thought for a time that i
d was the death-knell of the Union Tel
3 egrams, announcing the deed went OF
5 wings of lightning; city and churcl
. bells catching the swift flame, rang GU
d merily the news; deep mouthed cannon
[ felt the electric spark aud reFeled il
@ booming thundcrs; bonlres were kiudlec
1 and rockets danced in the Ais largi
n crowds were hurriedly assembled ant
r wrought up TO the highes. point Of I'M