Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-11-30
A Notable Anniversary.

On the 18th day Of November, 1860, and
Immediately after the telegraph had licked
the news TO the Southern State capitals OF
the undoubted election of Abraham Lincoln
to the Presidency, there was in session at
Milledgeville, Georgia, 4 military convention
to devise measures for putting that State in
a condition Of defense to resist the power Of
the United States. This convention was ad-
dressed by Joseph Z. Brown, then as now
Governor of Georgia. He was then the most
radical secessionist in the State, and with
Toombs, bitterly opposed to the conciliatory
aud pacific policy Of A. H. Stephens. South
Carolina was in blaze Of excitement. The
long wished for opportunity had come. The
pretext which had been looked for during
thirty years, las R. Barnwell Rhett, stated, }
TO Justify South Carolina in Withdrawing
from the Union, was at hand, and the seces-
sionists had FASTENED it purposely by break
ing up the Democratic party at Charleston
that Spring, and doing what they could to
elect Abraham Lincoln. South Carolina was
looked upon as the leader in the new work,
but she counted upon the cooperation Of
Georgia, and she did not count in vain.
Governor Brown took the lead in his State.
He made violent secession speech to that
Convention on that memorable 18th Of No.
yember, in which he affirmed 1t to be the duty
of the other Southern States to sustain South
Carolina, and magnifed the military power
Of the South to the highest pitch of gascon-
ade. He declared that il "the sacred soil Of
Georgia were invaded By Federal troops, for
every Georgian who fell, the lives Of two
Yankees should expiate the outrage on State
Sovereignty" The Convention military
caught his enthusiasm and voted two to one
for secession and war. South Carolina
called her political Convention and passed
her ordinance Of secession on the 18th Of De-
cember; on the 18th Of January following,
Georgia, under the influence of Brown and
Toombs, followed in the same action.
Well, there teas a war, and after three
wears and half Of fighting, there came
another 18th Of November notable in the
history of Georgia. It found the same Gov
ernor at Milledgeville but not exactly the
same in spirit. A Federal army had invaded
the State; had penetrated TO its military
stronghold, after defeating its veteran army
in dozen battles and reducing their number
from eighty to thirty-fye thousand-a wretch
ed remnant exhausted BY fruitless marching
and fighting, without base of operations or
a commissary chest. 1t found the whole in
terror Of the State laid open to its unobstruct-
ed march, and the same Governor Brown
stretching out his arms imploring peace and
protection from the friends Of 1850. Re-
markable conversion 1t might justify the
application to the Governor Of the facetious
epithet-"Done Brown. On the 18th Of
November, 1854, there was no military con-
vention in Milledgeville. What pGs there
was trembling Governor and an alarmed
and anxious Legislature, rather inviting than
repelling the army OF the Federal Govern
ment; but, whether inviting or repelling,
powerless to oppose its purposes. On that
day General Sherman started for Milledge-
vile and Macon, at the head OF fifty thousand
as good troops as ever lit up camp, the
army of Georgia two hundred miles to his
rear and held there as in a vice. The whole
State is completely at his mercy nor can any
Southern State come to its aid. So much for
the difference between words and deeds.
Governor Brown is either fugitive to-day or
he is cooperating not with South Carolina,
but with General Sherman!-Stockton hide
pendent