Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-04-29

| the beltefy aud the whsrvps looking on
on he bay. There they stood, s'rainine
their ewes over the dark expanse of water,
waiting 10 see the fash aud hear he boom
Of he fret gun. The clock told the hour
of IL and still .they gszed and listened,
but the eyelid1 grew weary, and at the
noonl Of night the larger portion of The
disappointed spectators we're ploddng
their way bomeward AT about o'clock
Gen. Behuregafd received q reply from
Presidenu Davis to the telegram in rela
tion to the surrender Of Sumter, by which
be was instructed 10 inform Msjor Ander.
son that be would evacuate the fort be
held, when bis present supply of provisions
was exhausted, there won be no appe a
to arms This p oposition was borne to
Major Anderson by he aids who had de
live ed the 6isi message, and he refused
to accept the condition .n e8 ....
The Geheral 10 Chief forthwith gave the
ordcr that the batteries be opened at Al
o'clock on Friday morning. Major An
dersou's reply was decisive Of the momen-
tous question, and Gen Beau egerd de
ternined to apply The last argument The
stout soldier had resolved 10 make q despe.
rate defense, aud the bloody trial OF
strength must be assayed The sword
must cut asuuder the last tie that bound
us to people whom insspite of wrongs,
and in justice wanson!y iuac cd through
a long series of years, we had not yet
uiterly bated and despised. The last px.
pising spurk of affection must be quenched
in bloLd. Some of the most spleadid
pages in our glorious history must be bur.
red.3 A blow must be struck that would
make the ears ofevery Republican fanatic
tingle, and whose dreadful effect will be
felt by generations yet to come. We mast
transmit heritage of ranking aud undy
ing hate to our children. 90, .g.8
The res less activity Of Thursday night
vas gradually worn down; the citizens
who had itironged lbe artery through the
uighi, aaxious aud weary, bad sought
their homes; the mounted guard which had
kept watch aud ward over the city, with
the first gray streak Of morniug were pre-
pairing tolrctrc, when two guns, in qnck
succession, from Fort Johnson, announced
the opeang Of lhe drama Upon that
slgual at25 minutes past o'clock am,
the citce Of batteries with which the
grim fortress of Fort Sumter is bcleugnred,
opened iie. The outline of this grea.
volcanic crater was illuminated wish n
line Of twlnking lights; the clustering
Shells ilIumiDated The sky above the
balls clsiteied thick as hail npon its sides;
our citizens, aroused TO % forgetfulueSs oi
their fatigue through mauy weary. hours,
rushed again to the points of observation;
and so, at the break of day. amid ihe
bursting of bombs and the roaring of ord.
nance, and before thousands Of spec, ators
whose homes aud liberties and lives we're
at stake, was enacted this great scene in
the opening drama Of this moinentous
military history. 9D sat '9 SHmoT .Hto
AS the roar of cannon burst upon the
startled city the exptc,ed sound was an.
swered by thousands The houses were II
o few minutes empied of their excited occu
psn7s,i and The living stream poured
through all the streets leading TO the
wharves and bstteryn On reaching our
IeAutful promenade we found IL lined with
raukS of esger spectators, and all the
whaTves commanding view of the battle
were crowded thIckly with human forms.-
Gu no gala occasion have we ever seen
nearly SO large number OF ladies OH our
battery as graced the breezy walk on rhis
eveniinIl morning. There ihey stood with
palpi aung hearts and palid faces, watching
the white smoke as it roso in wreaths npoa
the soft twilight air, aud breathing ont
feftant prayers for their gallant kiusfolk
at the guns. F, ''' '9' rag go
44ia -. va p .gf...rff5 t.I 80, -
-And so onl Where are these palpita
ting Rebel ladies nov? Drawing out,too
relief-a daily ration Of rice-or bomees
fug tives, or clad in beggars' rags orowid
ows' weeds! And their gallant kinsfo!k-
where are they? In their graves, or lurb
ing along the highways 10 rob and kill
OF cfouching under he feet oftbe resistles
mudsIs, Abraham Lincoln and bis hire
lings. We near the Iuined fort. Its pa
rapets are already lined with the assembled
guests Near its battered walls lie tht
w W. Colt, loaded down with passengers
the Planter. with a colony OF colored people
on board; the trim, lightfooted flagship
Diamond, sunken steamer which our bat
teries once destroyed when it grounded i
taking provisions to Sumter. ... .,..-1
4o INTERoR OF SUMTER NOW.
A fight Of steps enabled Us to reach tn
parapet, Of the fort. De,chments Of sol
diers and sailors ontsde and inside III
fort mOdea fae appearance. On goinI
through the decorated eutrapce, at th
top of the steps, the picture of the in, eric
was exceedingly attractive. Too much SO
"Hs who would see fair Melrose fight, n
Must visit it by pale moonlight" "a
and he who would see Charleston or Sun
ter should hare visited it when they fwer
first evacuated, For now, inside, iare
platform had been erected, su-mounted b
q canopy which was beautifully wreuthe
with eVergreens aud flowers aud theI
were seats for a thousand person
neA by-and there were flags and youu
ladies and gay cavelers, and all was goin
merry as wedding bell. saJ ~sa
INSIDE OF SUMTER THEN. l.iaoni
have, already described ID The TRIl
uNE how Sumter looked when the Rebe
eyaeuated the Fort, Let a Rebell writ,