The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-10-16

hear his pet scheme of throwing troops INTO
the fortress It was, briefly. as follows: to
send a secret expedition, with troops ana
provisions, timed so as to arrive at the
mouth Of Charleston harbor a little after
nichtfail. The troops and stores, to be
Immediately transferred 70 small tugs. or
steam launches which should proceed holSe-
lessly toward the forts at right angles 70 the
line Of fire. Similar attempts during the
Crimean war showed that even trained gun
ners could rarely hit small boats, at l5oo
wards distance. in the uncertain darkness
and there j. not much reason to DOUBT tha1
if theoretically conducted the scheme would
have succeeded.
Fox, who appears to have been well
named. undertook to visit Sumpter, to as
certain the location OF Beauregard 5 batteries,
and put Anderson on the outlook. Armed
with a sheaf Of notes of Introduction: IN
Guiding one from Gen. Scott vaguely lhtl-
mating that the object of the visit was TO
confer with Anderson III relation TO the
evacuation Of the fort. the foxy emlssary
and having hunted up an old navy colnrade,
Mai. Hartstein, obtained permission from
Gov. Pickens TO visit Anderson, P!ckens
stating in his permit that - conhde IN you
as gentleman of honor This old fashion
ed style OF trusting to the honor OF d
gentleman : cost US dearly in more than one
distance during the war.
Fox was much annoyed by the presence
OF Hartstein as a guard against confidential
conversation but contrived to leave a pa
per Of instructions, as well as to learn from
Anderson that succor must be sent by the
middle OF April at farthest..
This intelligence forced the Llncolnltes to
make great haste in getting ready the rein
forcing expedition; which, as above stated,
sailed from New York on the night OF April
9TH, or early on the Sth. 1t consisted OF the
Hrriet LoHe, s guns and 100 men; the
Pouhutup. 10 guns, % artilierists, 400 men
and the PtrHce, ! guns and two tenders
with eunny-bags for fort building, and 50
surf boats. There were also the atlantic,
+ guns, 200 men: the Butte, 300 soldiers,
800 cases Of muskets, the Illinois, and
FreeJorn: but one or two of the latter YES
sells went to Fort Pickens and elsewhere.
AN EX-POST-FACTO WARNING
With fair weather the fleet ought to nave
reached Charleston on the night OF the 9th.
Late on the'afternoon Of the 18th, Lieut.. TalbOt
arrived in that city from Washington, and
strenuously endeavored to obtain permission
to visit Anderson. But the Confederates,
having intercepted i despatch revealing
Fox's scheme were now on their guard.
Being refused, Talbot pulled out a written
notification that an attempt was about to be
made to throw supplies into Fort SUMTER
s'peaceably if we can, forcibly if we must
This tardy warning when the feet was al
most within sight was in pretended COM
p%liante with a pledge not to make any move
of that nature without previous notice"
Moreover the pretence of re-provisioning the
fort was another scheme to deceive. 1t had
been carefully arranged that if the Confed-
crates permitted a ship load of provision
to 90 up, Fox would follow after dark with
his 800 trained artillerists in surf boats; and
thus, with a full complement Of men and
munitions, the fortress would become, as the
Northern press declared it to be, ''impregna-
bic as Gibraltar. Fortunately the storm not
only delayed the fleet, but scattered the
steam tugs, SO that the project broke down
of itself, regardless of other events. One
thing, however, deserves to be mentioned
before passing Lincoln wrote Fox a letter
two weeks later, relieving him Of blame,
and complimenting his efforts, and declar-
ing-'Ihe cause Of tie country has been ad-
RANGED Iy the attempt, eren though unsucccss-
tuL" Is not this equivalent to admitting
that the attempt was designed to provoke
war? For when that letter was written
May 1st), the whole North was united in
one mac how for a war determination
EXCITEMENT AT CHARLESTON.
Two momentous kilograms flashed over
theSouthern wires on that the eventful even
ing. One announced that Confederate
Peace Commissioners had been dismissed
with great dEcourtesy by the Lincoln GOV
eminent, which at the same time declared
It's purpose not to recognize or tolerate the
of the Southern Confederacv. The
other despatch told of Talbot official mott
t%ication that a powerful feet was sailing
down the coast to reinforce the hostile fort
resses within the Contederacy!
Surely there was no need of longer await
ing a declaration OF war. And here may be
mentioned a fact not generally known, to-
wit that on the night Of April 10th. before
Beauregard sent his demand for the surren-
der of Sumpter, the Lincoln government
to every Abolition Governor
that all available organized militia
-. DC hetd Z" 'eod'"es to cone to Washington
at q maom0tts ,uarm5ng.' Now, as Scott
had Ii. men at WASHINGTON mr. within !,