New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
c,up,1GNs OF TIE CIVIL WAR.

-, ro1 ,r trpNpy To coRINTH BY NJ. +. FORCE
l2mo PIP. XII, 204. Charles scr'b"erS "'n' -.
The scheme of publishing a complete history Oh
the Rebellion IN the form of series OF
vet connected volumes. each devoted 10 soP"i"'
oon,na;cr each written by person with especiai
qualifications for that particular part Oh 'he '"sN
and all together covering the whole heid Oh INC
80 var was devised by the Scrbners several
.ooro oco II was an ingenious we may say ofii-
TIT nIon and now that the details are lad before
no the wonder is that a work so obviously desirable
ros not undertaken long before. The subject is 50
LARGE the military operations were so diversified
in character and spread over so vast an area thaV
most readers prefer 10 study the war by campa'e S
a preference which may be INDUCED VIVID inc
more profit since 1t was not until near the emu VI
the Rebellion that the armies moved III unison W,
word y common objective point. high degree Oh
editorial tact and intelligence characterizes INC cA
ecution of Messrs Scrbners excellent uhuertah'hR'
The division of the work is judclous inc aiio' i "
of topics to the various writers Is haPPN az"
cordial cooneration has been secured from recog-
niyed authorities from the Government nom us
tnquished military officers and from the custoaiahs
80 1rhlic and priyate records. To all this we may
odd that the volumes are convenient In SIZE beau
tifuIlv nrinted and furnished with many clear ana
,;,,nle mans which without being elaborate are
suficient to illustrate the narrative.
The selection of Mr.. NicOay TO write the story Oh
the outbreak of the Rebellion is an evidence Oh inc
w,se direction to which we have referred MI
Nicolays confidential relations with PRESIDENT LIN
oolp and the close study which he has given ioI
many wears 10 the events of Mr.. Lincons Admins
tratlon, made him perfectly familiar with TINS
branch of the subject. and we have only 10 reau d
few pages of his book to learn that ne mas oUItI
DISTINGUISHED qualifications besides ample knowl-
H.. Il, hrllrx ma
mastery: he writes in a free, rapid and animated
stvIe. he can tell a story with drrectness Orevity
and force: and his pages glow with patrlolc
fervor all the more delightful because 1t Is entirely
vr;thout rhetorical effort. There Is neither eXag-
veration nor cheap commonplace in Mr. Nlcoiay 5
reverence for the Union cause. what we chlehy
admire in it is the sincerity and holiness WIN
which he calls things by their right names. we
never detect in his pages the least unwlilngneSs 20
do iustice to the ability and integrity OF ln"i-
ylduals: but he never forgets the intrinsic olleI-
snce between treachery and honor, pad cause
and a GOOD one. His frankness is possibly niue
out of fashion; but it IS very refreshing le"
sxtrocts nom the first chapter will show the spiri
If Mr. Nicolays book and exemplfy 1T the same
time his power of generalization. The narrative
opens thus:
Tho 9Th dav Of October 1sG0s'is the initial point
of the American Rebellion. Its conception. an'm9s
and probably its plans. lay much turtneI Oack; ~
had been seriously proposed once OF ,wice oeioio
but il was then that its formal organization was
begun On that day Governor Glst, OF south CaTo
lima wrote confidential circular letter Whlcu ne
DISPATCHED bv the hand of special messenger 10
the Governors of what were commonly designated
the Cotton states In this letter he asked an inter
change of opinions which he might De al llpeiy ~
submit TO consultation of leading men OF south
Carolina. He said South Carolina would uhquee
tionaDly call q convention as soon as IL was asceT-
famed that majority of Lincoln electors were
no hon
II single State secedes,' he said she VIII ioi
low her. If no other State takes the lead Sonth
has any assurance that she will he soon followed GY
another or other States otherwise 1t Is doubtful.
He asked in formation and advised concerted action
North Carolina was hrst 10 RESPOND. ne PeoPl3c
would not so wrote the Governor under date OI
October 3 consider Llncolns election Su,hcieII
cause for dsunOn, and the legislature Wouiu PiVo-
oLlv nor call a convention. The Governor OF Ala
hama under date of October 70. thought AiaDahla
would not secede alone but would seeeHe I'D CO.
oneration with two more States. The governor
OF Mississippi under date OF October ~ wrote
SIf auy State moves think Mississippi Will 90
with her. On the same day the Governor OF
I onsiaua answered shall not advise the seces-
sion of my State and Will ada tnat 40 not tl4lh
the people OF Louisiana VII Ultimately "eciHo ia
favorOf that course" The Governor OF OeoIga,
under date of October 81, advocated retahatOTy
legislation. and ventured his opinion that the
nr0nle of Georgia would wait for some overt act.
Florida alone responded with anything like en-
fhnsiasm but only after the lapse OF month. Her
Governor said that Florida was ready 10 wheel
other Cotton State or States" and thought sue
would unouestionably call a convention.
The discouragng tone of these answers estap-
fishes beyond controversy. that excepting IN south
Carolina the Rebellion was not III anv sense ap0pu-
lar revolution, but was conspiracy among tle
prominent local office holders and ,poHticlahs
Which the peope neither expected nor desired, and
which they were made eventually to justify ana
uphold by the usual arts and eXpedlents OF con
Directly and indirectly the South had practically
controlled the Government during Its whole exist
ence Excited to ambition by this success, she
sought TO perpetuate that control. ne extension
OF slavery and the creation oil addltona save
States was necessary step IN the schGlne; ana
became the well-deined single issue IN tne Iresl-
Cential election But in this contest the South for
the first time met Overwhelmi lg defeat. The !holce
of Lincoln was conclusive ana uhaI declsion III
legal form and by constitutional malorltes, that
slavery should moi be extended; ana the popular
vote of 1860 transferred the balance OF power
irrevocablv to the Free States.
dental campaign as well as in preceding years, the
South had made free and loud use OF two leading
arguments always with telling effect the Drst to
intimidate the North, was the threat of dlsunlOn
the second, " to fire the Southern heart was the
entirely pnfounded aiarIcfY chai she N0rt fr
Federal Territories, but would also destroy
slavery in the Slave states. The unthnking masses
of the South accepted both these arguments IN
their literal sense and Southern public opinion
excited and suspicious, became congenlal SOIL III
which the intended re V1lt easily TOOK rG33itior bod
been little else than school of treason for thirty
years She was. moreover peculiarly adapted 10
become the hotbed OF conspiracy by the fact thai of
all the States she least republican in both the
character of her people and the form OF her nsttu-
tions She was exclusive, arlStOcratic, reaction
airy had a narrow disrust OF popular participation
in government, and longed for the distinctions OF
caste and privilege in society
IL would seem that before the Governors replies
were all received, the consultation Or caucus for
which they were solicited was held, and the pro-
pramme OF instruction agreed upon. Circumstances
rendered a special session OF the South Carolina
Legislature necessary. The election was held dur
inV the month OF October. Local fanatcisn tOlc-
rated no opposition party in the State, md under
the manipulation of the consprators the prevailing
uuestion was. who the most jealous Z" resist
anceD candidate. To a Legislature elected from
this kind of material, Governor Gist on November
q snmt n defant revolutionary meSSape-the first