National Republican., 1888-02-02

ie bUCnEIy uTRcu lhaJ tine aJtempy
thonld be made. ~ believe (he said) that
lieved by Capt. Fox with little rlsk No
expente or care should therefore he spared
to achieve this successp
Immediately after the Cabinet meeting,
when this subject was considered, u is
stated, on the authority Of Mr.. Blair, that
the President being called on by Mr.. Blair's
father, Francis =. Blair, and asked, 'if II
had been determined to withdraw Anderson
from Fort sumter, the President replied
that II had not yet been fully determined
upon, but that the Cabinet were almest a
unit in favor OF II, all except your son.
said he, aud that he thought that such
would lie the result" This story, Gen
Crawford says, "was so believed In the
countryn
remember myself Of hearing Postmaster
General Blair say in his office, probably
at about this time, that force OF $1,000
men could eatily put down the rebellion.
The result shows how mistaken he was,
and how unfit for Cabinet counsel. have
good reason to believe, also, that his
spiteiul fling at President Buchanan
was superinduced, not by any patriotic
impulte, but from personal pique, IL is
apparent that there was mo love lost" be.
tween Mr.. Buchanan and the BlaIrs. !
have before me letter from Mr. Buchanan,
them, he says: Montgomery had not the
ability TO make a respectable advocate OF
the government in the court OF claims.n
Gen. Crawford states that Capt. G.. V.
Fox, Postmaster General Blair's brother
In law, was sent, with the approval OF the
President, to confer with Mai. Anderson,
arriving at Charleston on the 2lst OF March.
lie had suggested q scheme for the relief Of
sumter. On their meeting, Mai. Anderson
lat a1
posal to send him re.eniorcements,n as
he had repeatedly done as far back
as the time when Floyd was removed.
"He asserted that II was too late he agreed
with Gen. Scott who, in the belief that the
surrender Of Fort Sumter had been de
termined upon, advised the surrender also
OF Fort PickeIsl that az entrance by sea
WAS impossible, and he impressed upon
Capt Fox bis belief that the re.enforce.
mens coming would at once precipitate
collision and inaugura'e civil war"
Not live only, but fifteen days had now
passed since the date OF Judge Campbell's
memorandum ~ The South Carolina au-
thorities had feen impatient at the delay.
The promise made to them 10y the agent,
Lamon, that he would shortly return to re.
move the garrison from Fort sumter had
not been fultlledn
ON the :Oth Of March GOV. Pickens telo-
graphed the facts Of Col. Lannon's vi.it to
the commissioners at Washington, and they
at once communicated with Judge Camp
bell. con that day the Secretary (Sewardl
Informed Justice Campbell that the Presi-
dent was concerned at the contents OF the
telegram that the question involved a
point Of honor, and that Lamon had no
commission or authority from him, nor amy
power to pledge him by any promise or as
surance.'"
"Nlr. Seward said to Justice Campbell
that he did not think the President would
attempt TO supply Fort Sumter, and that
there is no intention to re- enforce it.n
Judge Campbell urged immediate evacua-
tion. Mr., Seward said: ~ must see the
President" He returned with the modified
answer, al am satisfied the government
will | OF undertake to supply Fort Sumter
without giving notice to Gov. Pckens."
April 10, Secretary Seward informed the
commissioners that 1.-THE Secretary OF State
is not at liberty to hold official intercourse
with them,n and they communicated this
decision TO the authorities AZ Montgomery.
They left the city the next day, but before
their departure a telegram mad been re-
ceivtd from Gen. Beauregard informing
them "of the arrival Of a special messenger
with the notice Of the President OF the
United States that Fort Sumter was to he
provisioned either peaceably or otherwise
forcibly.'"
Itshould he remarked that at no stage Of
these troubles was Justice Campbell recog.
nized IN any other capacity than that OF
private gentleman, nor did he profess to
have any official agency. On the 18th OF
April fire was opened on Fort Sumter,
when he wrote the Secretary OF State,
charging "eqlivocatlng conduct and
Systematic duplicity," as having been
praciiced upon the authori les at Mont
gomery through him, and that such equivO.
eating conduct OF the administration WAS
the proXimate cause Of the great calamity"
AT length the fleet intended for the relief
OF Fort Sumter put to sea, and before day
light on the l2th tApril) the rendezvous
agreed upon Was reached of the Charleston
bar" "As they approached tue land the
fiIing was heard, aud the smoke and shells
OF the batteries 'wtre distinctly vieible.'n
The first gun upon the national flag had
now been discharged and actual hostilities
commenced by tile enemies OF the Union.
Little did they anticipate the terrible re-
suits OF their folly aud rashness In firing
that fatal shot, which both Pre- ,ideuts
Buchanan and Lincoln had so earnestly
sought, hy forbearance and peaceful meas
ufes, to avoid. The latter, pursuing, as he
did, for nearly six weeks, the same
conciliatoiy policy practiced by his
predecessor Lay, In some respects
even greater moderation anu forhearanCe
until "fUrbearalce ceased TO be virtue"
doult II he thought Tor one moment that
peace would be preserved another day after
he bottled the governor OF South Carolina
Of his order for the relief OF Fort sumter
After this there was not the remCtest pros
pet or possible reason to hope for any
other result, AS he himself says Ia his
message to Congress the ith OF July, 1861
"lhe policy chosen looked to the ex
haustion Of all peaceable measures
| before resort to any stronger ones. FL
| IL promised the continuance Of the mail
| land they We're continued until the 3lst o
| May at the government expense to tn
| very people who were resisting the govern
ment, and 1t gave repeated pledges agains
any disturbance 10 any OF the people or an,
| OF their rights. OF all that a Presideu
might cons,itutio lally and justiiiably dt
| In such case, every thing was foreborne
without which i was possible to keep th'
How true II is, as Joseph Holt has point
edly written, "Ihat the first shot IN the re-
hellion came from the enemy was due
wholly 10 this policy OF procrastinatiOn,
then so severely cepsured, and yet II wa
/ this first shot, and the fact that II was fired
not l,plt, but Upou, Fort sumter aud the
| flsg floating over 1t that infamed and unitet
the country, and gave to the natIona
| patriotism fervor and resistless i'm
petus which carried our armies ant
| people in triumph and glory through the
war. Had that first shot come from the
| batteries Of Sumter, the fierce party pas
sions then raging would have been swift to
denouncc the administration as making
war upon the south, and fatal disseusion'
among ourselves might have ensued
| Could, therefore, the shOrtsghtel carper
| OF that day have been able to see the cu,
| from the beginning, the reprOaches whicl
they ucaped on President Buchanan wnnl.
have turned to blessings on their lips,n
II is time 10 nriug this long paper tn
close When begun, had no ilea Of ey
tending II TO 50 great 8 length. II was no
my purpose tn undertake regular revie,
Of ter. Crawiord's highly iuttrestiug vo
ume, hut by uumpcachahle evidence, II
cluGiurrot little from Ais own pIu, t
| .I,u ,t ,tly flut in Al. t,ut4r.1 tr.,n,