The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-02-25

lineal descendant of John Washington,
of Stafford, Virginia.
JOHN Y. DARLINGTON.
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL
COLLEGE OF MISSISSIPPI,
October Z, 1892.
To the Editor Of the Times Democrat: i:
In your issue of October l Sunday is an
article, "Fort and Fleet-The First Gun
of the War;" signed IN. Quad" wish
to correct an error which has almost
passed into an historical fact. lis this:
That Edmund Rufin, of Virginia, did
not fire the first gun at Fort Sumter, but
that Capt. George S. James, Of South
Carolina, afterward killed when a lieu
tenant colonel at Boonsboro, Nd, did
fire it.
The writer was Captain of the South
Carolina army at the time and an aide.
de camp on the staff of Gen. Beauregard.
He has now before him diary written
at the time, and there can be no mistake
as to the fact.
The summons for the surrender of
evacuation was carried by Col. Chestnut,
of South Carolina, and Capt. s. D. Lee.
They arrived at Sumter at 2.2O p. M,
April II. Major Anderson declined to
surrender, but remarked: "He would be
starved out in few days, if he was not
knocked to pieces by Gen. Beauregard's
batteries" This remark was repeated to
Gen. Beauregard, who informed Presi-
dent Davis. The result was q second
message was sent to Major Anderson by
the same officers, accompanied by Roger
A. Pryor, of Virginia, and Col. Chisolm,
of South Carolina. The messengers ar
rived at Sumter at 1925 a. m., April 12.
Major Anderson was informed that if he
would say that he would surrender on
April Is, and in the meantime would not
fire on Gen. Beauregard's batteries, un-
less he was fred on, he would be allowed
that time; also, that he would not be
allowed to receive provisions from the
United States authorities.
The Major declined to accede to this
arrangement, saying he would not open
fire unless a hostile act was committed
against his fort or his flag, but that if he
could be supplied with provisions before
the 18th of April he would receive them,
and in that event be would not surrender.
This reply being unsatisfactory, Col.
James Chestnut and Capt. s. D. Lee
gave the Major written communication,
dated Fort Sumter, s.. G., April -,
1862, 800 a. m.," informing him, by au.
thority of Gen. Beauregard, that he
would open on the fort in one hour from
that time.
The party, as designated, then pro-
ceeded in their boat to Fort Johnson, on
James Island, and delivered the order to
Capt. George S. James, commanding the
mortar battery, to open fire on Fort Sum.
ter. At 4.90 a. m. the first gun was fired
at Fort Sumter, and at 40 the second
gun was fired from the same battery.
Capt. James offered the honor of firing
the first shot to Roger A. Pryor, of Vir,
ginia. He declined, saying he could no!
fire the first gun. Another officer then
offered to take Pryor's place. James re-
piled, "No! will fire it myself" And
he did fire it. At AS q. m. nearly all
tho batteries in the harbor were firing on
Sumter. Mr.. Edmund Rufin, who was
much beloved and respected, was at the
Iron Battery on Morris Island. I ways
understood he fred the first gun from the
Iron Battery, but one thing is certain, be
never fred the first gun against Forl
Sumter. George S. James did. Nor did
he fire the second gun. He may have
fred the third gun, or first gun from the
Iron Battery on Morris Island. Yours
respectfully, S. D. LEE.
Racing with Wolves.