Morris tribune., 1895-05-08

THE CAPITOL IN 1861.
and the national treasury were also
almost wholly unprotected. The peo-
pie of the south were in earnest about
secession. and hoped for some sort of a
peaceful compromise. They did not
want to fire on the old flag, or they
could have taken Washington city be-
fore the Inauguration of Abra''"- Lin
coin. They were prepared war,
and the north was not. have always
given them credit for conservatism at
the outset, in keeping hands off of the
capital, which was at their mercy. There
was not fort manned, nor a sentinel
standing here for defense, until after
Lincoln's inauguration.
The capitol building was mass of
tall derricks surrounded by piles of
marble blocks. The central portion of
the building was complete and occupied
by congress. But the dome looked like
an unfinished parachute. It's iron arms
extended half way to their keystone,
without covering, and the workmen,
away up in the air, looked like dWarfs
at play on the limbs of a lea1ess ban
van tree with ruined trunk. There
were many men in those days who be
lieved that it would never be finished
One of them was Senator Chngman, O.
North Carolina, who said: 1.-THE build
ing is on Maryland soil, and Maryland
vii, secede with the other southern
states. In the division of the country
by compromise, it will belong to the
south. We will take it down and re-
move it to Montgomery, Ala, or Rich
mond, Va Of course we will not have
our capitol so near to Yankee soil, for
it would be exposed if there should
ever be war. Besides we will want
it located nearer the center of the con-
fe6eracy."
Many leading southern gentlemen
had no clear idea that war was ir1mi-
nent. They were thoroughly imbued
with the belief that the men of the
north would not fight against secession.
They sincerely regarded their right to
withdraw from the union as a constitu-
tional privilege. They possessed all of
the Atlantic and gulf ports, with their
Notifications and equipments, and the
bulk of the army. Moreover, there
were many people in the northern
states who were lilze-minded. and who
deprecated war. Hence there was
prevailing sentiment that the capitol
would never be completed. The whole
scene changed in the twinkling of an
eye The steamer ''Star of the West"
flying the stars and stripes, carrying
supplies and reinforcements to Fort
Sumter, was fred upon, and immedi-
ately thereafter Fort Sumter was
bombarded and captured. That settled
the whole matter, and we were in the
presence of crisis-an epoch of his
tory.
The war began, the national capital
was defended, the president and cab
met remained here, troops were called
for, the congress assembled, and the
work of completing the capitol build
ing went on as though profound peace
prevailed. The dome was completed,
the senate and house wings were added,
and, in 1864, while hundreds of thou
sands of our people were battling for
supremacy of the principles they es-
poused. the marble building on the
summit of The commanding emlnence
grew into what it now is, "a thing of
beauty and joy forever"
But there was great excitement here
when Virginia's legislature passed an
ordinance of secession on April II,
1861. This was followed by news to
the effect that the young men all over
the south were meeting together in
every village and hamlet and cross
roads, and forming companies and drill
ing with musl1ets; and whero muskets
were not to be had they used pitch
forks or other implements that first
came to hand, and they declared that
In less than fortnight the southern
flag should float over the national CAPT
tol. This fact alarmed everybody in
Washington. for the capital was abso-
lutely defenseless. The local papers
called for meetings of loyal men to
form companies and defend the city. It
was fully realized that the troops
called for in the proclamation of Presi-
dent Lincoln could not reach Washing.