Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-06-04
PEACE PREVENTED.
IN u,therto Unpublished incident 81
the secession Convention.
IN the Editor Of the Dispatch:

and Coufler'
.vro the Editor OF the News and Courier:
.In April. 1861, when the older members
OF the Virginia Secession Convention had
been fighting for weeks to hold Virginia
I'm the Union. and only had majority OF
twelve votes Mr. Lincoln sent Generai
Campbell to Richmond with plenipoten-
tiary powers to negotiate with the con-
vention. looking 10 the holding Of Virginia
in the Union. He met the Committee on
Foreign Relations In the parlors OK the
old Ballard House. My wife's fatner,
General Samuel Price, was MEMBER Oh
the committee My wife and Miss Car
rington, daughter Of the proprietor OF the
Exchange and Ballard Hotel, sat in the
adjoining paror with open doors be-
tween, and saw and heard every word
which passed between General Campbell
and the committee. 1t was mutually
agreed that IL Mr.. Lincoln would not caii
for troops TO put down South Carolina
and the other seeding States that they
would not only hold Virginia In the
Union, but would use their best efforts TO
bring these States back into the Union.
The agreement was signed by General
Campbell and the Committee on Foreign
Relations, and these old gentlemen on
that committee Rugged each other ana
wept for Joy at the thought that the
Union was saved. General Campbell re-
turned TO Washington on Friday, called
upon and made his report TO Mr.. Lincoln
on Saturday which report Mr.. Lincoln
fully approved. Some time that after
noon Dir. Stanton, Secretary Of War;
heard of this agreement, called on Mr..
| Lincoln. and persuaded him to disregard
II. and the order calling for 1900 troops
| to march across t0 sacred soil of the
| Old Dominion to make war in South Caro-
| lima and the other seeding States was
| issued on Sunday morning. The next DAY
| Virginia seeded. All the powers on earth
could not have held her in the Union az
| ter this betrayal of faith on the part or
| Mr.. Lincoln.
| old gray-headed statesmen. who but
three days before wept for joy. now bow
ed their heads in sorrow and wept bitter
tears of anguish. 81. c. ANDERSON"
| Now. | do not for a moment question
that Major Anderson gives this story as
| he heard il, and remembers it.
| But there are several things about 1t
which must be incorrect. Who was Cen
! eral Campbell? Is it possible that such
| important negotiations were held in a
! parlor with doors open between it and an
| adjoining room, where ladies sat land
saw and heard every word which passed
between General Campbell and the COM
| mittee"? Did the Virginia convention
| have Committee on Foreign Relations
before it had passed its ordinance Of Sc
, cession? And what power would that or
| any other committee" have to bind the
State without the action OF the conven-
! ton itself? There is no proof that Mr.
| Lincoln ever agreed at any time TO re-
| frain from his expressed purpose Of CO.
| erCing the seeded States, and it Is GER
tain that he was not at this period dis
suaded from carrying out an agreement
with Virginia by "Mr. Stanton, Secre-
tary of War" as e. VI. Stanton was at
this time not in the Cabinet at all, but
was practitioner of law in Washington.
and did not enter Mr.. Lincoln's Cabinet
until January, 1862, when he succeeded
| Simon Cameron as Secretary of War.
! 1t would be interesting if any one hay
| ing knowledge of this mission of Gene
| raj Campbell 10 Richmond would give
us the facts concerning it.
But the following facts are fully authen-
| ticated: The Confederate Government,
soon after it was organized at Mont
| gomery, Ala, sent commissioners-Mes
| Forsyth. Crawford, and Romantic Wash
ington to negotiate for a peaceable sepa-
ration, and for an adjustment of all ques-
tons of property, etc.
Hon. william II. Seward Secretary OF
| State Oghile declining formal official IN
| tercourse with them arranged, through
Judge John A. Campbell, of the Supreme
Court OF the United States. an informal
meeting with these commissioners at
which he held out 10 them hopes Of
peaceable settlement. A few days later
he assured Judge Campbell and author
| lied him to assure the commissioners,
that Fort Sumter will be evacuated i'm
the next five days" At the expiration of
this time Seward again gave assurance
| that the fort would be evacuated. and
when the newspapers announced that a
powerful expedition had sailed from New
York and Norfolk to reinforce Sumter,
and Judge Campbell sent note Of en-
auiry to Secretary Seward. he gave the
famous reply: Faith as TO Sumter fully
kept; wait and see"-although he knew
that the fleet of several ships, carrying
2S5 guns and 2.4O0 troops, had already
sailed for Charleston harbor
This fully Justified the Confederates in
demanding the surrender of Sumter, and
this being refused, and Major Anderson
refusing also 10 agree to refrain from as
sisting the fleet when it attempted TO en-
ter Charleston harbor, the Confederates
opened fire on Sumter at twenty-five min
utes past on the morning OF Friday.
April Y. 1861, and by Y o'clock April 18th
there was nothing left the brave garrison
but to accept the honorable and liberal
terms offered them.
Mr.. Lincoln had accomplished his pur-
pose of firing the northern heart" and
on the 18th of April issued a proclamation
calling for 1880 troops to cOerce the
sovereign States. who had only exercised
! their "inalenable right-their cOnsttu-
| tional prerOgative--of Withdrawing from
| the Union. He called upon Virginia to
| furnish her quota of these troops, and
| the Governor, brave, Honest John
| I.etcher." responded: "You can get no
troops from Virginia for any such wicked
purpose. You have chosen to inausurate
war" Two days after this proclamation,
on April the 18th. the Virginia convention
passed its ordinance of secession, and the
grand old Commonwealth barred her breast
to the coming storm.
Hon. John II. Baldwin. the great
Union leader. voiced the general senti-
ment when, at this time, TO a friend at
the North who had asked him: What
will the Union men of Virginia do now?'
He wrote: I'VE have no Union men In
Virginia now. But those who were Union
men will stand to their guns, and make
| fight which shall shine out on the page
| OF history as an example OF what brave
| people can do after eXhausting every
means of pacification."
And right nobly did the Union" men
! of Virginia keep that pledge.
These, in brief are the facts concerning
the secession Of Virginia.
j. WILLIAM JONES.
Richmond, Va, May 26, 1882
We desire to add that at the time re-
ferred to by Major Anderson, Colonel Car
rington was not the proprietor Of the
Ballard House, but OF the American Ho-
| tel Moreover, we are told by the Colo
ners son, Peyton r.. Darlington. Esq.
that he never heard the incident mention
ed referred 10 in his fathers family. He
thinks it probable that General Price
Il H.