The National tribune., 1907-02-07

representing the power and dignity Of
the Government, and it was therefore
manifestly necessary for that Govern |
ment to use all reasonable means tol
sustain him. He could not be allowed
to starve nor to be overpowered by his |
enemies Either would bring ineffable |
disgrace upon the Government. Tho
South Carolinians announced that any
supplies or reinforcements sent to the
garrison would be accepted as an act
of war, and at once actively engaged IN
building batteries to prevent such sue
cor OF course, in these days. nothing
would seem more ridiculous than for a
people to pretend that ii would be an
insult 10 them for the Government to
send provisions to its soldiers Mems
minds acted very strangely AZ years.
ago.
There were everywhere In the North
men who were frantic with fear lest
South Carolina should be further ''ir-
ritated- The question at once became
how to get provisions and recruits to
Fort Sumter with as little show of .sirri-
tation'' as possible. Plans were made
to send off a ship quietly from New
York or Fort Monroe and let her slip
into the harbor at Charleston as nearly
unooseryed as possible. This was Gen.
SCOTS plan, after he found out that
the Administration would not sanction
his sending help openly and above
board. backed by sufficient force tol
overawe the South carolinians Had
the General been allowed to have his
way there would have been some hun
dreds of soldiers sent upon transport
accompanied by one or more war ships
to silence any battery which should at
tempt to fire upon it.
But even with the accession of 10y
atty, which had been lately received
Buchanan's Cabinet felt this plani
would be too Irritating" and that
therefore the feelings of the super-emo-
tional Chariestonians demanded sooth-
ing secrecy and furtiveness. Unfortu
nately, there could be nothing secret or
4furtive about it. The Confederate
agents We're everywhere: the War,
Navy and other Departments at Wash
fngton were in the hands of synnpa-1
thizers with Secession. with the Bureau
Chiefs, thru whom all orders must go,
making their own preparations to join
the South. The only man in the Wa-i
Department upon whom Gen Scott re-
led was Lieut.-Col Lorenzo Thomas.
afterwards Adjutaht- General of the
Army. He ordered Thomas to go to a
Mr.. A. Fl. Schultze. "a Cedar ST., New
York City. and if he found Schultze's
agency to be reliable he was TO make
a contract with him for steamer to
carry 200 "well instructed Iaen" from
Governors Island with ammunition
vessel was to attempt to enter ti.e har-
Dor without attracting attention, but in
the event of being fired upon, Maj. An
derson was TO be instructed to open fire.
upon the batteries and silence them.
This plan received the sanction of the
Cabinet, in which Holt was now Sec.
retary of War, and aggressively loyal.
Even Atty-Gen. Black, who had in No
vember written an argument against
coercion, was in favor of reinforcing
Sumter, and Edwin NJ. Stanton. then
beginning his career of peerless service
to the Union, gave his earnest approval
to the plan The Star of the West :"
swift merchant steamer. was char
tered from Marshal o. Roberts at ST.
500 a day, and was to clear for New
Orleans without formal notice as if for
her regular trip. The provisions nee
essary were to be bought on the ships
account so that no public agency should
be used. The arms and ammunition
were to be put on board by means of
tugs from Governors Island when all
communication with the Island and the
city was TO be cut off temporarily. First
Lieut. C.. r. Woods, 9th Z. s., after
wards Major-General of Volunteers in
the Army Of the Tennessee, was to be
put in command. assisted by two Lieu
tenants and an Assistant Surgeon. She
sailed Jan. 5, 1861.
South CaroIinians Fully Warned.
Scott's efforts to keep her sailing Sc
cret failed utterly. Jacob Thompson.
Secretary of the Interior. and as his
last act in connection with the Cabinet,
sent warning TO Charleston of her com
ing Other warnings were undoubtedly
sent by spies in New York and Cover
nor's Island, and if this direct infor-
NATION had not been given, the South
Carolinians could have gathered it from
the Northern newspapers, who were
hungry for every scrap of news oI
rumor of news connected with Maj. An
dersor and Fort Sumter. 1t seems
however. that no such information was
sent TO Maj. Anderson.
The Star of the West pursued her
course uneventfully towards Charles
ton. The weather was fine. she made
better speed than was expected, and
consequently stopt off the coast OF
North Carolina to fish, arriving at 80
on the morning of Jan. 9. off the Char
lesion bar. There were no lights to be
seen. and she extinguished her own
She had skilled pilot On board and
f,.y1, nd ra1,fit