The National tribune., 1907-02-07

l
only necessary to say that you mus,
judge Of your own responsibilities
| Your position in this harbor has been
tolerated by the authorities of the
State, and while the act of which you
complain is in perfect consistency with
the rights and duties of the State, it Is
not perceived how far the conduct
which you propose to adopt can find a
parallel in the history of any country
or be reconciled with any other pur-
| pose of your Government than that OF
| imposing upon this State the condition
of conquered province.
''F. w. Pickens."
Mai. Anderson Refers to Washington.
Upon receiving this letter, Maj. An
derson called his officers together and
read 1t to them. 1t seemed conclusive
| to all that the Governor meant war.
but Maj. Anderson still clung to hope.
He sent Lieut.. Talbot to the Governor
with a letter asking that the former
| might be given facilities to reach
Washington and lay the matter before
the Government, and that pending that
time there should be truce. The
Governor readily acceded to this, as
time was very important to perfect the
fortifications surrounding Sumter and
to resist Maj. Anderson's threat to
close the harbor. In due course OF
time Lieut.. Talbot returned from
Washington with a letter from Secre.
tary of War Joseph Holt. dated Jan.
Is. approving Maj. Anderson's self-re-
straint in not returning the fire which
he would have been justified in doing,
and which ended as follows:
"Your late dispatches, as well as the
very intelligent statement of Lieut.. Tai
bot, have relieved the Government of
the apprehensions previously enter
O..
quence, 1t Is not It's purpose at present
to reinforce you. The attempt to do so
would, no doubt, be attended by col
lision of arms and the efYusion of blood
"a National calamity which the Presi-
dent is most anxious, If possible, to
avoid. You will,rtherefore, report fire.
quently youroicondition, and the char
acter and activity of the preparations,
If any. whiciasmay be being made for
an attack upen,4he fort, OF for OBJ
structing theqdSdvernment in any en-
deavors it may make to strengthen your
should yopr ,l dispatches be of ma
ture too important TO be intrusted to
the mails. yon, will convey them by
special messengers. Whenever, in your
Judgment. ADDITIONAL supplies or rein
ty, Or for a,esuccessful defense Of the
fort, you will at once communicate this
fact to this Department. and prompt
and vigorous effort will be made to for
VERY respectfully your obedient
~. Holt"
An Enlisted MINIS View.
James Chester, then a Sergeant in
Co. E, 1st q. S. Art, later Captain in
the Sd u. S. Art, gives this recollection
from the standpoint of an enlisted man
of the firing upon the Star Of the West:
when the Star Of the West was seen
standing in. the novelty of a steamer
carrying the United States flag had
more attractions for the men than the
breakfast table. They soon made her
out to be a merchant steamer, as the
walkins-beam, plainly visible as she
rounded into the channel, was unknown
on a man-of-war She had taken the
Morris Island channel, and was ap-
preaching at fair rate of speed Per-
| haps every man in Sumter was on the
ramparts, but there was no excitement.
But when the blue puff of smoke from
a hidden battery on Morris Island ad-
vertised the fact that she was being
! fired on, there was great scampering
and scurrying among the men. The
| long roll was beaten, and the batteries
were manned almost before the guns
of the hidden battery had fired their
| second shot. AS she approached a
single gun at Fort Moultrie opened at
extreme long range, its shot falling
| over half a mile short. There seemed
to be much perplexity among our Off
GERS, and Maj. Anderson had a confer
ence with some of them in a room
used as laundry. which opened on the
terreplein of the sea flank. The confer
ence was an impromptu one, as Capt
| ..,1,l lnyy nd ysc ~
of it. But Capt. Foster was there, and
by his actions demonstrated his disap-
pointment at the result. He left the
| laundry bounding up the two or three
steps that led to the terre-plein, smash
| ing his hat, and muttering something
about the flag. of which the words
'itrample on it," reached the ears of
the men at the guns. and let them
know that there was to be no fighting
on their part, at least. Meantime the
steamer had worn ship, and was stand
ing out again. receiving the fire of the
hidden battery in passing. This is
all the men saw or knew about the
strange vessel at the time, altho she
came near enough for them to looI,
down upon her decks and see that there
were no troops visible on her."
| Long Stride Toward War.
| The incident, however, marked a long
stride towards war, as it crystallized
public sentiment on both sides, intensi-
fed the feeling, and made everyone the
reader for an actual clash of arms
In the North, while many of the friends
of the South justified South Carolina In
firing upon the Star Of the West, yet
incomparably more of those who had
been her friends and felt that she had
probably been Ill used, were stirred to
burning resentment by her act in firing
upon vessel bearing the United States
flag. and carrying food to United States
soldiers. Thei-effect was as marked In
the South, i'm the other direction, where
many men who were lukewarm for Sc
|, cession approved, South Cardinals &C.
ton as proper and right, If she were
going to maintain the independence
which she had recently declared.