The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-05-02
FIRST GUN OF CIVIL WAR
Georgia COntr oiled Available Supply
OF Ammunition,

Government procured the shot and
powder with which Fort Sumter
was bombarded.
Il got this story direct from
Bob Toombs, " said General Erwin.
"You will recall that he was in the
first Confederate Cabinet as Secre-
tary of State. When he resigned
and took the field l was on his
staff.
"At the beginning of the Will
derness campaign he said to me
one afternoon:
" Come, Erwin, I'm going over
to see General Johnston. His wife
and some of her young lady rela-
tives are making him a visit and
I'll take you along to entertain
them
"As we rode along Toombs grow
reminiscent. He described the
many difficulties that had to be
overcome in forming the Confed-
crate Government and pointed out
some of the mistakes that he
thought had been made.
The chief of these was, l re-
member, in not following the adj
vice of Alec Stephens, buying
the cotton crop and shipping it
abroad before the enemy had time
to blockade our ports. From these
subjects. which he spoke of
with deep regret, his naturally
buoyant temperament turned to
the many little amusing incidents
occurring at the time.
" Did you ever hear how we got
the shot and Shells that fired the
first guns ofthis WARP he asked, and
the recollection evidently amused
him greatly. of course the con-
ditions in Charleston harbor were
some of the first matters taken up
by Mr.. Davis and his Cabinet.
" AT the time Montgomery was
over run by unofficial delegates
from Virginia and the other wav-
ering States, all of them urging US
to strike the fast blow. For, "
said they, "the moment war actu-
ally begins the waverers will join
the seccders. We will rush the
issue and force the State out of the
Union into the Confederacy."
q" AS you know General
Toombs continued, all the Cabinet
were not in favor of our striking
the first blow. We wanted Mr..
Lincoln to be the aggressor. Final
| ly, however, the bombardment of
Sumter was decided on, and Walk
er, as Secretary of War, was in
structed to telegraph General
Beauregard to prepare for the at
tack.
You know Walker. A good
Alabama lawyer, but about the
last man for Cabinet position in
Government in its formative
period. He sincerely believed that
the sending Of that telegram to
Beauregard ended his connection
with the affair. Beauregard's re.
ply was short and to the point:
Where is your shot? Where
is your POWDER" he asked.
" Walker rushed to the Presi-
dent in CONSERVATION. There
wasn't time to send abroad and
making ammunition ourselves was
out of the question.
" Davis called a Cabinet meet.
ing. Everybody had suggestions
and the conference lasted far into
the night. At last it was decided
to ask Gov. Joseph f. Brown to
turn over to the Confederate Gov.
eminent the shot and powder pur.
chased in England for the defence
Of Georgia before the State Joined
the Confederacy.
" The telegram was sent, and
we were not kept long waiting 70,
Browns reply. I. was this:
'"The Government of Georgia
will turn over to the Government
of the Confederate States of Amer
lea the desired munitions of wal
provided the said Government will
purchased the other supplies