The National tribune., 1909-05-20
Fort Pickens.

Fort PickenS.
Another disappointment to the Sc
cession plotters was Fort Pickens. A
very important Navy Yard existed at
that time at Pensacola, and was defend
ed on the land side by Fort McRae and
Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island.
Commander Armstrong, of the Navy.
promptly surrendered the Navy Yard
to the militia from Florida and Ala
bama, and ordered Lieut. Slemmer,
who -had--a- small garrison at Fort Nc
Rae, to likewise surrender those strong
holds. Lieut. Slemmer had the example
of Maj. Anderson before him, and, defy
ing the order of Armstrong. merely re-
moved his little garrison from Fort Nc
Rae to Fort Pickens, and the question
of his reinforcement and relief now be-
gan to take on some of the same i'm
portance as that of Maj. Anderson at
Fort Sumter. Slemmer was quite as
ratteh approved for his action by the
North assMaj. Anderson had been, and
much of the credit for his patriotism
was given to his wife, woman of ster-
ling loyalty and much force of charac-
ter. Lieut. Slemmer at that time was
quite an i'll man, but his wife buoyed
him up and held him steadfast.
= Another shock was given to the Sc
cessionists and of joy TO the Unionists
by the Treasury Department. The COM
turning them over to the SeceSsionists
at the various ports where they hap
pened to be, and learning that Capt.
Breshwood, in command of the McClel-
Ian, then on the Mississippi below New
Orleans, was preparing to hand his ves-
sci over to the Louisiana Secessionists,
Secretary Dix attempted to thwart him
by sending the well-known telegram to
the Special Agent who had been hur-
ried down to New Orleans to prevent
hescomuission of a reasonable IF
any person attempts to haul down the
American Flag, shoot him on the spot"
The acclamation with which this was
received at the North brought a great
wave of consolation ana hope to the
sadly depressed heart of Abraham Lin
eoln-
Demand the Surrender of Fort Sumter.
The presence of the United States
troops in Fort Sumter, and the flying
of the Flag above its tall walls and
frowning guns, became more aggravat-
ing every day TO the rampant Secession
lists. These, led by the Charleston Cou-
rier, of which the fire-eating Rhett was
the editor demanded the instant evac-
uation of the fort and the hauling down
of the pernicious banner. On Jan. IA
the Legislature of South Carolina for
maily resolved that ANY attempt by
. the ftusIdi dhliOrlty 10 ftiIIOECe fOIt
. Sumter will be regarded as an act of
open hostility and a declaration of war"
and Jan. 16 Col. Hayne arrived in
Washington as a Special Envoy of the
Governor of South Carolina to demand
the surrender of Fort Sumter as "es-
sential to good understanding between
the two Nations of South Carolina and
the United states"
The sum of the Confederacy's Gains.
Mr.. A. Pollard, in his Southern His
tory of the War" thus sums up what
the Confederacy had gained so easily
and cheaply under the fiabby Buchan-
an and his actively conspiring Cabinet
officials:
ION the incoming of the Administers
ton of Abraham Lincoln on the 4th o1
d. March the rival Government or the
South had perfected its organization;
the separation had been .widened and
envenomed by the ambidexterity and
perfidy of President Buchanan; the
Southern people, however, stilf hoped
for a peaceful accomplishment of their
independence, and deplored war be-
tween the two sections as a policy det-
rimental to the civilized world. The
revolution in the meantime had rapidly
gathered, not only in moral power bu,
In the means of war and muniments OF
defense. Fort Moultrie and Castle
Pinckney had been captured by the
South Carolina troops: Fort Pulaski, the
defense of Savannah, had been taken;
The arsenal at Mount Vernon, Ala, with
10000 stand OF arms, had been seiEec
I1y the Alabama troops; Fort Morgan
u Mobile Bay, had been taken; Fortl