Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1910-06-04

OF the West. an mlarmed supply ship, 70
/ take provisions to Fort Sumpter in Jan
narN. 1850, but the South Carolina,Is
tired upon the vessel and she was Obliged
TO return to New York without giving
the fort any relief.
In the meantime, negotiations were
going on i'll Washington between the
southern commissions and the Federal
! authorities. President Lincoln had been
inaugurated. The agitation was at fever
! heat on both sides OF Mason and Dixon's
| line. At three o'clock i'll the morning Of
| April II, 1869. General Beauregard, in
command of the South Carolina troops.
demanded the surrender of Fort Sumpter,
and notified Major Anderson that the
bombardment of the fort would begin
in one hour unless he pulled down the
stars and stripes and evacuated the fort
before that time. This, the gallant Major
declined to do and consequently at four
| o'lock on the morning OF April L, 1861.
| the Confederate batteries opened on Fort
Sumpter from Fort Moultrie. which the
Confederates had repaired, and from
Castle Piclney, from a floating battery
and also from a masked battery Major
| Anderson and his men were subjected TO
merciless fire for more than thirtv-six
| hours. When they had exhausted all
means OF keeping up the uneven contest,
an aide came from Gen. Beauregard bear
ing flag of truce and demanding 10
| know upon what terms the fort would
be surrendered. Major Anderson inform
Cd him that Gen. Beauregard already
| Knew his only terms. They were agreed
to as follows: The garrison was to retain
vi their personal effects, their side arms,
to march out with the honors of war,
to salute their flag before lowering it
and to be furnished with a free trans
port to amy part of the United States
Consequently on the 18th of April, 1861,
Fort Sumpter was evacuated, the troops
| marching out to the tune of yankee
Doodle and Hail to the Chief"
Forts Were Seized
In tlip mean time the ordinance Of
secession had been passed by some of the
States and Florida had seized the PEN
sacola naval station and some of the
forts: Alabama had seized forts Morgan
Gaines and Powell in Mobile Bay; Geor,s-
III had seized the United States arsenpl
at Augusta; Louisiana had seized Forts
jackson and st. Philip on the Mississip-
pi, and the United States mint and Gus
tom house. at New Orleans. SO that it
VIII be remembered that the Immediate
cause of the war was the conliscation oT
United States property by the Confed
crates and the passage OF the ordinance
OF secession. The firing npOn Fort Sump-
ter was the spark that ignited the peht
sup feelings of the people fthe North,
and caused President Lincoln to call for
seventy five thousand troops for ninety
days, on 18th of April, 81. By the first
OF May, fifteen days later, there We're
300,000 volunteers enrolled and OH their
way to Washington, and the northern
States had voluntarily contributed
100000 900 to the Federal government,
though the government had not asked the
States for a single penny.
1t should be remembered that the
preservation of the Union was the one
controlling motive that actuated the
BOYS in Blue, in going to the front in the
sixties
The herosm Of the wife Of Major An
derson deserves to be remembered. She
was a delicate, sickly woman. She went
to New York when her husband evacu-
aleu L orr MOulufle. On Her way Sne
called on President Buchanan, but he
would not listen to- her story. She was
determined that her husband should have
re-inforcements, for she had reason to
fear that all his men might not be loyal.
| She remembered Sergeant Hart, who was
faithful and loyal, but his time had eX-
pired and he had been discharged, and
had gone to New York to live. So she
took the New York City directory and
looked up every man by the name If
Hart, she had forgotten the sergeants
first name, and for forty eight hours she
searched the city without food or sleep
until she found him. She told him her
story and that she wanted him to 90
with her to Fort Sumpter. He agreed to
do it. So they took train at once for
Charleston. When they arrived, Gov.