The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-09
HISTORY
CONCERNING THE WAR

states rights was bred in the bone OF
All Southcrncrs. They believed they
had the right 10 pcaceabiy withdra W
! from the Union when tho Federal gov
n eminent refused 10 protect their per
son and property. Even Mr. Lincoln
endorsed tnis doctrine in his 81 cech in
4 congress IN 1913. The New England
9iates had adopted seccssional rcsolu-
lions In Two conventions for much less
4 cause. one on account or the Louisa ma
purchase and the other wien Texas
MAS admitted into the Union Simply
to. the reason that additional territory
would be added TO tho South and she
would continue 10 control the general
/ government as she had done W TO tho
4 election Of Mr. Lincoln in 1860
I Honorable George w. Summers just
3 y called TIE Daniel Webster OF West.
ern Virginia. and who had been ton
dcred By air Lincoln a seat on The
Supreme Bench OF tile United States
Was an able incmber OF the Committee
on Federal Relations. in that Secession
Convention lie said in his spect.ii
h"hVcred in Wheeling in 1862 that at
\ MAS not the firing on Fort Sunptcr
that carried Virginia ONT OF the Union
/ We went on steadily and firmly voting
IN tina Convention under the constant
announcement Of It's bombn mcnt It's
success and final triumph No man
/ gave way. Our large mt4jorty was
maintained on every resolution
| - ne Union llNll. tnOSc elected
Union men, Gas most of them werc)
who ultimately gave way. did not give
! way Upon the ground that Fort sum
ter bad been attacked The preteXt
cause for the SECESSION was the pro.
I claination OF President Lincoln calling
for 1900 troops to march across the
sacred SOIL OF Virginia TO make war
on her southern sister states. which
they twc) chose TO announce and act
/ uron as a declaration of war"
Fhnt Convention was composed Of
lS2 members, said 10 be the a blest body
~ men that ever assembled III Vir-
Einia. on the final ballot, April 1Tth,
4 1851, eighty nine voted for secession.
4 ifty-fve voted against IT, and eight did
4 not vote. MI Of them have 'crossed
over Inc river Hon. J. g. McCirew of
i kingwo1d. West Virginia was the las,
ono. lie died November Is, 1910. 9.
years old.
~ Is worthy Of note. that the unfor
tunate assassination OF President Lin
i coin occurred on April l+th, just four
i years after, and about the same hour
that General Campbell and The Com
mittcc on Federal Relations signed tho
hgrcement referred 10 above.
The End.
| arrived in l.ewisb,irg, West Vir-
I sinia, on Arril lStf from the surrender
OF General Lee. about o'clock = NJ
the following day. was convcrsing
With Governor Prices family on his
irony verandu. We noticed "A man on
horseback coming RAPIDLY up the street !.
he halted at The front gate, and all OF
Ms much excited, ran OH, to learn what
he wanted lie asked if Governor
/ Price lived there. When Informed that
ne did. he said he had an important
document for tho Governor from the
/ President of the United States, said
4; Governor Price WAS oft at HIS Rich
Z lands farm, four miles from town. AS
/ his horse appeared very tired and |
had q fresh one IN the stable. and could
take short cut through he open
country. would he pleased to deliver
the document,
(, He hesltated saving, he was ordered
to deliver it to him in person, but
+, when assured by the Governors fam
ity that 1t would be perfectly safe, and
could deliver il much sooner than he
could. he handed me large official
| envelope. went fast as my horse
/ could carry mes found the Gov
ernor al his barn cleaning wheat in an
old ia shioncd windmill. with two ne
+, gro men assisting him. He had res
directed Two sacks of wheat which his
faithful servants had buried under the
Z barn floor to xeep body and SOM to-
Gcther during the occupancy of the
Federal troops. They We're forced TO
hide What little was left TO subsis.
on. dismounted. handed him the
large envelope saying. Here is
message from President Lincoln" He
quickly stepped out or the dust ana
4 broke the seal with trembling hands.
The whole country was terribly eXcit-
ed. Dire rrmors of destruction and
death werc being circulated. We were
fearful that Grants and Lees terms
OF surrender would not he Endorsed by
tho United States government. We
knew that Mr.. Lincoln's Cabinet. espe
cially Secretaries stanton and Seward.
were Very bitter and uncompromising
+. towards tho South, and that they had a
/ remarka bic influence over the Presi-
dent. It was reported by marauding
1 bands Of Federal cavalry, claiming to
/ be gathering up Federal property. re-
aardless Of whether 1t was branded
(. Y. $. or not, that we would be ban
shed from our impoverished homes.
| imprisoned or shot on the spot AS
Governor Price read this letter. his
eyes began TO sparkle, and bright
| smiles lightcned up his pleasant face,
and handing ii to me he said: Cole
man. good news, good news" Turn
! ing quickly to one OF his servants he
said: sam, saddle my horse quickly
| Though ii has been over forty-nvc
/ years ago, that letter is indelbly en-
i Gravcd on my mind and repeat it
| here almost verbatim: II desire YOU to
+! proceed Immediately to Richmond and
(: convene Your Legislature Tell your
| people to come back and hang up
! their hats on tho same neg they hung
1 them on before the war
4! Though he was sixty years old. We
returned to Lcwisburg in rapid gal
| lop. arriving after sundown He got
la hnsty lunch. fresh horse and rode
all night thrty-ninc miles to Jackson
River Depot now Clifton Forge. The
1 old Virginia Central Railroad. now the
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, had
been completed only that far west d
the beginning OF the War Between the
| states. The Governo~ took the morn
Ing train for Richmond TO convene the
| Legislature. When he arrived IL;
| stanton Hon. sandy Stuart who had
| been President Buchanan's Secretary
u u hn Ini nr I'M al.