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

On April IL, 1861, ait Fort Sumter, Shot
ny JOHN EI.rntsrH WATKINS,

day next, the 18th OF "bloody
April mother month Of wars and
battles. Upon that date. half a
century back. the first gun Of the
Civil War was fred in Charleston har
Dor. against the "Bastic Of the Fedc-
rral Union" and thus was touched of
the fuse which was to wind. serpent
like. through state after state. kindie
the thunder roar Of bloody battle after
bloody battle. and keep afrc conflict
that cost a divided people $4,000. 100000
In property and 100000 able bodied
men.
The long reunited nation will not cell
citrate this anniversary. Few men who
heard the thunder or that battle are
still among us. None who Differed the
old fort upon that memorable day ore
now alive. Witnesses of the battle who
thcn were callow youths Of twenty
have now reached their thrcescorc
years and ten. If alive at all. Tho
present head Of the nation has no mem
Org Of that Immediate time, for he was
then a babe Of three years and seven
months. and his immediate predecessor
In the highest office was but an infant
or two and a half years. while the
present senior general OF our army
hadn't reached his first birthday and
WAS still In swaddling clothes.
The Preceding Events.
When South Carolina seeded. Fort
sumter, rising from small shoal In
the narrowest neck OF Charleston har.
hor was unfinished and unnamed save
LE Workmen. But within Fort Moul-
irie, near by. was Il garrison OF seven
.ty-ive men. under command of Major
Robert Anderson. Il West Pointer and
veteran or the Black Hawk. Florida
and Mexican Wsrs. n native Of Ken.
lucky, and the owner or IL slave plan
taiion In Georgia. but set an officer
who arowcd his allegiance to the Union
side. His post at Moultrie being in
def.nHible from land attack. he skill
fully transferred his men and scant
supplies 10 S,imter al dusk on the day
after Christmas. 1860. During this
transfer. his n.n. in their rowboats.
were mistaken for laborcrs BY the Sc
ccssion Suardboat for he had ordered
them to embark barehcaded and in their
hhir; sleeves He had also selected the
hour when the Charleston militia was
taking It's daily sicsta, and he saw TO
II ihat the guns left AT Moultrie We're
spiked after darkness fell that night
upon the harbor waters.
Charleston was In a fury next morn
Ing when she awoke TO realize that the
garrison had thus reached the strongest
and most inaccessible work In her har
bot and Governor Pickens. OF South
Carolina, promptly demanded .Ander
cons return TO Moultric. But Ander-
son efused. and the Governor replied
by taking possession OF Moultrie and
of all OF Sunitcrs surrounding islands.
Upon these he built batteries that were
soon TO show their teeth TO the Union
harrison. AT Washington. Buchanan's
Secretary OF War. Floyd. demanded
Anderson's withdrawal from sumter,
hut when Buchanan refused the re-
quest the Cabinet disrupted, and Floyd
ned, TO be succeeded hy Holt, one NJ
.Anderson.s brother Kentuckians.
On January 9 the steamer Star OF tho
West entered the channel OF Charles
ton harbor with supplies for Sumter.
hut the seccsslonists fred across her
bow from Moultrie and from their
masked battery on Morris Island SO
she turned about and escaped seward.
after which the enemy sank stone laden
hulks at the harbor mouth TO
hottie up the sumter garrison. Then.
on March !. 1861. BeaureEard was as
signed to command all OF the Confed-
crate forces within the zone OF threat.
ching trouble. This was three days
before Lincoln succeeded Buchanan in
the White House.
Things now began to happen. On
April 70 Beauregard received orders
from the Confederate government to
demand the evacuation of Sumter, and
reduce II II it{refused. Lincoln hav.
ing agreed for the sake Of peace, not
"a send additional troops to Sumter.
anderson. who had food enough for
four days only. agreed to evacuate
.\pril Is unless furnished supplies or