New-York tribune., 1911-04-09
-, John Elfrcth Watkins

ser,i-centennial of Sumter's
IT nombardment begins on Wednes-
,ov next. the 18th OF "bloody
mother month of wars and battles
Ep'n that date half a century back the
tP0" nm Of the Civil War was fred IN
trs' or harbor against the "Bastiie
Chai''t,5 r,o5eral Union" and thus was
ssa w off the fuse which was to wind
'o0'"' ,nLa through state after state.
s'r ,,o thunder roar Of bloody battle
sh'', oav battle. and keep afire con-
a., az, that cost more than eight oiliioh
n,' mes in property and more than six
sr,ared able-bodied men,
ha,u'T ,orr reunited nation will not cele-
.a This anniversary. Few men who
.sss " the thunder of that battle are still
None who officered the old
aN'' aron that memorable day are now
w. w.. witnesses Of the battle who then
~.,s 90 callow youths of twenty have now
he'd their threescore years and ten' II
'' :, all. The present head Of the
' ZION has no memory of that immedi-
- time for he was then babe OF three
q" ord seven months. and his inn
SC nredecessor in the highest office
So, an infant Of two and a half
rs while the presents senior general OF
!'~ hadn't reached his first BIRTH
"a was still in swaddling clothes.
THE PRECEDING EVENTS.
u,.n South Carolina seeded. Fort
.nu,sr rising from a small shoal in
-. rorrovest neck of Charleston Har-
=. uss unfinished and unnamed. save
- ro,kn,en. But within Fort Moultrie.
gar bv. was a garrison Of approximately
.r.,,v-nve men under command or
v,,or Robert Anderson, a native or Ken
~ West Pointer and a veteran OF
.. BLACK Hawk. Seminole and Mexican
-,r His post at Moultrie being inde-
.,s,b'a from land attack, he skilfully
..,,sferred his men and scant supplies
~ -oyboats 10 Sumter at dusk on the
,,v after Christmas. 1860. In the course
- the massage the men in one or the
Mats were i'm danger of capture, and the
,-oiect seemed on the point Of being dis
,aysred through the approach Of the
steamer General Clinch, a rebel guard
vessel curiously named for the distin-
ruished father Of Major Anderson's wife.
Win presence Of mind. captain Double
hy who waS in command of the boat,
,ured back his coat, hiding the telltale
seeial buttons. and removed his military
ap. ard directed his men to take off
seir coats. cover the muskets with them
and assume such attitudes as would
sininate the suspicion that they were
1ldiers Thus disguised. they created
he impression that the boat was loaded
with workmen passing between the
mainland and Fort Sumter, and the Gen.
gal Clinch. after a brief stop at short
distance. passed on. Before abandoning
Fort Moultrie its guns were disabled by
ykng and the burning Of the carriages.
Charleston was in a fury next morning
Vhen she awoke TO realize that the garri-
gn had thus reached the strongest and
most inaccessible work in her harbor,
and Governor Pickens Of South Carolina
romptly demanded Anderson's return to
gogltre. But Anderson refused, and the
Governor replied by taking possession Of
goUltrie and Of all Of Sumter's surround
Ing Islands. Upon these he built bat
lsries that were soon TO show their teeth
% the Union garrison. At Washington.
Bgehanan's Secretary of War, Floyd, de-
handed Anlerson's withdrawal from
samteT, but when Buchanan refused the
'sQueSt the Cabinet disrupted, and FLOYD
led, 10 be succeeded by Holt, one Of
AinfrSCn'c frgf Iaf. L I[cDfuckiqnc