The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-09-28

American revolution, ana WAS Tue
property of Edmund Rufiin.
Captain Preston will never forget
the day that his servant Aaron hand
ed him the book, for with it came a
handsome pair of heavy blankets.
Preston, with his comrades of the
Tenth New York cavalry, was near
the James river in May, 1854, when
one night Aaron woke his master up
by throwing the heavy blankets on
him. Aaron had been out with par
ty on a foraging trip. But he never
told where he got the articles.
AS Captain Preston never allowed
his men to enter a house except to
get eatables, he took the negro boy
sharply to task. But when the cap
tain looked at the blankets he no.
ticed the initials "U. s." We'll, who
ever had these blankets stole them.
so you're all right. Aaron" he re-
marked.
The history has since been in the
relic chest at Captain Preston's, home,
and he didn't take it out until a few
days ago, when General Pryor an,
nounced that he had been first dele
gated to fire that first shot. The cap.
tain pasted this recent newspaper
clipping in the back Of the book be.
side an old. yellow clipping, which
chronicled the suicide of Rutfin.
The first clipping on the back GOV,
er reads as follows:
"Old Edmund Ruf1n, who fired the
first gun on Fort Sumter, committed
suicide on Saturday last near Dan
vile, Va, by blowing his brains out
with masket. He had become very
low spirited since the capture of
Richmond, and did not wish to live
under Yankee rule. He left a note
saying: I cannot survive the loss of
the liberties of my country"
Then, after 46 years, another clip
ping throws a different light on the
firing OF the first shot. 1t is this
statement of General Roger Atkinson
Pryor, the soldier, editor and lawyer.
1t reads as follows:
THE first shot on Fort Sumter
| freed the slaves, but that was not my
intention when l viewed the cannon's
fuse, prepared to touch 1t off,
II was then a lawyer of 33 from
Virginia, and had made a zach in
| Charleston just few days before the
18th of April, 1861, in which | said
Strike one blow and Virginia will Sc
cede In an hour by the Shrewsbury
clock 1t was in compliment for this
speech that General Beauregard be.
slowed upon me the honor of firing
| the first shot. Ruffin had a paper, OF
which he had been editor for many
years. He was the first advocate OF
secession as distinct from Calhoun's
doctrine of notification. Virginia did
not favor Ruf1ns notion strongly.
That is why Ruffin went to South
Carolina to PROFOUND his doctrine.
He went to Charleston In April.
Charleston was beleaguered with
1000 to 1000 young southern gentle
men. all in fighting trim. Wita these
boys Rufin enlisted. He was present
when General Beauregard asked me
to fire the first shot. l introduced
him to the general and told the gen.
eral what Rufin had done to further
the cause of the south, and persuaded
him to allow Ruffin to fire it. The
general was persuaded. Rufin fred
the first shot, Virginia thereupon Sc
ceded. uniting the entire south"
The taking of the old book from
his chest has brought back old memo.
ries to Captain Preston, and once
again he wonders what became of his
faithful boy Aaron.
Aaron. II he is still living. is the
only one that can explain where Ruff
nn's book came from.