The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-05-31

w ShPPpts a PcHtphiNN hNpai y
! ment, etc, and sent commission o.
three to Europe to obtain recognition
for the new government and to max,
| treaties of amity. 1t adopted new
constitution of its own and in it over
firmed the right of property in negro
/ slaves.
The South, continually organizing anC
: preparing for war, with six thousand
men fired the first shot on Fort Sumter
on the 18th day of April. Opposed Il
. this South Carolina army of six thou,
! sand men wss Major Anderson with d
force, including officers, privates, musi.
clans and laborers, of 1913 men, who were
living on half rations of rotten rice and
pork. The artillery duel lasted twS
days, resulting in the evacuation of Fort
Sumter. The historian says: Judged
by loss of life, no battle, could be more
insignificant. Not man on either side
was killed. Judged by the train OF
events that ensued, few contests in our
history have been more momentous."
The people of the North, to the last
hoping that actual hostilities might be
averted. were profoundly moved by the
news that Civil war had begun. The
shot at Sumter convinced everyone that
the day of argument and compromise
and entreaty had passed and that a
peace loving people must interrupt their
Industrial civilization and prepare Tor
war. With excitement and with sorrow
they followed the course of the bonn
bardment, with stern determination they
accepted the policy which this grave
event portended and when they read the
presidents call for 10000 volunteers TO
suppress combinations obstructing the
execution of the laws in seven of the
southern states, they gave with one voice
their approval of the policy foreshad-
owed and rose almost as one man to
the support OF the president. The blood
of the people was stirred as it had not
been since the days of the Revolution.
The sentiment of patriotism rose su-
preme in all hearts. 1t was the upris.
ing of great people. Men from all
walks of lite hurried to enlist and enroll
themselves for the common cause. Indi-
yiduals, towns, cities and states offered
men freely. Patriotism spoke from the
pulpit, the platform, and the stump, and
| with the mighty voice of the press, urg-
| ing able bodied men to devote their lives
l anu NtbilHf NllllfHS W ktNC litS4i
dance to the country in its hour OF need.
At the darkest moment in the history
of the republic, Emerson wrote: When
it looked as if the nation would be dis
membered, pulverized into its original cl-
ements, the attack on Fort Sumter crys-
tallized the North into a unit, and the
hope of mankind was saved.
The loss OF Stephen A. Douglass at
this crisis must be regarded as calam-
ity, wrote Greeley, while Douglass was
lying on his death-bed in Chicago. Leav-
ing Washington soon after pledging his
support to the president, he had, on his
way home, spoken words of wise and
true patriotism to the citizens of Wheel
ing, to the people of Columbus and TO
the legislature of his own state. The
last time that he addressed his country
men from the platform was on his or.
rival, on the first of May, at Chicago,
when concourse OF all parties met him
at the depot and escorted him to the wig
wan in which Lincoln had boon nomi-
mated, now, as then, crowded with 10000
people. In his emphatic way, Douglass
declared There are only two sides 20
the question, Every man must be fof
the United States or against it. There
can be no neutrals in this war; only
patriots or traitors. Ii is sad task
to discuss questions so fearful as civil
war; but, sad as il is, bloody and dis
astrous as | expect it will be, | express
1t as my conviction before God, that il
is the duty of every American citizen TO
rally around the flag OF his country.
His work, however, was done. Worn ont
and sick, he took to his bed to die. His |
last thoughts were of his country; his
dying message TO his sons came with
full voice. "Tell them" he said, ito
obey the laws and support the consti
tuition of the United States" With all /
his failings, he lacked not patriotism. |
His ambition had wrecked himself and
his party, but he had done much to re-
trieve his great error, and the nation,
in sorrowing at his loss, forgot the Kan
sas Nebraska bill, or forgave its au-
thor.
Following the victory at Fort Sumter,
the Tonfederates gained another victory /
in the first battle of Bull Run. Later
the Confederate forces defeated the Fed
erals at Balls Bluff on the upper Poto-
mac. With these victories, the South
had well-sustained confidence that they
would win their independence. But for
tune turned, and she union gained Veto
ries. Port Regal, South Carolina, was
taken and in the new year Federal sue
cesses followed swiftly. Thomas over
came the Confederates at Mill SPRING
General Burnside and Commodore Colds
boro took Roanoke Island, North Caro-
lima. Port Henry wass also captured.
Grant, after one Of the truly decisive
battles of the war, forced the surren-
der of Fort Donelson and later re-
PEELED the advance of the Confederates
northward at Shiloh. Curtis drove the
Confederates out of Missouri. Pope
captured island number 10 and Farragut
took New Orleans. At this time Con-
gress prohibited slavery in the terri
tories, abolished it in the District of
Columbia and, ON the Recommendation of
the president, offered the slave states
pecuniary aid If they would take meas
ures to emancipate their slaves.
Mcclellan set out on his peninsular
with large army amid the
hopes of his nation and people,
but in July he had met with failure,
having been out generated by Robert S.
Lee. Pope's disastrous campaign in Vir-
yinia followed, and the summer of '62
ended in gloom. There were invasions
Of Maryland by Zee and of Kentucky
by Bragg: Both were driven back Lee
nv Mcclellan at Antietam and Rrapr