The Penn's Grove record., 1915-05-28

q CudI LHST0 WOulQ De a conflict soon. hnt
when or where no one could ~foreteIl. II was a
day of suspense.
Lincoln, at the time, had not served tbrea
months as president. Between the time of his
election and his Inauguration seven of the south
ern states had seeded. Soon after his Inaugural
ton Virginia had seeded, and before this thir.
tieth of May Arkansas and North Carolina had
followed the example of Virginia. Immediately
after the fall of Fort Sumter Lincoln had issued
his call for $4,000 troops. Most of the northern
states, in loyal obedience to this call had sent
troops to Washington; but many of the states
near the border line between the North and the
South had defied the call. Some of the questions
asked by the people of the North on this day
must have been: Twill these states, too. secede?"
Can President Lincoln hold them in the Union ~
But a question, more momentous than these.
which must have been asked by these peonIe
was: Can our troops at Washington defend the
city?" For it must be remembered that il was
only II days before this thirtieth of Nav when
northern troops had been fired upon by a mob
while they were passing through Baltimore on
their way to Washington.
Many people, at the time, interpreted this act
to mean that Maryland, too, was about to secede.
True, the Union soldiers at Washington seemed
at this time to be successfully defending the
city; a band of troops six days before this thir-
tieth of May had crossed the Potomac and had
taken possession of Alexandria. This had made
the Union people hopeful, but they were by no
means confident, for, at this time, they had lust
received news from abroad about the expressions
of joy which had just been made by certain Eu-
ropeans who were predicting the immediate
downfall of the American republic. Then, too,
many Of the news items about events of the
war which were appearing in the daily news
papers indicated that there might be some foun-
dalton for the prediction of the people in Europe.
Here are some the news items that the people
of the North were reading in their home papers.
The Boston Journal for this thirtieth of May con-
tanned the following telegraphic dispatches:
THE report of the surrender of the United
States troops in Texas, under command of Lieu.
tenant Colonel Reeve, t. the Confederate force,
under command of Colonel Van Dorm, is fully
confirmed"
General Mcdowell has been informed that
General Lee, with 25, 900 rebels, is advancing on
Alexandria
The New York Tribune for the same date was
to its northern readers somewhat more hopeful.
Here are some of its headlines:
Frank Blair Ordered to Fortress Monroe"
"Harpers Ferry Threatened. The Rebels Like
ly to Be Surrounded"
10000 Troops to Rendezvous at Cairo"
These news items, taken from northern news
papers, reflect the general mood and spirit of the
people in the North who were at the time read
ing the papers. Among them there was a spirit
of uncertainty and doubt. They were uncertain
as to the strength and purpose of the South.
They doubted the ability of Lincoln, who had re-
Gently been elected by a new and untried po-
iitical party. They were uncertain as to whether
he would yield to the demands of political bosses.
Lincoln was not a trained soldier. They were
uncertain as to whether he could succeed in the
management of his army.
But the people of the South, on this thirtieth
of May, were hopeful and confident. Loyalty
from their point of view meant allegiance to
their states. They held that the general govern
ment had no right to interfere with their forma-
ton of a new government. Their loyalty 20
their cause almost amounted to enthusiasm. They