Year: 1861




authority of the Federal Union and thus
force it to immediate dissolution That was
their object, which the Executive well under
stood and having said to them il the Inaugu-
raj Address, you can have no conflict without
being yourselves the aggressors, he took pains
not only to keep this declaration good but
also to keep the case SO free from the power
OF ingenious sophistry as that the world
should not be able to misunderstood il. By
the affair at Fort Sumter with its surrounding
circumstances that point was reached Then
and thereby the assailants Of the Government
began the conflict of arms without d gun in
sight Or IN expectancy, to return their FIRE,
save only the few in the Fort sent to that
harbor years before for their own protection
and still ready to give that protection in what
ever was lawful In this act discarding all
else, they have forced upon the country the
destructive issue Of immediate dissolution or
blood and this issue embraces more than
the fate OF these United States it presents
to the whole family Of man the question
whether III constitutional republic OF De
mocracy, Government Of the people, the
same people can or cannot maintain It's terri
torlal integrity against its domestic foes It
presents the question whether disconnected
individuals, too few III number to control the
administration according to organic law i'd
any case, and always upon the pretences made
IN this case, Or any other pretences can arb-
trariy without any pretence, break up their
government. and thus practically put an end
70 free government upon the earth 1t for
ces uS to ask is there in all republics this IN
herent and fatal weakness2 Must govern
ment. Of necessity BE too strong for It's own
people or too weak to maintain its own exist
ence2 So receiving tic issue no choice was
left but to call out the war power Of the gov
ernment and 70 resist the force employed for
its destruction, BY force for its preservation
The cali was made, and the response Of the
country was most gratifying, snrpassine in
unanimity and spirit the most Saneuine ex-
pectatlo3s Yet none Of the States com
noli. e2iled slave States. except Delaware
gayea regiment through regular State organ
zatlon. 4 few regiments have been organ
zed within some others Of those State. w
individual enterprise and received into GOV
ernsnei4t selNice OF course the seeded
States. 50 called. and to which Texas had
been joined about the time Of the inangura-
ton, gave no troops to the cause Of the Union
The border States, 50 called were. not uni
form in their action. some Of them being al
most for the Union while in others As Nir-
ginia, North Carolina Tennessee and Arkan-
ssis the Union sentiment was nearly rcpress-
ed and silcnced The course taken in Nil-
glnla was the most remarkable. perhaps the
most important 4 Conventions elected hy
the people Of that State to consider this very
question Of dissoyng the Federal Union.
. was ia session at the capitol Of Nirgina when
II Sumier fell Tothis body the people had
chosen large majority Of protesscd | Union
men. Almost Immediately after the fall III
! Sumter, many members went over to tho
original di>Hnlan minority. and with them
adopted an ordinance for Withdrawing the
State from the Union Whether this change
was wrought BY their great approval of the
assault upon Sumter, Or the great resentment
at the Government 5 resistance to that assault
ntted the ordinance for the ratification To i
vote Of the people. to be taken Oh day then
! somewhat more than month distant. the
Convention. and the LEGISLATURE which was
al tteS .,,1
with leading members Of the State. not mem
berS Of either, Immediately commenced act
Ing As if the State were already out of the
Union. They pushed military preparations
vigorously forward al over the State They
seized the T.. :. Armory at Harper Ferry
and the Navy Yard i at Gosnnrt. near Nor
folk. They received and perhaps invited IN
to their State, large holies Of troops with
their warlike appointments from the ~ call
cd seeded States: they formally entered in
to a treaty Of temporary alliance and coop
GRAFTON with the 50 calle Confederate State,
and sent members to the Congress at Mont
eomely. and finally they permitted the insHr-
rectlnnafy government to he transferred to
their capitol at Richmond The people Of
Virginia have thus allowed this giant in~ur-
rection to make its nest within her borders
and this government has no choice left but
ta deal with il where it finds It and il has the
less regret As the loyal citizens have ia due
form claimed its protection Those citizens
this Government are bound to recognize and
protect as being Nirginians. In the border
States. 50 called, in fact the middle States.
there are those who favor a policy which
they call armed neutrality, that is an arming
Of those States to prevent the Union forces
passing one way or the disunion the other