Year: 1878




GARRISON GALLANT REPLY.


On the morning of the 11th of April, the
dawn of day disclosed an activity at once un-
usual and significant over the entire harbor.
The waters were covered with vessels hastily
putting to sea. An iron-clad floating battery
of four guns, the construction of which in
Charleston, had been watched by the garrison
for months, was towed down the bay to
point at the western end of Sullivan'e Island,
where its guns bore directly upon Fort Sum.
ter. A wooden dwelling on the beach, near
the end of the island, was pulled down and
unmasked land work, mounting four guns,
hitherto unknown to the garrison. It's fire
would en6lade the most important battery Of
Fort Sumter, which was upon the parapet Of
the right flank of the work, and whose guns
were mainly relied upon to control the fire
from the heavy guns on Cummings Point,
that would take the fort in reverse. Bodies
of troops were landed, and the batteries on
shore fully manned, and every preparation
completed, when, at four o'clock, P. NJ,
boat, under white flag, approached the fort.
Two officials, aides.decamp Of the general
commanding the Confederate forces in the
harbor, Col. Chesnut and Capt s. D. Lee,
were admitted to the guard-room just inside
the main entrance to the work. They bore
communication from the military command
ant at Charleston and to the following effect.
It stated that the Government Of the Confed-
crate States had hitherto forborne from any
hostile demonstration against Fort Sumter, in
the hope that the General Government would
voluntarily evacuate it in order to avert war,
and that there was reason to believe that such
would have been the course pursued, but that
the Confederate Government could no longer
delay assuming actual possession" of a forti-
6cation so important to it. The evacuation
of Fort Sumter was demanded in the name
of the Government of the Confederate States.
All proper facilities were rendered to Major
Anderson for the removal of himself and his
command. He was to take with him his COM
pany and private property, and to salute his
flag upon taking it down.


Calling the officers of the garrison into his
private room, he laid the communication be-
fore them, and then, for the first time, made
known to them the confidential dispatch from
the government, received few days previ-
ously, in which their determination to relieve
the fort was expressed, and instructions in re-
gard to it conveyed. In this communication
authority was given him to capitulate when
the necessity Of the case required it. The
conference of the officers was long and earn
est. There was no thought, for moment, of
acceding to the demand for the evacuation of
the fort, and the following reply was returned
by Major Anderson "That the demand for
the evacuation of the fort was one with which
he regretted that his sense of honor and his
obligation to his government prevented his
compliance" On receiving this communica-
ton, the Confederate officers left the fort. The
entire interview was characterized by every
courtesy, though more distant and formal
than in previous conferences. They were fol-
lowed to the main gate of the work by Major
Anderson and the writer of this article As
they were about to embark, Major Anderson
remarked, in their hearing, that he would be
starved out, any way, in a few days, if their
guns did not batter him to pieces, and this
was repeated more specifically to the Confed-
crate officers in reply to their inquiries on the
subject. As the boat returned, the batteries
around were covered with spectators ell anx-
iously watching the result of the mission
GEN. S. W. CRAWFORD, in Phila. Times.