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. * ^ t^"*?mmmm?i? | i ,., i .. .. i ||^ I ,, .,, ,., | , . , ? ? , , , . , n m . i wii i 111 ? i i HI > iilll E JlSBplii ft [Ei iiB imi. "TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE, AND IT MUST FOLLOW, AS TUB "* NIGHT TUB DAY, THOU CAN ST NOT THEN BE FALSE TO ANY MAN." 1 BY liOH'T. A. THOMPSON & CO. P1CKKNS COURT HOUSE, S. C. SATURDAY, JANUARY 11), 1861. VOL. XII. NO. 24. ^& ILlgUT?D IPOlETiaV, From I tic Soutliernor. South Carolina is Free. IIY K. n. c. Hark ! to tlie loml noto?? swelling O'er land and o'er tlie sen, A joyful Ktory telling, '.irolina's land in free! Free from (lie coile that bound Iter? I'reo from the tyrants cliain? Free from (lie yoke thrown rounil her? Froe to ascend again. I .one star, in the arching heaven l'roudly thy beams arise ; Too thee if the glory given To PlI'Xl lii/lil till* ut.*1*111 v ulfifftu. See o'er tlie ilnrk vaults streaming, (tinned h thy ben his along ; Ilnrk! to the solemn inclining That swelled in Freedom's song. Free! let tlie liills proclaim it. Free! let tli" mountains cry, Free! let ilie ocenn nnmc it. Free! Wnt'i the sound on high, Vain nre tho tyrant's powers. They must hcml to our stern decree; We have. fought, nnd the day is uiirs, I Carolina is free! is free! IPOLQYQOM,, Correspondence Jietween (he President >j' (he ( in'feit ?S'fates anil the Cum in ixxiiwers of South Carolina Washington, December 28, 1800. Sir :?We have tho lienor to transmit to you a copy of tlio full powers from tli<> Convention of the people of South Carolina, under which we are " authorized and empowered to treat with thodoverninent of the United States for tho delivery of the forts, nm^tizinef, lighthouses, and otlier -eal estate, with tlieir ap purtcnanees, within the limits of South Carolina, and also for an apportionment of the public d''ht and for a division of all the property held by the Covernme.nt of the United States, of which South Carolina was recently n member, and generally to negotiate as to all other measures and arrangements proper to be made and adopted in the existing relation of the pirties, and for the, continuance of peace an?l amity between the Commonwealth and the (lovernniout at Washington." In the execution of this trust, it is our tint}' to fll I'll !<li Villi IIU U'n nrnr il.i mitk n.. copy of the Ordinance of Secession, by wliicli the State of South Carolina has resumed the p nvers she delegated to the Government of the I'nited States, and has declared her perfect sovereignty and indepeiidohce. It would also have been our duty to have informed you that we were ready to negotiate with you upon all such questions as are necessarily raised by the adoption of this Ordinance, and that we were prepared to enter upon this negotiation with the earnest desire to avoid r.ll ..n.w.nna.o^.. ^IIS^S .... 1 ? i .... umuvomiouj iiiiu immiiiv; tlMII^IUII, illdl Ml 111 inaugurate our new relations as to secure mutual respect, general advantage, and a future of pood will and harmony, beneficial to all tlie parties concerned. Hut the events of the last twenty-four hours ronder sueh an assurance impossible. Wo came here the representatives of Hit authority, which could at any time within tlie past sixty days have taken possession of tlie forts in Charleston harbor, but upon pledges given in n m.'llllliir i.lmfr wrt onnnnf /ImuK* trust to your honor rather than toils own power. Since our arrival :m officer of the United States acting, as wo are assured, not only without, hut against your orders, has dismantled one fort and occupied another, thus altering to a most important extent the condition of affairs under which wo came. Until these circumstances are explained in a manner which relieves us of nil douht as to the spirit in which those negotiations shall he conducted, wc are forced to suspend all discussion as to any arrangements by which our mutual interest might he amior.bly adjusted. And, in conclusion, we would urge upon you the immediate withdrawal of the troops from the harbor of Charleston. Under pres ent circumstances, they are a standing menace which renders negotiation impossible, and, as our recent experience shows, threatens speedily to bring to n bloody issue questions which ought to bo settled with temperance and judgment. We have the honor to be, Very respectfully, Your obedient servants, 11. W. Barnwkmj, "I .T. H. Adams, [- Commissioners. Jambs I?. Oku, ) h -To tho l'rftsiilent of t.lm IT n i ?orl "Washington City, Doc. 80, 1800. Qcntlemcn:?I have had the lionor to receivo your communication of 28th instant., together with a copy of "your full powers of the Convention of the People of South Carolina," authorizing you to treat with tho (Government of the United States on various important HUbjocta therein mentioned, and also a eopy of the Ordinance, Waring date on the 20th instant, declaring that " the Union now subsisting between South Carolina and other States, under tho name of " the United States of America," in hereby dissolved. I In answer to this communication, I have to | way, that my position, as Presidentof tho Uni Ited Stotes, was clearly defined iu tho Messago to Congress on the 3d instant. In thnt I stated that, " apart from tho execution of tho l<iws, bo far ss this may bo praoSyablo, tho Kxqcutivo has no authority to dcoido what shall bo the relations between the. Kodoral Government and South Carolina. Ila. has boon invosied with no such discretion. lie possesses ho poijref to change tho relations hore.. to fore existing betwoon thorn, umoh Toss to ncloiowledgo the independence of thot State. < This wonld bo to in vest a mere KkeotfnV^ ? < oflloor with the power of rccogniting a disftol lution of the. Confederacy AiViong our thirtythree Sovcteign Stntea. tl bear* no regetabI laooe to the recognition of a foreign <h facto Government involving no mich roAponaibility. Any attempt to do this would, ori hi? pnrt, bo * * naked act of usurpation. It is, therefore, I Jf my duty to submit to Oongrcwi fhe whole question in all its bearings." Sucli is my opinion still. I could therefore i meet you only as private gentlouicn of the j highest character, and was entirely willing to j communicate to Congress any proposition you j might have, to make to that body upon the ! subject. Of this you were well aware. It | was my earnest desire that such a disposition miirht be made of the wholi* xnlii(w?t. !>v gross, who alone possess the power, as to prevent tho inauguration of a civil war between the parties in regard to the possession of tho Federal forts in the harbor of Charleston ; and I therefore deeply regret, that, in your opinion " the events of the last twenty-four hours render this impossible." In conclusion you urge upon me the " ini i - < " < iovmi.iiv tTiiiiuiii?>11 ui uie troops 11*0111 the harbor of Charleston," Htntinj^ that " under present circumstances they arc a standing menace which renders negotiation impossible, and as our rccent experience show, threatens speedily to bring to a bloody issue questions which ought to be settled with tcnipcruucc and judgment." 1 lie reason for this change in your position is that since your arrival in Washington, " an officer of tho United States, acting as we (you) ar'assured not only Without, but against your (my) orders, has dismantled one fort and occupied another, thus altering to a most important extent theeondition of affairs under which we (you) onmc." You also allege that you came here " the Representatives of an authority which could at any time within the past I sixty days, have taken possession of the forts | in Charleston harbor, but which, upon pledges ! given in a manner that we (you) cannot doubt, I ... iciiimini to hum ui jour U"}',) "?"or rather ] than to its power." This brings ine to a consideration of the nature of those alledged pledges, and in what manner they have been observed. In my Message of the 53d of December last, I stated, i ui regara 10 me property ot t lie I'nited States i in South Carolina, that it " lias been pur chased for a fair equivalent by the consent of j the Legislature of tiie State, for the erection I of forts, maga/.ines, arsenals, &c., and over these t!ie authority to exercise exclusive legislation. has been expressly granted by the (Constitution to Congress. It is not believed that ail}' attempt will be made to expel the : 1 ' ni?n/l .o r ~ A- 1? * j u ii <iiu tiur> j i'11m 11 v "ty lorcu ; ] but if in tins I .should prove to he mistaken, t the officer in comimd of the forts has received | orders to net strictly on the defensive. In | such :i contingency, the responsibility fot c inse(jucncc8 would rightfully rest upon the j heads of the assailants." ! Tills hftim* *l?o ? wv...n ...v vuiKiuiuii wi tin; |mi IK'.^ u 11 j Saturday, Rth December, four of the Itepre ] sentatives from South Carolina called on ine, j and requested an interview, We had an earnest conversation on the subject of these I torts, and the best means of preventing a col! lisiun between the parties, for the purpose of | sparing the effusion of blood. 1 suggested, for prudential reasons, that it would he best I to put in writing what they said to me verbalj ly. They did so accordingly, and on Monday ! niorniii". the lOili iimhmf #lii-?n ! hoiitod to nio ;i paper, sicrnod by all the Representatives from South Carolina with asin?rK; exception, of which the following is a copy : " To Ifts Hxcllviicy Ihtr/ianan, l*rr.*itlent Utiita! State*: In compliance with our statement to you yesterday, wo now express to you our strong convictions that neither the constituted authorities nor any body of the people of the State of South Carolina, will either attack or molest the United States forts in the harbor of Charleston previously to the action of the Convention, and we hope and believe not until an of tor has been wade through an accredited representative to negotiate for an amicable arrangement of all matters between the Htate and the Federal Government, provided that no reinforcements shall be Bent into those forts, and their relative military sMtns shall remain as at present. At fiwu.i jit'jur.r,.N. M. Ij. Uoniiam. W. W. 13oyck. JiAURKNCE M. KKITT. W'axhiiu/fOH, 0//i Dirambrr, 18(50." And here 1 must, in justico to myself, remark tluit, nt the time the paper was presented to me, I objected to the word "provided," as it might be construed into an agreement on my part which I never would make. They Raid that nothing wis further from their intention?they did not so understand it, and T should not so eonsider it. It is evident that thev could onter into no reciprocal agreement with me on tho subject. They did not profess to have authority to do this, nn. were acting in their individual character. I considered it as nothing nmrc in effect than tho promiso of highly honorable gentlemen to exert their influence for tho purpose expressed. I The event has proven that they have faith | fully kept their promise, although I havo nov ! crninco received a Iin? from any one of them, or from nny member of the Convention, on the subject. ft is well known it was my determutation, and this I freely oxprosscd, not to | reinforce the forts in the harbor and thus proI duce n collision, until they hud been actually attacked, or until I had certain evidence that they Were about to be attacked. This paper I received most cordially, and considered it as a happy omen that peace might still bo preserved, and that timo might bo thus given for reflection. This is the whole foundation for the allflfrod tdfidfro. lint. 1 nr>fnrl in flirt o? * n*- """ * """ *" game manner ns I would havo done had I entered Into a positivo nnd formal agreement with parties capable of constructing, although ! Mich an Birrr'AinCnt. Wnnlil lif?v? Konn nn ?nu n - ? ?J pnrt, from the nnturo of my officio! duties, imppsaibto. Tho world knows tlint I have never sent any reinforcement# to tho fort* in (tharlenten harbor, and I have certainly never authorized any ohange fw be made in their relative military status. Hearing upon thin awibject, I refer yon to an order issued by the Secretary of War, oh tho 11th Inst., to Majofcj Anderson, but not brought to my notioo i#nttl the 21st ingt. It U u foNotoi: !" M< mornmlum of Vvrbnl Instructions to Major Antfrrsou 1>V Artillery, ('oinmawl-l | in</ Fort Moultrie, South ('aroiinn : " You arc aware of the groat anxiety of the ! Secretary of War that a collision of the j troops with the people of thin State shall ho ; avoided, and of his studied determination to pursue a course with reference to the military j force and forts in this harbor which shall | guard against such a collision. lie has, there- | j fore, carefully abstained from increasing the force at this point, or taking any measures : which might add tv> the present cxcitcd state of the public mind, or which would throw 1 any doubt on the confidence he feels that ! South Carolina will not attempt by violence to obtain possession of the public works or interfere with their occupancy. ' Hut as the counsel and acts of rash and | impulsive persons may possibly disappoint these, expectations of the Government, he 1 (b oms it propor that you should be prepared, ' with instructions, to meet so unhappy a con- ! tingeney. lie has, therefore, directed nic j verb-illy to give you such instructions. " Vou arc carefully to avoid every act which j j would needlessly tend to provoke agression, | i and for that reason you are not, without nc* 1 ! eessitv, to t :ke up any position which could ! ' ?.<> #1... ? ~e .. u??:i I v wu^uu< <1 vuv; <I.VUIII|'IIWII Ul i? IIUM11U ' attitude; but you are to hold possession of i j the forts in this lnrhor, and if attacked you avo to defend yourself to the last extremity. J J " The 8iuallnes? of your force will not permit you, perhaps, to occupy more than one of j the three forts, but an attack on, or attempt I to take possession of either of them, will ho | regarded as an not of hostility, and yon may ' then nut your command into either <?f tliom j which you m:iy deem most proper, to increase i j its power of resistance You aro also anI thomed to take similar steps whenever you I have, tangible evidence of a design to proceed j to a hostile aet. 1). I'. lilJTI.KK, " Assistant Adjutant (ieneral." j "Four Mour/mm, S. Deo. 11, 1800." Ijliiio 10 111 uwuiui mil y i" mjr iuntrue r iuhn U) Major livwll. .John 15. Floyd, j " Secretary of War." j These were the hist instructions transmitted i to Major Anderson before his removal to Fort Sumter, with as?n?rle exception, in recard to : ' a particular which does not in any degree nf| feet the present (question. TTnder these cirI eumstances, it is clear that Major Anderson [ j acted upon his own responsibility and without | authority, unless, indeed, he had " tangible ; evidence of a desitrn to proceed to a hostile . I ?i ~i" .1 .1 , uvv Mil IUV |MU wi til*; (lUllKIUllt'H ??I colli 11 j Carolina, which h:is not been alleged. Still i i lie is a brave ami honorable* officer, ami jus j tioc requires that In? .should not be uondcinn, j ed without a fair hearing. He this as it may, when I learned that Ma^ jor Anderson had left Fort Moultrie and proceeded to Fort Sumter, mv first promptings were to command him to return to his former position, a I'd there to await the contingencies presented in his instructions. This would only have been done, with any degree* of safety to the command, by the concurrence of the South Carolina authorities. But before any steps could possibly have been taken in this direction, we received information that the " I'almetto Hag floated out to the breeze at Castle I'inckncy? nnd a lsir<ro military force went over last night (the 27th) to Fort Moultrie." Thus, the authorities of South Carolina, without waiting or asking fur any explanations, and, doubtless, believing as you have expressed it, that the officer had aeted not only without, hut against my orders, on the very next day after the night when the romoval was made, seized by a military foree, two of the three Federal forts in the harbor of Charleston, and have covered them under their own flag, instead of that of the United States.? At tins gloomy period of our history, startling I events succeed each other rapidly. On the very day, the 27th instant, that possession of these two forts was taken, the Palmetto flag was raised over the Federal Custom House and Postoflice in Charleston, and on the same day every officer of the Customs ?Collector, Naval Officer, Surveyor and Appraiser?resigned their offices. And this, although it was well known from the language of my M eqsage, that, as nn Executive officer, i I felt myself bound to collect the revenue at the port of Charleston under the existing hilVS. In tho lmvhnr nf P.liMrlnslnn ?/< ? ttinv find three forts confronting cnoh other, over nil of which tho Fed or 1 flag floated only four days ago; but now, over two of them this flag has been supplanted, wd the Palmetto flitff boon subslitiitcd in itnstond. It is under all those circumstances that I am urged immediately to withdraw tho troops t'rom the harbor of Charleston, and am informed without this, negotiation i:i impossible.? This I cannot do; this 1 will not do. Such an idea was never thought of by me in any nofeiihi.t n.rrt,nu 'v.. Ull I ^ **. i' I?IW ' II1IU mado in anj' communication between myself nu<l any human being. But the inference is, that I am bound to withdraw the troops from the only fort remaining it: tho possession of tho I'nited States, in the harbor of Charleston, because tho oflficor thore in command of all the forts, thought proper, without instructions, toohangohis position from one of them to another. At tliin point of tho writing I have received information by tolcarraph, from Captain Humphreys, mi command of the Arsenal at Charleston, that " it has to day (Sunday, the aakl. \ i i-i ? * m " w' * ih'im,) uPBii uiKc.n uy lorcc or arms." It jh estimated that the munitions of war belonging to tho United States in this Arsenal ; re worth a half a million of dollars. Comment is needless After this information, I havfc only to i?dd, thAt whilst it is my duty to defond Fort Sumter, as a portion of the publio property of tho United States, Against hostile attacks from whatever quarter they may come, by such moans as I may Cess for this purpose, I do not peroeive such a dofenco can be construed into a menace against tho city oV Charleston. With great peraonal regard, I remain youra very respectfully, Jamks Buchanan. To Honorable Roukut W. li.vuNWKM,, Jamk3 II. Adams, Jamks L. Ohii. Washington, 1). C., January 1, 1801. Sir :?Wo liave t lie honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th December, in reply to a note addressed by us to you on the 28th of the same month, as Commissioners from South Carolina. In reference to the declaration with which vmir n?nlv pnmni^nnnu # 1 * ?# (i nnoS?!.M? as President of tho United States was clearly defined in the Message to Congress on the 8d instant that you possess " no power to change the relations heretofore existing " between South Carolina and the States, " much less to acknowledge the independence of that State," and that consequently you could meet Us only as private gentlemen of the highest character, with an entire willingness to communicate to Congress any proposition we might have to make," we deem it only necessary to say that the State of South Carlinn having, in the exercise of that great right of self-government which underlies all our political organizations, declared herself sovereign and independent, we, as her representatives, felt no special solicitude as us. Satisfied that the State hail simply exercised hor unquestionable ri?rht, we were prepared, iu order to reach substantial good, to waive the formal considerations which your i constitutional .scruples might have prevented you from extending. We came here, theref >ro, expecting to be received as you did receive us and perfectly content with that entire willingness, of which you assured us, to I submit any proposition to Congress, which wo niignt nave to make upon the subject of (lie Independence of the State. That willingness was ample recojrnition of the condition of public affairs which then rendered i our presence necessary. In this position,! i however, it is our duty, both to the State I which we represent and to ourselves, to corI reet several important misconceptions of our letter, into which you have fallen. | Von say " it was my earnest desire that i such a disposition should be made of the whole subject by Congress, who alone possess the power, to prevent the inauguration of a civil war between the parties in regard to the possession of the Federal forts in the harbor of Charleston, and I therefore, deeply regret that, in your opinion, 4 the event:? of the last twenty-four hours render this impossible.'" Wo expressed no such opinio 1, and the language which you <|Uote as ours is altered in its sense by thcomision of a most important part of the sentence. What we did say was : " Hut the events of the last twenty-four hours render such an assurance impossible." I Mace that " assurance" ns contained in our letter in the sentence, and we are prepared to repeat it. Again, professing to quote our language, you say : " Thus, the authorities of South Carolina, without waiting or ashing for any explanation, and, doubtless believing, as you have expressed it, that the ollioer had acted not onlv without, but against toy orders," &o. We expressed no such opinion in reference to the belief of the. people of South Carolina. The language which you have quoted was applied solely and entirely to our assurances, obtained here, and based, as you well know, linftt) vn'll' AWM '? J w?. x/ii II uuviitiiiiKMi, a ur.iaoi Iiiiuil wliieh. at tli.it time, it was impossible for the authorities of South Carolina to have known. 1 >111, without following this letter into all its details, we propose only to meet the chief points of the argument. Some weeks ago, the St.teof South Carolina declared her intention, in the existing condition of public affairs, to secede from the I'uited States. She called a Convention of her people to put. her declaration in force.? The Convention met and passed the Ordinance of Secession. All this you anticinated. and your course of action was thoroughly considered. Tn your annual Message you declared you had no right, and would not attempt to coerce a seceding State, but that you woro bound by your constitutional oath, and would defend the property of the United States within the borders of South Carolina, if an attempt was made to take it by force. Seeing very early that this question of property was a diHicult and delicate one, you manifested u desire to settle it without collision. You did not reinforcc the garrison in the harI /II 1 uwi ni V/IUUIUKIUII. You removed a distinguished and vctcrnn officer from tlic command of Fort Moultrie because he attempted to increase his supply of ammunition. You refused to send additional troops to the same garrison, when applied for by the officer appointed to succeed him. You accepted tho resignation of the. oldest and most eminent member of your Cabinet, rather than allow the garrison to be strengthened.-? You compelled an officer stationed at Fort Sumter to return immediately to the Arsenal ' forty muskets, which lie had taken to arm his mon. You expressed, not to one, but to many of the most distinguished of our public characters, whoso testimony will be placed upon the record, whenever it is necessary, your anxiety for a poacofu' termination of tins controversy, and your unwillingness to disturb the military status of the forts, if Commissioners should bo sent to the (lovernment, whoso commu mentions you promised to submit to Congross. You received and noted on assurances from the highest official authorities of South Carolina that no attempt would be made to disturb your possession of the forts and property of tho United States if you would not disturb their existing condition until tho Commissioners had been sent, nnd theattompt to ncorotiate had failed. Vmi frv.1r fmm members of the House of Representatives a written memorandum that no such attempt should bo made, u provided that no reinforcements shall be'sont into thrmo forts and their I relative military status fthall remain as at prcsi ont." And although you nttaoh no forco to % & ' * * * the acceptance of sucli a paper?although you " considered it as nothing more in effect than the promise of highly honorable gentlemen," as an obligation on one side without a corresponding obligation on the other, it must be remembered (if we are rightly informed) that i you were pledged, if you ever did send rein| forccmcnts, to return it to those from whom I vou had received it before vim svivnfod vnnr resolution. You sent orders to your officers commanding them, strictly to follow a line of conduct in conformity with such an understanding. J5csides all this, you had rectived formal and official noticc from the Governor of South Carolina that we had been appointed Commissioners, and were on our way to Washington. | You knew the implied condition under which ! we came ; cur arrival was notified to you, and an hour appointed for an interview. We arrived in Washington on Wednesday, at three o'eloek. and vnn nnrminfpil nil intnrvinoi \ci#l> us sit one the next day. Karly on that day (Thursday) the news was conununicutcd to you immediately, and you postponed our meeting until half-past 2 o'clock on Friday, in order that you might consult your Cabinet. ()n Friday we saw you, and we called upon you then to redeem your pledge. You could not deny it. With the facts we have stated, and in the face of the crowning and conclusive fact that your Secretary at War had. resigned his seat in the Cabinet, upon the publicly avowed ground that the action of Major Anderson had violated the pledged faith of tho government, and that unless the pledge was instantly redeemed he was dishonored, denial was impossible. You do not deny it now, but you seek to escape from its obligations on the grounds : 1st, That we terminated all negotiation by demanding, as a preliminary, the withdrawal of the United States troops from the harbor of Charleston ; and 2d, That the authorities of South Carolina, instead of asking explanation, and giving you the opportunity to vindi- | eat.e yourself, took possession of other property of the United States. We will examine both. In tlie first place, wo deny positively that I we have ever, in any way, made any such de- ' I niand. Our letter is in your possession ; it will stand by this on record. In it we inform you of the objects of our mission. We say that it would have been our duty to have assured you of our readiness to commence ncgoj tiations, with the most earnest desire to settle all questions between us amicably and to our mutual advantage, but that events had renj dercd that assurance impossible. We stated j the events, and we said that, until some satis i factory explanation ot these events was given i us, we eon Id not proceed, and then, having I made this request for explanation, we added, j " And, in conclusion, we would urge upon you the immediate withdrawal of the troops from I the harbor of Charleston. Under present eiri cuinstances, they are a standing menace which ! renders negotiation impossible," &c. " Under I present circumstances!" What circumstances? Why, clearly the occupation of Fort i Sumter and the dismantling of Fort Moultrie j | by Major Anderson, in the face of your pledg- ] es, and without explanation or practical disa- ! j vowal. And there is nothing in the letter | which would or could have prevented you i from declining to withdraw the troons and offering the restoration of the status to wliieh you were pledged, if such had been your desire. It would have been wiser and better, in our opinion, to have withdrawn the troops; and this opinion we urged upon j'ou, but we ilemantb.d nothing but such an explanation of the events of the last twenty-four hours as would restore our confidence in the spirit with which the negotiations should be conducted. In relation to this withdrawal of the troops from the harbor, we are compelled, however, to notice one passage of your letter. Referring to it you say, " This I cannot do. This 1 will not do. Such an idea was never thought of by me in any possible contingency. No allusion to it had ever been made in any communication between myself and any human I 1 ! 9 9 Ol-Illj;. Tn reply to this statement we are compelled to say it, that your conversation with us left upon our minds the distinct, impression that you did seriously contemplate the withdrawal of the troops from Charleston harbor. And in support of this impression we would add, that we have the positive assurance of gentlemen of i the highest possible public reputation and the most unsulhicd integrity?men whoso name and fame, secured hv loni? Hervinft nnrl nntriof i<? I # / ' / O - I achievement, place their testimony beyond cavil?that such suggestions had been made ^,,1 .... vy ..... L,, ! <%!? .v ,1 1.-J I | iw una ui^cu iijmiii juu ujf liiCiu, ctuu littu formed the subject of more than one earnest discussion with you. And it was this knowlI edge that induced us to urge upon you a policy which had, to recommend it, its own wisdom and the weight of such authority. As to the second point, that the authorities of South Carolina, instead of asking explana Hons and giving you the opportunity to vindii catc you re elf, took possession of other property i of the United Suites, we would observe, first, I that even if this were so, it does not avail you I for defence, for the opportunity for decision wits afforded you before these facts occurred. We arvived in Washington on Wednesday. The news from Major Anderson reached here earlv on TlilllMilnv and wn? - w.munir-nted to you. All that day men of the highest consideration?men who had striven successfully to lift you to your great office? who had been your tried and true friends through the troubles of your Administration, sought you, and entreated you to act, to act at once. They told you that every hour complicated your position. They only asked you to givo the aasurineo that if the facts woro so? that if the Commander had acfed without and against your orders, and in violation of. your pledges?that you would restoro tho status VOU had hlfldlfeH vnnr honnr ijn mainUU ^ Von refused to docido. Your 8<vorot*ry of War?your immediate and prop?. ndvis?r in this wholo matter?waited anxiously for your decision until bo felt that delay was Homing dishonor. More than twelve hours passed, and two Cabinet meetings had adjourned, before you knew what the authorities of South Carolina had done, and your prompt decision at any moment of that time would have avoided the | subsequent complications. Hut if you had known the acts of the authorities of South Carolina, should that have prevented your keeping your faith ' What was the condition of things? For the last sixty days you liavo had in Charleston harbor not force enough to hold the forts against an equal enemy. Two of them were eirtpty; one of those, too, the most important in the harbor. It could have been taken any time. You ought to kuow better than any man that it would have been taken but for the efforts of those who put their trust in your honor. Relieving that they were threatened by Fort Sumter especially, the people were with difficulty restrained from securing, without blood, the possession of this important fortress After timtlV mill rpitpriltr><l noolirniinno given on your behalf which we cannot believe unauthorized, they (Jet or mined to forbear, and in good faith sent on their Commissioners to negotiate with you. Tlicy meant you no harm; wished you no ill. They thought of yihi kindly; believed you true; and were willing, as far as was consistent, with duty, to spare you unnecessary and hostile collision.? Scarcely had their Commissioners left, than Major Anderson waged war. No other words will describe his action. It was not a peaceful change from one fort to another; it was a hostile net in the highest | sense, and only justified in the nroscnce of a superior enemy and in imminent peril. He , abandoned bis position, spiked his puns, burned his gun-carriages, made preparations for the destruction of his post, and withdrew under cover of the night to a safer position. This was war. No man could have believed I (without yourassurancc) that any officer could hare taken such a step, " not only without orders, but against orders." "What the State did was in simple self-defence ; for this act, with all its attending circumstances, was as J much war as firing a volley ; and, war being thus begun, until those commercing it explained their action and disavowed their intention, there was no room for delay, and even at this moment, while we arc writing, it is more than probable from the tenor of your letter, re inforcements are burying into the conflict, so that when the first gun shall bo fired, there will have been on your part one continuous consistent series of actions commencing in a demonstration essentially war1 l_ _ .11 * ' i iikc, supported ny regular reinforcements, | and terminating in defeat or victory. And ! all this without the slightest provocation ; for, among the many things which you have said, there is one thing you cannot say?you have waited anxiously for news from the seat of war, in hopes that delay would furnish some excuse for this precipitation. lint this " tangible evidence of a design to proceed to a hostile act on the part of the au j thorities of South Carolina," which is the I only justification of Major Anderson, you are forced to admit "has not yet been alleged." Hut you have dccided. You have resolved to hold by force what you have obtained through our misplaced confidence, and, by refusing to disavow tlie action of Major Anderson, have converted his violation of orders into a legitimate act of your Executive authority. l>e the issue what it may, of this wc are assured, that if Fort Moultrie has been rccord' ed in history as a memorial of Carolina gallantry, Fort Sumter will live upon the succeed'ng page as an imperishable testimony of Caroli n;i tiiiin. liy your courso you have probably rendered civil war inevitable. He it so. If you choose to force this issue upon us the State of South Carolina will accept it, and relying upon Ilitn who is the God of .Justice as well as the OJod of Hosts, will endeavor to perform the great uuiy wiiicii lies ueiore nor, Hopefully, bravely and thoroughly. Our mission being one for negotiation and peace, and your note leaving us without hope of a withdrawal of the troops from Fort Sumter, or of the restoration of the sto/us </uo existing at the time of our arrival, and intimating, as we think, your determination to reinforce the garrison in the harbor of Charleston, we respectfully inform you that we purpose returning to Charleston to-morrow afternoon. We have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully T, ,,. J J ll. \\\TiARN WK\ J. H. Adams, ^ Commissioners. Ja.mks L. Our. j To his Excellency, the President of the United States. The following was the endorsement on the paper : Executive M vnston, 3 o'clock. Tliis p ipor just presented to the President, is of Mich a character that ho declines to rai ocive it. ! The Navy with Us.?The Montgomery J (Ala.) Mail lias bf:cti shown a letter from a j cadet at Annapolis, who offers his services to [ the Governor. This letter states that the officers attached to the Academy are all in a.11 ? ~ a t .1" ' ' ' iu11 rjriujwiny wun inc ooutn ; una tlio writer thinks that owing to resignations and reluct:mec to serve against the South, it wilf ; bo very difficult to make the Navy ? party to | coercion. Most of the officcrH in the Navy and Army arc educated, bravo and honorablo men. Such persons are rarely, if over, Black [ Republicans. It requires a talent for stealing I and fulso swearing to make a man anybody iu the iMaek AUnks. Hence the sympathy in tho army a?d navy fur the South. A vot.rripciaw!^ Jok.k.?Diglor, of Penni aylvar.ia, meeting John Cochrane casually in the hall at Willard's LIoM? &?id : "What about thin Hailey fraud, Cochrane, do ypu Kcnranything hi addition ?" "Oh," replied Cochrane, " there is nothing in addition, H'? -??l Vi - - >> till III BUUirUUliUtJ. ' fc vwiLL never speafet well or tas w?U, rtj ' ** ""'."IM