chanan, who left Washington amid the acclamations of a crowd assembled at the railway station. According to the political opinion of its readers was the address received well or badly. The Republican journals praised it; the Northern Democratic papers did not disapprove of it; but the Southern and even Border States looked on portions of it as containing the menace of war. Even at this period the people of the Northern States refused to believe that those of the South were really in earnest in their wish to leave the Union. The country had enjoyed so great prosperity, and had hitherto contrived to evade or overcome the many dif ficulties that had so often threatened it, that men could not conceive the idea that the great Republic of the much-extolled Union had proved a gigantic failure. Confident in their own greatness, and overweening in their pretensions to excellence, the bitter pill of the humiliation of their hopes was indeed hard to swallow.

Vice-President; Mr. Cameron, Secretary for War; Mr. Wells, Secretary of the Navy; Mr. Smith, Secretary of Interior; Mr. Chase, Minister of Finance; Mr. Seward, Secretary of State; Mr. Blair, Postmaster-General; Mr. Bates, Attorney-General.

CHAPTER III.

FROM THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN UP TO THE END OF APRIL, 1861.

THE hostile attitude assumed by the Southern States in view of an anticipated attack by the North became every day more apparent. On March 5, Major-General Beauregard, who had served until lately as a major in the United States army, received orders from President Davis to proceed immediately to Charleston, and to take command of the force assembled there. This he accordingly did; and the increased energy infused into the work, and the more skilful arrangement of the batteries, soon evinced the presence of a military man competent to command. About the same time, MajorGeneral Bragg, also an old officer of the United States army, but who was then in command of the volunteer force assembled at Pensacola, issued an order that no communication was to be held with, or supplies forwarded to, the United States fleet off the coast, or to the garrison at Fort Pickens. On the other hand, the Government at Washington issued orders of recall to the fleets of the Mediterranean and Pacific. Thus, although still nominally at peace, both sides prepared for war. A last attempt had indeed been made by the Confederate Government assembled at Montgomery to procure recognition and consequent peace, and with this

intent commissioners (as before stated) had been sent to treat with the United States Government. Mr. Seward, however, in his position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, refused to receive them, on the ground that they could not be recognised as representing a foreign government; and the State Department also declining to acknowledge their official position, they left Washington on April 11, addressing to Mr. Seward before their departure a strong protest against the conduct of the United States Government.* Up to this date no decided line of action had been agreed on by that Government; the city of Washington had been filled with numerous place-hunters, seeking office under the newlyelected President, and Mr. Lincoln had had need of all his energies, and more than all his patience, to dispose of their claims. Affairs, however, became so threatening, and the situation of the garrisons of Forts Sumter and Pickens so critical, that longer action could not be deferred; and on April 8 the Government at Washington notified to Governor Pickens of South Carolina, and to General Beauregard, that supplies would be forwarded to Fort Sumter immediately-peaceably, if possible; if not, by force. Steps were also taken to guard against a threatened surprise of Washington by secessionists, and for this purpose guards were stationed at various points in the city, and the Capitol occupied by a detachment of troops, the first that had entered the building since the war of 1812. In the meantime the Southern States had not been inactive; the United States posts in Texas had been occupied by the State militia, and the regular troops put on board transports

* Names of Southern Commissioners:-Mr. T. Forsyth, Mr. M. J. Crawford, Mr. A. B. Roman.

and shipped off to the United States garrisons at Key West and Tortugas. The Southern Congress passed an ordinance for the purpose of raising and organising an army, and the Governor of Mississippi, Governor Pettus,' called out 1,500 men for the defence of that State. Reserves were stationed on the lines of railway leading to Charleston, ready to be forwarded, if required, to the works already erected in its vicinity. Gradually, about the first week in April, these reserves were called in and sent to man the works; whilst a floating battery which had been prepared in the dock at Charleston was towed down the harbour, and moored in a creek in Sullivan's Island. Such was the position of affairs when the above-mentioned communication was received by General Beauregard. He immediately communicated its contents to the Secretary for War of the Confederate States (Mr. L. P. Walker), and was directed without delay to demand the evacuation of Fort Sumter. On the receipt of this order, General Beauregard communicated with Major Anderson, commanding the fort, offering him the following terms:-That all proper facilities would be afforded for the removal of himself and his men, with their arms and property, together with all private property, to any post in the United States which he might elect; and that the flag which he had upheld so long and with so much fortitude under the most trying circumstances might be saluted by him on taking it down. General Beauregard's aide-de-camps, Colonel Chesnut and Captain Lee, were ordered to wait for an answer. To this demand Major Anderson returned a courteous refusal to surrender, but in consequence of another communication received from the Minister of War, General Beauregard again sent his aide-de-camps

to Major Anderson with a second proposal, couched in the following words :-

Headquarters, Provisional Army, C.S.A.

6 Charleston : April 11, 1861, 11 P.M.

Major,-In consequence of the verbal observations made by you to my aids, Messrs. Chesnut and Lee, in relation to the condition of your supplies, and that you would in few days be starved out if our guns did not batter you to pieces-or words to that effect-and desiring no useless effusion of blood, I communicated both the verbal observation and your written answer to my communication to my Government. If you will state the time at which you will evacuate Fort Sumter, and agree that in the meantime you will not use your guns against us, unless ours shall be employed against Fort Sumter, we will abstain from opening fire upon you. Colonel Chesnut and Captain Lee are authorised by me to enter into such agreement with you. You are, therefore, requested to communicate to them an open

answer.

"I remain, Major, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,

• G. T. BEAURegard,

'Major-General commanding.'

To this second communication Major Anderson replied by agreeing to evacuate Fort Sumter on the 15th inst., unless he should receive, prior to that time, controlling instructions from his Government, or additional supplies.

The latter stipulation not being considered satisfactory, as a fleet with supplies and reinforcements was known to be off the harbour, General Beauregard sent an intimation at 3.30 A.M. on April 12, that he would open fire on Fort Sumter in one hour's time. At 4.30 A.M. the