Page images
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

An

"I feel entire confidence that Fort Sumter | see." In the morning's paper I read, will be evacuated in the next ten days. And authorized messenger from President Lincoln this measure is felt as imposing great responsi-informed Gov. Pickens and Gen. Beauregard, bility on the administration. that provisions will be sent to Fort Sumter peaceably, or otherwise by force."

"I feel entire confidence that no measure changing the existing status, prejudiciously to the Southern Confederate States, is at present contemplated.

"I feel an entire confidence that an immediate demand for an answer to the communication of the Commissioners will be productive of evil, and not of good. I do not believe that it ought at this time to be pressed."

The substance of this statement I communicated to you the same evening by letter. Five days elapsed, and I called with a telegram from Gen. Beauregard, to the effect that Sumter was not evacuated, but that Major Anderson was at work making repairs.

This was the 8th of April, at Charleston, the day following your last assurance, and is the evidence of the full faith I was invited to wait for and see. In the same paper I read that intercepted despatches disclose the fact that Mr. Fox, who had been allowed to visit Major Anderson, on the pledge that his purpose was pacific, employed his opportunity to devise a plan for supplying the fort by force, and that this plan had been adopted by the Washington Government, and was in process of execution.

My recollection of the date of Mr. Fox's visit carries it to a day in March. I learn he is a near connection of a member of the Cabinet.

The next day, after conversing with you, I communicated to Judge Crawford, in writing, My connection with the Commissioners and that the failure to evacuate Sumter was not the yourself was superinduced by a conversation result of bad faith, but was attributable to with Justice Wilson. He informed me of your causes consistent with the intention to fulfil strong disposition in favor of peace, and that the engagement; and that as regarded Pickens, you were oppressed with a demand of the I should have notice of any design to alter the Commissioners of the Confederate States for a existing status there. Mr. Justice Nelson was reply to their first letter, and that you desired present at these conversations, three in num- to avoid, if possible, at that time. I told him ber, and I submitted to him each of my written I might, perhaps, be of some service in arrangcommunications to Judge Crawford, and in- ing the difficulty. I came to your office entireformed Judge C. that they had his (Judge Nel-ly at his request, and without the knowledge of son's) sanction. I gave you, on the 22d March, a substantial copy of the statement I had made on the 15th.

The 30th of March arrived, and at that time a telegram came from Gov. Pickens inquiring concerning Col. Lamon, whose visit to Charleston he supposed had a connection with the proposed evacuation of Fort Sumter.

I left that with you, and was to have an answer the following Monday, (1st April.) On the 1st of April I received from you the statement in writing, "I am satisfied the Government will not undertake to supply Fort Sumter without giving notice to Gov. Pickens." The words "I am satisfied" were for me to use as expressive of confidence in the remainder of the declaration.

The proposition, as originally prepared, was, "The President may desire to supply Sumter, but will not do so," &c., and your verbal explanation was that you did not believe any such attempt would be made, and that there was no design to reinforce Sumter.

There was a departure here from the pledges of the previous month, but with the verbal explanation I did not consider it a matter then to complain of-I simply stated to you that I had that assurance previously.

On the 7th April, I addressed you a letter on the subject of the alarm that the preparations by the Government had created, and asked you if the assurances I had given were well or ill founded. In respect to Sumter, your reply was, "Faith as to Sumter, fully kept-wait and Doc.-38

the Commissioners. Your depression was obvious to both Judge Nelson and myself. I was gratified at the character of the counsels you were desirous of pursuing, and much impressed with your observation that a civil war might be prevented by the success of my mediation. You read a letter of Mr. Weed, to show how irksome and responsible the withdrawal of troops from Fort Sumter was. A portion of my communication to Judge Crawford on the 15th of March, was founded upon these remarks, and the pledge to evacuate Sumter is less forcible than the words you employed. Those words were, "Before this letter reaches you, (a proposed letter by me to President Davis), Sumter will have been evacuated."

The Commissioners who received those communications conclude they have been abused and overreached. The Montgomery Government hold the same opinion. The Commissioners have supposed that my communications were with you, and upon the hypothesis prepared to arraign you before the country in connection with the President. I placed a peremptory prohibition upon this as being contrary to the terms of my communications with them. I pledged myself to them to communicate information upon what I considered as the best authority, and they were to confide in the ability of myself, aided by Judge Nelson, to determine upon the credibility of my informant.

I think no candid man who will read over what I have written, and consider for a moment what is going on at Sumter, will agree

that the equivocating conduct of the Adminis- | these letters before any person who is entitled to tration, as measured and interpreted in connec- ask an explanation of myself. tion with these promises, is the proximate cause of the great calamity.

I have a profound conviction that the telegrams of the 8th of April, of Gen. Beauregard, and of the 10th of April, of Gen. Walker, the Secretary of War, can be referred to nothing else than their belief that there has been systematic duplicity practiced upon them throughout. It is under an oppressive sense of the weight of this responsibility, that I submit to you these things for your explanation.

Very respectfully,

JOHN A. CAMPBELL, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Hon. Wм. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

DESPATCHES.

Very respectfully,
JOHN A. CAMPBELL,

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U. S.
Hon. W. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
No reply has been made to this letter.
April 24, 1861.

MONTGOMERY, Ala., May 7. SIR-I submit to you two letters that were addressed by me to Hon. Wm. H. Seward, Secretary of State of the United States, that contain an explanation of the nature and result of an intervention by me in the intercourse of the Commissioners of the Confederate States with that officer. I considered that I could perform no duty in which the entire American people, whether of the Federal Union or of the Confederate States, were more interested than that of promoting the counsels and the policy that had for their object the preservation of peace. This motive dictated my intervention. Beside the interview referred to in these letters I informed the Assistant Secretary of State of the United States, (not being able to see the Secretary,) on the 11th April, ultimo, of the If you have no doubt of the authorized char- existence of a telegram of that date from Gen. acter of the agent who communicated to you Beauregard to the Commissioners, in which he the intention of the Washington Government informed the Commissioners that he had deto supply Fort Sumter by force, you will at manded the evacuation of Sumter, and, if reonce demand its evacuation; and if this is re-fused, he would proceed to reduce it. On the fused, proceed in such manner as you may determine to reduce it.

To L. P. WALKER, Secretary of War :-
An authorized messenger from President
Lincoln just informed Gov. Pickens and myself
that provisions will be sent to Fort Sumter
peaceably, or otherwise by force.

Gen. P. G. T. BEAUREGARD:—

WASHINGTON CITY, Saturday, April 20, 1861. SIR-I enclose you a letter corresponding very nearly with one I addressed to you one week ago, (13th April,) to which I have not had any reply. The letter is simply one of inquiry in reference to facts concerning which I think I am entitled to an explanation. I have not adopted any opinion in reference to them which may not be modified by explanation, nor have I affirmed in that letter, nor do I in this, any conclusion of my own unfavorable to your integrity in the whole transaction.

All that I have said, and mean to say, is, that an explanation is due from you to myself. I will not say what I shall do in case this request is not complied with; but I am justified in saying, that I shall feel at liberty to place

same day, I had been told that President Lin-
coln had said that none of the vessels sent to
Charleston were war vessels, and that force
was not to be used in the attempt to supply
the fort. I had no means of testing the accu-
racy of this information, but offered that, if the
information was accurate, I would send a tele-
gram to the authorities at Charleston, and that
it might prevent the disastrous consequences
of a collision at that fort between the opposing
forces. It was the last effort that I would
make to avert the calamity of war. The As-
sistant Secretary promised to give the matter
attention, but I had no other intercourse with
him or any other person on the subject, nor
have I had any reply to the letters submitted
to you.
Very respectfully,

JOHN A. CAMPBELL,

GEN. DAVIS,
President of the Confederate Slates.

POETRY, RUMORS AND INCIDENTS.

POETRY AND INCIDENTS.

SHOP AND FREEDOM.

Though with the North we sympathize,
It must not be forgotten

That with the South we've stronger ties,
Which are composed of cotton.
Whereof our imports mount unto
A sum of many figures;
And where would be our calico
Without the toil of niggers?

The South enslaves those fellow-men,
Whom we love all so dearly;

The North keeps Commerce bound again,
Which touches us more nearly.
Thus a divided duty we

Perceive in this hard matter-
Free trade or sable brothers free?
Oh, won't we choose the latter!

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« PreviousContinue »