true position in the premises, I respectfully ask a suspension of judgment until a sufficient time be afforded me to collect the necessary proof, and show as I shall be able to do, most conclusively, that the destruction of the bridges was a part of the conspir

for a Maryland campaign, the necessity for the occupation and entrenching was apparent. Butler's proclamation (May 14th) was pervaded with the decision of a stern military commandant, but it brought a sense of security and of protection. His occupation acy of those acting against the Government, and

of the city was welcomed by the great majority of its people. The entry of the troops into the city was the occasion of much rejoicing. The Baltimore Clipper said: "On the route to the Hill the streets were thronged with people, who greeted the military with cheers at every step, the ladies at the windows and doors joining in the applause by waving their handkerchiefs." This reception came from the citizens, from householders, those who had all at stake in the preservation of law and order, and was, doubtless, all the more hearty from the experience of mob-law and violence which had so nearly ruined the city. From the date of that proclamation the cloud which had overshadowed the city began to dissipate, but it was long before the place recovered from the malign effects of its twenty days

of treason and rebellion.

Large Seizures of
Arms.

was known and proclaimed in other parts of the State before the destruction was consummated, But any person who knows my opinion of George P. Kane and Enoch L. Lowe, will at once admit that I would be very slow to assent to any proposition emanating from or endorsed by them. Their introduction into my chamber at the late hour of the night, to urge my consent to the perpetration of an unlawful act, was not calculated to convince me of the propriety or necessity of that act. Men do not readily take counsel of their enemies.”

After the occupation of the Relay House and Baltimore, troops from the North passed freely, by railroad, to the Capital, by the Northern Central and Wilmington routes. The Baltimore and Ohio road was not open even for passenger travel, after the 12th of May-the possession of Harper's Ferry giving the Confederates entire control of the track. Up to that date, the trains ran irregularly, and with some restrictions; but, the blowing up of culverts to the west of the Potomac, compelled the entire through traffic of the road to cease.

ing been created Major-General, with orders to repair to Fortress Monroe. Brigadier-General of Pennsylvania volunteers, Cadwallader, was placed in command of the vacated Department, head-quarters at Fort McHenry, in Baltimore.

Large seizures of arms followed the advent of Butler's forces. May 14th, May 16th, Butler was relieved of the comit was ascertained that a vessel lay at the dock loaded ready for Virginia. Being board-mand of the Department of Annapolis--haved by an officer, she was found to contain a cargo of Minie rifles and about four thousand pikes, from Winans' machine shops. The vessel was removed to the vicinity of Fort McHenry. The same day Butler relieved Marshal Kane of a large quantity of arms found stored in a warehouse, consisting of fifteen dray loads of carbines, flint-lock muskets and pikes, from Winans' shops. All were taken to Fort McHenry. The opposition of fered by this Superintendent of Police, Geo. P. Kane, and his complicity with treason, soon induced his arrest and incarceration in a military jail. Governor Hicks for some days rested under the odium of having ordered, or assented to, the destruction of the railway bridges. He denied this, and his opinion of this Kane as follows: gave "If the Mayor's communication and accompanying certificates have induced any person to doubt my

Governor Hicks'
Defense.

The Federal Government's Plan.

That the Federal Government proposed at war of offense in its own defense became evident by the middle of May. Butler was placed in command at Fortress Monroe for active operations. Fifteen thousand troops-including all the Massachusetts contingents and several of the New York militia regiments-were placed at his disposal and soon found themselves in quarters at the extremity of the York peninsula. When this movement was ordered, Scott had definitively arranged for the descent over the Potomac, and only awaited the election in Virginia, (May 23d,) to order the first step forward of

HOW TНЕ ORDINANCE WAS PASSED.

147

that carrier company, it would doubtless have obtained enlarged ideas of its industry and usefulness to the South.

the campaign. The heavy concentration of and the Adams' Express North. If Governtroops at Washington looked less like defensement had examined the secret archives of than advance. The seizure, May 20th, of telegraphic dispatches, indicated a determination to ferret out all secret conspirators yet at work in the North-a stroke of policy which quite as greatly terrified the manufacturers and importers of arms, as the hidden enemies of the Government. Up to the last moment, when delivery by Adams' Express was practicable, the operators in fire-arms had freely filled Southern orders, and the Express Company had freely transported the "goods" to their Southern branch lines. When the moment came for cutting off all communication with the Southern States in rebellion, the Express Company preserved its chartered rights by splitting the corporation into two sections-the Adams' Express South

Before chronicling the movements over the Potomac initiated by the advance of May 24th, it will be necessary to advert to the progress of affairs in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri-the first four to place themselves beside the South, the latter two to vacillate and experiment with "neutrality," but finally to act out their really loyal sentiments by giving a hearty support to the Federal Administration. The narrative is one of melancholy interest, but one offering "food for thought," and rich with a moral which the future may render available.

CHAPTER X

VIRGINIA.

How the Ordinance was Passed.

How the Ordinance was Passed.

THE secession of Vir-, tirely in consonance with ginia has been chronicled. the malign spirit which had [See page 92 for the Ordi- controlled the secession renance.] The act was accomplished, in secret volution in other States. No sooner was the session of the Convention, April 17th, by a vote on the Ordinance recorded than legislavote of 60 to 53. That it was passed at all tive steps were taken to convey the State to the was owing to threat, bribery, intimidation, Confederate Government. April 25th, Govand a free use of the parliamentary "gag." ernor Letcher proclaimed the passage, by the Up to that moment the Union men had stood Convention, of an Ordinance adopting the Profirm, and were then placed in the minority visional Constitution of the Confederate States, only by the system of terrorism resorted to and announcing, also, that the Convention by Governor Wise and his adherents to force had agreed to a "convention between the the State into the vortex. The unusual con- Commonwealth of Virginia and the Confedcession was granted of submitting the Ordi- erate States!" If the Unionists in the State nance to a vote of the people, (May 23d;) had believed that the people were to decide but, this concession was merely to secure the the question of secession they were now unvotes of a few wavering men. Events which deceived. Their State was transferred to the quickly followed demonstrated that it was a Southern Confederacy, and the proposed voto deception of an infamous character-one en- on the Ordinance became, from that hour,

eracy, according to the Constitution of both powers,
the whole military force and military operations,
offensive and defensive, of said Commonwealth, in
the impending conflict with the United States, shall
be under the chief control and direction of the Pres-dezvous at Richmond.
ident of said Confederate States, upon the same
principles, basis, and footing as if said Common-
wealth were now, and during the interval, a member
of said Confederacy.

"2d. The Commonwealth of Virginia will, after the consummation of the union contemplated in this Convention, and her adoption of the Constitution for a Permanent Government of said Confederate States, and she shall become a member of said Con- 1st, wrote: "Northern and ultra Union men federacy under said Permanent Constitution, if the | began to leave the State in large numbers,

The Reign of Terror.

UNION UPRISING IN WESTERN VIRGINIA.

149

Governor Letcher's
Call for Troops.

threatened their destruction. Against such a policy and against a force which the Government at Wash

and by every possible means | ginia having been denied, her of conveyance. Many who Territorial rights assailed, her could not get away became, outwardly, soil threatened with invasion by the authorities at Washington, and every artifice emSecessionists, and were thus protected. ployed which could inflame the people of the NorthTo prevent the escape of improper or susern States and misrepresent our purposes and wishes, pected persons, the Mayor of Richmond isit becomes the solemn duty of every citizen of this sued a proclamation forbidding the organi-State to prepare for the impending conflict. Those zation of Vigilance Committees, or Commit- misrepresentations have been carried to such an tees of Safety, and ordering the people to give extent that foreigners and naturalized citizens who, him information of any person'suspected' of but a few years ago, were denounced by the North being disloyal to Virginia, and he would or- and deprived of essential rights, have now been inder their arrest and trial. A number of ar- duced to enlist into regiments for the purpose of rests were immediately made, and the jailer's invading this State, which then vindicated those business became quite lively. The operation rights and effectually resisted encroachments which of this law, or proclamation, was similar to that under which New England witches were arrested and put to death. To be 'suspected' was sufficient cause of arrest. No person was allowed to leave Richmond without a pass. At first the Governor gave them-then the Mayor, or a deputized police officer: and they gave passes to whom they pleased. A number of men escaped who were obliged to leave everything behind them; with them it was a question of life or death, and as life was dearer than property, they saved the first by abandoning the latter. Men were not alone the objects of this persecution; the Richmond Dispatch impudently ordered the Northern female teachers to 'shut their mouths,' and that a word to the wise was sufficient.''

What wonder that, when the day of voting on the Ordinance came, only thirty-two thousand votes were polled against it? What wonder that the people residing west of the Blue Ridge mountains, should repudiate the whole atrocious proceedings, and should proceed to reorganize the State Government on its old basis of loyalty to the Federal Government?

The reign of tyranny hastened the development of events. If treason had lurked in shadow, waiting for the moment to strike, its moment was now come and every restraint was removed-the revolutionists had entire sway. May 3d, Governor Letcher, snuffing the battle afar off, found ample excuse in the gathering hosts at Washington for issuing the following manifesto, calling out the militia, of whom many thousands were already under arms:

ington, relying upon its numerical strength, is now rapidly concentrating, it becomes the State of Virginia to prepare proper safeguards. To this end and for these purposes, and with a determination to repel invasion, I, John Letcher, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, by authority of the Convention, do hereby authorize the commanding General of the military forces of this State, to call out, and to cause to be mustered into the service of Virginia,

from time to time, as the public exigency may require, such additional number of volunteers as he

may deem necessary.

"To facilitate this call, the annexed schedule will

indicate the places of rendezvous at which the com. panies called for will assemble upon receiving orders for service."

Union Uprising in Western Virginia.

The reception of the news of the issue, by the President, on the same day, of his proclamation calling for three years' troops, doubtless confirmed the Governor's "worst apprehensions," and gave the madmen some idea of the nature of the lion they had aroused. These high-handed proceedings, in forcing the State into an attitude of offense, found bitter opponents and public expressions of indignation in those sections of the Commonwealth where the mob did not rule, and where the Confederate troops had not yet found their way. As early as May 4th, a large Union meeting was called at Kingwood, Preston county, at which the voice was unanimous for a division of the State, in order that the Western section might continue to be represented in the Federal Congress. The meeting expressed its unalterable hostility to secession, and took steps looking to a

The sovereignty of the Commonwealth of Vir- Convention of the Western counties. The

Union Uprising in Western Virginia.

was

mer-servient, to a contemptible degree, to the
sentiments of the slaveholding few
not slow to betray the aristocratic tendency
of the revolution proposed.* The Richmond
Examiner, early in May, wrote:

movements of the chants of Wheeling indicated the gathering storm. These patriotic men resolved to pay no tax "to support the usurped Government at Richmond." The resolutions rang out with the ring of the old spirit which said "We pay King George no further tribute!" These meetings were the little beginnings from whose results sprang the new Government of Virginia, which the President recognized as the true and only loyal Government of the State, and whose representatives to the National Congress were admitted to seats.

The Last Act of
Tyranny.

"In the Northern States exists the government of pure Democracy. The lowest, most ignorant, and coars est part of the whole people, who make the majority of it, control the action of the Government by the immediate exercise of their volition, impress upon it their violence, their instability of opinion and fickleness of feeling, and render it, in all respects, the agent of their crude and unfounded ideas of a moment.

'The essence of the Constitution of the United

*The communication of Commodore Stewart

Virginia was fully adopt-States was representative Democracy. But the coned into the Southern Con- tinual strides of innovation, guided by demagogues, federacy May 6th, by act have destroyed the representative principle in the of the Confederate Congress. Two of her Northern States. Public officers in those countries delegates were then sworn in and took their reflect the popular feeling of the moment, instead seats. As the people were not to vote upon of that National sentiment and opinion that is formthe Ordinance of Secession until May 23d, ed after experience and second thought. In this the this admission demonstrates with what disre- South is wholly different from the North. The lowest gard of the people the Conventions and the Congress acted. Overriding voters was part ("Old Ironsides") to Mr. Childs, of Philadelphia, of the " system" of the Southern Government (under date of May 4th, 1861,) regarding his interto which Mr. Stephens, in his celebrated Ex-view with John C. Calhoun in the latter part of Deposition (see pages 63–64) had not adverted; cember, 1812, is so interesting as bearing on this but, the contempt generally entertained, in point that we may quote: the South, of their own poor whites-the aristocratic idea upon which the institution of slavery itself was founded-the stigma fixed upon all white working men and me- of your lives, living and actions; so in habits, customs, inchanics by the "ruling classes"-render it tercourse and manners; you neither work with your hands, head, nor any machinery, but live and have your living, easy to believe that, in the "new order of not in accordance with the will of your Creator, but by the things," the democratic principle of a major-sweat of Slavery; and yet you assume all the attributes, ity rule was not to be accepted. The Slave professions and advantages of Democracy.'” owners, breeders and traders comprised but a meagre minority of the entire white population of the South; yet, this minority was resolved to rule, and for that dissevered their relations with the Free States.

"I observed, with great simplicity, You in the South and South-west are decidedly the aristocratic portion of this Union. You are so in holding persons in perpetuity in slav ery; you are so in every domestic quality; so in every habit

Mr. Calhoun replied: I see you speak through the head of a young statesman, and from the heart of a patriot; but you lose sight of the politician and the sectional policy of the people. I admit your conclusions in respect to us Southrons

that we are essentially aristocratic. I cannot deny but we can and do yield much to Democracy; this is our sectional po.icy. We are from necessity thrown upon and solemnly wedded to that party, however it may occasionally clash with our feelings, for the conservation of our interests.

It is

through our affiliation with that party in the Middle and Western States, we control, under the Constitution, the governing of the United States; but, when we cease thus to control this Nation through a disjoined Democracy, or any material obstacle in that party which shall tend to throw us out of that rule and control, we shall then resort to the dissolution of the Union. The compromises in the Constitution, under the then circumstances, were sufficient for our fathers, but, under the altered condition of the country from that period, leave to the South no resource but dissolution; for no

amendments to the Constitution could be reached through a Convention of the people and their three-fourths rule.'”