the Treasury; Holt, who had replaced Floyd, as Secretary of War, and Stanton, who had replaced Black as Attorney General, Black having been called to the department of State, on the indignant retirement of Gen. Cass from that position, when Buchanan refused to reinforce Anderson at Moultrie.

When Lincoln entered upon his duties as President, such had been the misrepresentation of the speakers and press in the Southern States, that the people regarded him as a savage monster, in form and in character. The following incidents will illustrate this feeling.

A distinguished South Carolina lady, the widow of a Northern scholar, proud, aristocratic, and conscious of “the blood of all the Howards," and to whom Lincoln had been represented as a demon, half ape and half tiger, the very devil himself-called upon him at Willard's Hotel, just before his inauguration. The President elect came into the parlor accompanied by senators Hale, Seward, and others, prominent members of Congress. As she approached, (she was nearly as tall as the President,) she hissed in his ear, "South Carolinian!" He turned and addressed her with the greatest courtesy and gentlemanly politeness. After listening to him a few moments, astonished, she said to him:

"Mr. Lincoln, you look, act, and speak like a humane, kind and benevolent man!" He replied, "Did you take me for a savage, madam ?"

"Certainly, I did," said she. Such was the impression his genial, benevolent nature made upon her, that she said to him, "Mr. Lincoln, the best way for you to preserve peace is to go to Charleston, and show the people what you are, and tell them you have no intention of injuring them." She went home, and entering a room, where were assembled a party of secessionists from South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, exclaimed as she entered, "I have seen him! I have seen him!" "Who?" enquired they. "That terrible monster, Lincoln, and what is more, I am going to his first levce." The evening of the reception arrived, and dressing herself in a black velvet dress, with two long white plumes in her hair, this tall daughter of South Carolina repaired to the White House. Being nearly six feet high, black hair, black eyes, a Calhoun

or Cataline face, (as her friends called it,) in her velvet robes, with her long, white plumes, she was a very striking and majestic figure. As she approached the President, he recognized her instantly. "Here I am again," said she, "that South Carolinian." "I am glad to see you," said he, "and I assure you that the first object of my heart is to preserve peace, and I wish every son and daughter of South Carolina were here, that I might tell them so." Meeting Mr. Cameron, Secretary of War, "South Carolina is the Prodigal Son," said he. She replied instantly, “Ah, Mr. Secretary, but "The father divided the inheritance and let him go, but they say you are going to make war on Carolina."

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In the light of to-day how aptly Mr. Cameron might have replied, that the "Prodigal son, after having spent his portion in riotous living, would arise, and go to his father;" and he might have prophecied, that when the seceding States "had spent all, and there should arise a mighty famine in the land, "they would be compelled to say, "We will arise and go unto our father and say, Father, we have sinned against Heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, make us as one of thy hired servants." The parable has been literally fulfilled. The people of the South after spending their all in the war, came to Washington and said to the President, "We are no more worthy to be called thy sons, make us as hired servants." But the President, with a wisdom as yet very questionable, when the rebel states were yet "a great way off, had compassion on them, and ran out to meet them, and fell on their neck and kissed them, and he brought forth the best robe and put it on them, and rings on their hands and shoes on their feet, and killed the fatted calf."

“But Massachusetts, the elder son and the elder brothers were not pleased with this, and doubting the sincerity of their repentance, and like the elder brother of the "Prodigal son," complained and were angry. Is it yet time for Liberty to reply to Massachusetts, son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have, is thine-it was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for these, thy erring brothers were dead, and are alive again-they were lost and are found."

CHAPTER IX.

FROM THE 4TH OF MARCH TO THE 4TH OF JULY, 1861-FROM THE INAUGURATION OF LINCOLN TO THE MEETING OF CONGRESS.

THE REBELS SEND COMMISSIONERS TO WASHINGTON POSITION OF THE BORDER STATES-THE REBELS BEGIN THE WAR - ATTACK ON SUMTER-Danger of WASHINGTON -PRESIDENT'S CALL FOR 75,000 MEN-DOUGLAS SUPPORTS LINCOLN -UPRISING OF THE PEOPLE-MURDER OF MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIERS-RESPONSE OF BORDER STATES TO CALL FOR TROOPS-THE NORTH-WEST-VIRGINIA, TENNESSEE, MARYLAND-HENRY WINTER DAVIS-THE CLAY GUARDS-MISSOURI, BLOCKADE OF SECEDING STATES — CALLS FOR ADDITIONAL TROOPS-REBELS SEIZE HARPER'S FERRY AND GOSPORT NAVY-YARD-DEATH OF ELLSWORTH - GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE RECOGNIZE THE REBELS AS BELLIGERENTS - LEE AND BENEDICT ARNOLD-DEATH OF DOUGLAS.

ON the 12th of March the Confederate authorities commis

sioned John Forsyth, M. J. Crawford and A. B. Roman, Commissioners to the United States, with a view, as they said, to a speedy adjustment of all questions growing out of the political separation.

Mr. Seward, Secretary of State, declined to receive them; denied that the Confederate States had, in law, or in fact, withdrawn from the Union; denied that they could do so, except through a National Convention, assembled under the provisions of the Constitution. On the 9th of April the Commissioners withdrew from Washington, after addressing a letter to the Secretary of State, saying that they, on behalf of the rebel Government, accepted the gage of battle, etc. And yet, after the receipt of this letter, such was the unparalleled forbearance of the Government,that these Commissioners

were

not arrested, but permitted quietly to withdraw, with the open avowal of going home to wage war!

On the 18th of March, General Braxton Bragg, commanding insurgent forces in Florida, issued an order, forbidding the citizens of the Confederate States from furnishing supplies to the Navy of the United States.

At this period, in March, even Mr. Douglas had not fully made up his mind, in favor of coercing the seceding States, into submission. Prominent Democrats in the free States, openly advocated the joining of Northern States to the Confederacy." Such was the undecided condition of public sentiment, in the free States in March; and as yet the Government of Mr. Lincoln had taken no bold, decided action, clearly indicating its policy. Meanwhile the Confederate authorities had siezed, as has been stated, with few exceptions, all the arsenals, forts, custom-houses, post-offices, ships, ordinance and material of war, belonging to the United States, and within the seceding States; and this, notwithstanding that General Dix, Secretary of the Treasury, had issued an order,directing that "If any man attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot."

No position of greater difficulty can be conceived, than that of President Lincoln, in the spring of 1861. Congress had adjourned, without making any provision for the approaching crisis. The office of Secretary of War, for eight years previous to Mr. Lincoln's administration, had been conducted by Jefferson Davis and John B. Floyd, by whom a collision with the Federal Government had been anticipated. As we have already seen, they had strengthened the South at the expense of the North. They had armed the South by robbing the Northern national armories, and scattered beyond immediate recall, our little army and navy. Besides this, they, and especially Davis, had driven out of the service of the Army as far as possible, every man who was not a States'-rights, pro-slavery man.

The North was politically divided; a powerful political party, from long association, was in sympathy with the seceding States. This party had just come out of a violent contest against the party which had elected Lincoln. The

border slave states were nearly equally divided in numbers, and while the quiet, better educated and more conservative were for the Union, the young, reckless, and hot-headed were for secession.

While South Carolina and some of the other cotton States were substantially a unit for secession, in other slave States there was a strong majority opposed to it. To arouse sectional feeling and prejudice, and secure co-operation and unanimity, it was deemed necessary to precipitate measures and bring on a conflict of arms. It was generally said, that the first blood shed would bring all the slave States to the aid of the belligerent State. As before stated, there was a strong party in the North opposed to coercion. Had the President assumed the initiative, and commenced the war, while it would have united the slave States against him, it is not at all clear but it would have alienated a large portion of the Democrats of the North. Mr. Lincoln fully appreciated these difficulties, and these facts explain much that he did, and omitted to do, for which many of his friends censured him in the earlier stages of the rebellion. He sought to hold Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. The rebel leaders made the most strenuous efforts to induce the above named States to join the Slave Confederacy, but the discreet and judicious forbearance of the President, to some extent foiled their efforts, and he succeeded in holding Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri from joining the rebels.

As has been stated, the people of the border States were divided in sentiment, and it was very doubtful, for a time, which way they would go. The House of Representatives of Kentucky, on the 22d of January, resolved by a vote of 87 to 6, to resist the invasion of the South at all hazards. The Legislature adopted a resolution directing Governor Magoffin, of that State, by proclamation, to order Confederate troops off Kentucky soil. Magoffin vetoed this, but it was passed over his veto.

In the beginning of Mr. Lincoln's administration he acted on the defensive, while the rebels, from the first, assumed a bold, defiant tone. The Confederate Government immedi