36

SECESSION OF THE COTTON STATES.

1861.]

this State to the other cotton States to urge them to the same course, and six of those States passed ordinances of secession within two months: Mississippi (Jan. 9, 1861) by a vote of 84 to 15; Florida. (Jan. 10) by 62 to 7; Alabama (Jan. 11) by 61 to 39; Georgia (Jan. 19) by 208 to 89; Louisiana (Jan. 26) by 113 to 17; Texas (Feb. 1) by 166 to 7. In Texas the ordinance was submitted to a vote of the people. These ordinances were quickly followed by seizures of the United States forts, arsenals, and custom-houses within the seceding States, and by the formation of a Confederate Government, with its capital at Montgomery, Alabama, early in February, 1861; Jefferson Davis being provisionally chosen President, and Alexander H. Stephens Vice-President. With very few exceptions, the prominent men of the South, even those that had opposed the movement, "went with their States," as they expressed it, and the Southern Senators and Congressmen resigned their seats, some of them taking their leave in passionate and defiant speeches.

The Constitution of the Confederate States of America was a close copy of that of the United States, except that it made the Presidential term six years, with ineligibility for a second term, forbade protective tariffs, and was not afraid of the word "slave." It specifically declared that "citizens of each State shall have the right of transit and sojourn in any State of this Confederacy, with their slaves and other property; and the right of property in said slaves shall not be thereby im

1861.]

FORMATION OF THE CONFEDERACY.

37

paired." It contained no recognition of the right of secession, and in its opening sentence declared that the intention was to "form a permanent federal government." In the most important respect of all, the rights of States were more abridged than they were by the old Constitution. For any amendment of the United States Constitution, a vote of three fourths of the States is required; but the Confederate Constitution could be amended if two thirds of the States concurred.* Either of these provisions completely destroys the presumption of State sovereignty; for when sovereigns enter into a compact, it can be changed only by unanimous consent. Mr. Stephens, in a speech at Savannah, March 22, 1861, expounding the new Constitution, said: "The prevailing ideas. entertained by him [Thomas Jefferson] and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old Constitution were, that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically. Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea. Its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition."

Commissioners were now sent to Washington, but President Buchanan refused to receive them.

*This made it possible, had the Confederacy been established, for the votes of the cotton States alone to change its constitution so as to permit reopening the African slave trade.

38

BUCHANAN'S PARADOX.

[1861.

Yet all his efforts to stay the progress of secession were paralyzed by the presence of three active secessionists in his Cabinet-John B. Floyd, Howell Cobb, and Jacob Thompson. Buchanan was one of those men that are strong enough so long as precedents are not lacking, but pitifully weak in a new emergency. He declared that States had no right to secede, but the Constitution conferred no power to coerce them. This curious theory he never got rid of, and in writing the history of his administration, after the war, he says: "Happily our civil war was undertaken and prosecuted in self-defence, not to coerce a State, but to enforce the execution of the laws within the States against individuals, and to suppress an unjust rebellion raised by a conspiracy among them against the Government of the United States."

Major Robert Anderson, commanding the garrison of Fort Moultrie, Charleston harbor, seeing that he could not hold it against the forces that were being gathered for its capture, on Christmas night, 1860, secretly abandoned it and took position in the stronger Fort Sumter. His men were few, and his stock of provisions was small. The new authorities at Charleston complained of this movement as being virtually the violation of a truce, and requested the Government at Washington to order him back to Moultrie, which was refused. For some time he was permitted to receive his mail as usual, and to buy provisions regularly in the Charleston market. All this time the Confederate forces, commanded by General G. T.

1861.]

THE SITUATION AT SUMTER.

39

Beauregard, were erecting batteries for the demolition of Fort Sumter; and yet, whenever any Southern officers or citizens chose to visit it, Anderson received them cordially, allowed them to

inspect all his arrangements for defence, and accepted their invitations to dinner. His unaccountable conduct was explained years afterward, when a letter written by him at that time was brought to light in the Confederate archives, in which he said: "I tell you frankly, my heart is not in this war." He was a Kentuckian, and it has been conjectured that he was only waiting to see whether his State would go out of the Union.

At last the privileges of communication were withdrawn by the Confederate authorities, and surrender of the fort demanded. The question of reënforcing and provisioning the beleaguered garri

40

THE BOMBARDMENT.

[1861.

son then arose, and on this President Buchanan's Cabinet was hopelessly divided and went to pieces. The steamer "Star of the West" was sent in January, 1861, with provisions and troops, but before she could reach the fort she was driven off by the fire of Confederate batteries. Buchanan made no further effort to assert the power and dignity of the government that had been entrusted to him, but only looked anxiously for the close of his term. Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated on the 4th of March, and early in April gave orders that a fleet be sent to the relief of Fort Sumter. Thereupon its surrender was again demanded, and when this was refused the Confederate batteries opened fire upon it, April 12. long as the guns of the fort were serviceable, and the great artillery duel was kept up for two days; but the red-hot shot burned the buildings inside. of the fort, its walls were crumbling under the blows of heavy rifled projectiles, and the garrison at length surrendered, being permitted to march out with the honors of war, Sunday morning, April 14. Not a man within the fort was injured by the hostile fire, and it was also reported officially that the assailants had met with no loss. But the flame of civil war was kindled, the North understood at last that the South was in deadly earnest, and the sections rushed to a conflict in which at least eight thousand million dollars were wasted, American commerce disappeared from every sea, and half a million citizens of the Republic perished.

The fire was returned as