From the editor: Events continue to move swiftly as three more states in the Deep South, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama, elect to secede. In addition, the latest legislative effort to stem the tide of secession is nullified by President-Elect Abraham Lincoln. Thirteen influential senators have formed a committee in an attempt to cobble together a last minute compromise. Their final plan, put forth by Kentucky Senator John Crittenden, would prohibit slavery in territories north of 36° 30’, and protect it south of that line in all territories “now held or hereafter acquired.” (1) At the behest of Lincoln, all five Republican members of the committee vote against the Crittenden Compromise and the measure goes down to a 7-6 defeat. Once it has been established that the ‘Black Republicans’ will thwart any last efforts at compromise, it is only a matter of time before the remaining states in the Deep South secede from the Union. However, Lincoln has no regrets. He remarks that the compromise would “lose us everything we gained by the election” and would “put us again on the high-road to a slave-empire.” (2)
January 06 1861 (Sunday)
Ordnance Sergeant Edwin Powell reports that his small garrison at the Federal arsenal at Apalachicola, Florida, has been forced to surrender. He writes: “The arsenal has been taken possession of by the State this morning, 7 o'clock. My forces [were] too weak to defend it.”
QUINCY, FLA., January 6, 1861.
Capt. [William] MAYNADIER, Washington, D.C.: I informed you that the Florida troops had taken possession of the arsenal, and my force being so weak I was unable to offer any resistance…. They have taken all the public property in spite of all I could do--I refused giving up the keys, but the governor telegraphed to the commanding officer to insist on the delivery of the same, and I was compelled to give them up. I would be pleased to receive advice as to what disposition I shall make of myself and men. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
E. POWELL, Ordnance Sergeant, U.S. Army.
With his communication lines in danger of being cut, Major Robert Anderson, First U.S. Artillery, sends a note to be taken to Washington, D.C., via his brother, regarding the situation at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. “I have the honor to report my command in excellent health and in fine spirits…. The South Carolinians are also very active in erecting batteries and preparing for a conflict, which I pray God may not occur…. We are now, or soon will be, cut off from all communication, unless by means of a powerful fleet, which shall have the ability to carry the batteries at the mouth of this harbor.”
FORT SUMTER, S.C., January 6, 1861.
Col. [Samuel] COOPER, Adjutant-General: My position will, should there be no treachery among the workmen, whom we are compelled to retain for the present, enable me to hold this fort against any force which can be brought against me, and it would enable me, in the event of a war, to annoy the South Carolinians by preventing them from throwing supplies into their new posts except by the out-of-the-way passage through Stono River. At present, it would be dangerous and difficult for a vessel from without to enter the harbor, in consequence of the batteries which are already erected and being erected. I shall not ask for any increase of my command, because I do not know what the ulterior views of the Government are…. Trusting in God that nothing will occur to [provoke] a greater number of States than have already taken ground against the General Government, I am, colonel, respectfully, your obedient servant,
ROBERT ANDERSON, Major, First Artillery, Commanding.
January 07 1861 (Monday)
Ordnance Sergeant Henry Douglas reports that the magazine and ordnance stores at Fort Marion in Saint Augustine, Florida, have been seized by Florida state troops. He reports, “I am obliged to perform what is to me a painful duty, viz, to report to the Chief of Ordnance that all the military stores at this place were seized this morning by the order of the governor of the State of Florida.”
SAINT AUGUSTINE, EAST FLORIDA, January 7, 1861.
Col. [Henry] K. CRAIG, Chief of Ordnance Department, U.S. Army: A Company of volunteer soldiers marched to the barracks and took possession of me, and demanded peaceable possession of the keys of the fort and magazine. I demanded them to show me their authority. An aide-de-camp of the governor showed me his letter of instructions authorizing him to seize the property, and directing him to use what force might be necessary. Upon reflection I decided that the only alternative for me was to deliver the keys, under protest, and demand a receipt for the property. One thing certain, with the exception of the guns composing the armament of the water battery, the property seized is of no great value. The gentleman acting under the governor's instructions has promised to receipt to me for the stores. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
HENRY DOUGLAS, Ordnance Sergeant, U.S. Army.
The last attempt by the ‘Committee of Thirteen,’ which includes Robert Toombs of Georgia, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, Stephen Douglas of Illinois, and William Seward of New York, to find a compromise to the secession crisis fails when House Republicans refuse to consider the ‘Etheridge Compromise,’ which is a considerably weakened version of the plan proposed earlier by Kentucky Senator John Crittenden. Under a motion submitted by Jefferson Davis, any proposal has to be supported by a majority of Republicans and a majority of Democrats serving on the committee. Alabama Senator Clement C. Clay complains: “There is a manifest purpose of the Black Republicans in both houses of Congress to use the power they may have…to enact every species of legislation which hate of the South and lust of power and plunder may suggest.”
JANUARY 7, 1861.
LEWIS E. HARVIE [President, Richmond and Danville Railroad], Richmond, Va.: The last hope extinguished today. Even Etheridge's compromise voted down by Black Republicans nearly unanimously; then Anderson's [coercive] conduct indorsed by overwhelming majority.
ROGER A. PRYOR [Virginia Congressman].
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. A caucus of Senators from the states of Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas resolve that “each of the Southern States should, as soon as may be, secede from the Union,” and that “a convention to organize a confederacy of the seceding States, the convention to meet not later than the 15th of February, at the city of Montgomery, in the State of Alabama.”
2. Virginia calls a special session of its Assembly to consider convening a convention on the question of secession.
3. Mississippi and Alabama convene Secession Conventions.
January 08 1861 (Tuesday)
Despite the efforts of General-in-Chief Winfield Scott and his Assistant Adjutant-General Colonel Lorenzo Thomas to keep their efforts to relieve Fort Sumter a secret, Jacob Thompson, Secretary of the Interior, has already informed Texas Senator Louis Wigfall of the mission undertaken by the Star of the West. After informing Wigfall, Thompson resigns from his cabinet position. The Mississippian was the last Southerner remaining on President James Buchanan’s cabinet. Wigfall promptly telegraphs Charleston with the news of the plan.
WASHINGTON, Tuesday morning, January 8, 1861.
His Excellency [Francis] W. PICKENS, Governor of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C.: The Star of the West sailed from New York on Sunday with Government troops and provisions. It is said her destination is Charleston. If so, she may be hourly expected off the harbor of Charleston.
LOUIS T. WIGFALL.
Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer, First U.S. Artillery, asks for permission to transfer his small command of approximately 80 men from the Barrancas Barracks to Fort Pickens, on the western tip of Santa Rosa Island. The fort had been constructed between 1829-1834 and is one of a series of installations designed to protect Pensacola Harbor, Florida.
BARRANCAS BARRACKS, FLA., January 8, 1861.
Col. S. COOPER, Adjutant-General U. S. Army: There are rumors that the citizens of Florida and Alabama intend taking possession of the fortifications in this harbor. They have already taken those at Mobile and Savannah. I am stationed with one company (G, First Artillery) at Barrancas Barracks, having also Fort Barrancas in charge. There are no accommodations for troops in the fort. Fort Pickens (unoccupied) commands the harbor, and should that work be taken possession of, our position would be useless as far as any protection to the harbor goes. Please furnish me with orders for my direction in the case before me. I have already telegraphed to the same effect. I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant, A.J. SLEMMER, First Lieutenant, First Artillery, Commanding.
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. South Carolinian Lucius Northrop, an 1831 graduate of West Point, resigns his commission in the U.S. Army.
January 09 1861 (Wednesday)
Students from the Citadel, manning a battery on Morris Island, South Carolina, fire upon the Star of the West as it attempts to enter Charleston Harbor and force Captain John McGowan to beat a hasty retreat. An irate Robert Anderson complains to South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens: “Two of your batteries fired this morning upon an unarmed vessel bearing the flag of my Government. As I have not been notified that war has been declared by South Carolina against the Government of the United States, I cannot but think that this hostile act was committed without your sanction or authority.” Under that hope, Anderson explains, “and that alone, did I refrain from opening fire upon your batteries.” He continues, “If it be not disclaimed…I must regard it as an act of war, and…I shall not…permit any vessels to pass within range of the guns of my fort.” The unapologetic Governor Pickens responds: “The attempt to re-enforce the troops now at Fort Sumter…cannot be regarded by the authorities of the State as indicative of any other purpose than the coercion of the State by the armed force of the Government.”
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, EXECUTIVE OFFICE, Headquarters, Charleston, January 9, 1861.
Maj. ROBERT ANDERSON, Commanding Fort Sumter: Your letter has been received. In it you make certain statements which very plainly show that you have not been fully informed by your Government of the precise relations which now exist…. Official information has been communicated to the Government of the United States that the political connection heretofore existing between the State of South Carolina and the States which were known as the United States had ceased…. After the secession of the State of South Carolina, Fort Sumter continued in the possession of the troops of the United States…. Under these circumstances, the Star of the West, it is understood, this morning attempted to enter this harbor, with troops on board, and having been notified that she could not enter, was fired into. The act is perfectly justified by me.
F.W. PICKENS.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. Fort Johnston, on the Cape Fear River, is seized by citizens from Smithville, North Carolina. Ordnance Sergeant James Reilly reports: “They came to my door…and demanded the keys of the magazine of me…. I considered a while and seen it was no use to persevere, for they were determined to have what ordnance stores there was at the post.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. By an overwhelming vote, Mississippi becomes the second state to pass an ordinance of secession. A proposal to put secession to a public referendum is defeated.
January 10 1861 (Thursday)
Louisiana Governor Thomas O. Moore orders the surrender of the Federal arsenal and barracks in Baton Rouge. Colonel Braxton Bragg, Louisiana Militia, delivers the message: “You are…summoned hereby to deliver up the barracks, arsenal, and public property now under your command. With the large force at my disposal this demand will be enforced. Any attempt at defense on your part will be a rash sacrifice of life.”
Report of Bvt. Maj. Joseph A. Haskin, First U.S. Artillery.
COLONEL: It is my painful duty to announce to you the surrender of the arsenal and barracks at this place to the governor of this State. The governor collected a large force in the city here…and about 5 pm sent me…a summons, a copy of which I herewith inclose. Having no assurance of re-enforcements or support, I deemed it proper, after consulting with the officers here, to yield to the demand…. I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J.A. HASKIN, Brevet Major, and Captain, First Artillery.
Major Paul E. Théard, Louisiana Militia, sets off seventy miles downriver from New Orleans aboard the steamboat Yankee to the unmanned Fort Saint Philip. Caretaker Henry Dart surrenders the fort at 8:00 p.m. Théard leaves a detachment behind and crosses the river to Fort Jackson, where Ordnance Sergeant H. Smith is also forced to surrender. Smith reports to the War Department, “Having no force to defend the public property, I was forced to surrender it to superior numbers.”
HEADQUARTERS LOUISIANA MILITIA, [Maurice] GRIVOT, Adjutant-General.
Adjutant-General's Office, New Orleans, January 10, 1861.
SIR: You will proceed with your detachment on board the steamboat Yankee, and go down to Forts Saint Philip and Jackson, where you will demand of the person in charge of the forts to surrender, and you will take possession of the same in the name of the State of Louisiana. Haul down the United States flags, if floating on the fort, and hoist the pelican flag on Fort Jackson. Place Captain [Henry] St. Paul, with his company of foot rifles, in possession of Fort Saint Philip. You will take possession of Fort Jackson with the balance of the detachment. You will hold the forts and defend them against any and all attacks to the last. Strict discipline and order must be exacted by you.
T.O. MOORE, Governor, Commander-in-Chief.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. Federal troops are transferred from Barrancas Barracks to the more defensible Fort Pickens, Pensacola Harbor. Lieutenant Slemmer reports, “We labored all day until night carrying up the stores to the fort, and arranging for its defense.”
2. Major L,G. Arnold, 2nd U.S. Artillery, boards his command of “four commissioned officers and sixty-two enlisted men” on the steamer Joseph Whitney with orders to proceed from Fort Independence in Boston Harbor to garrison Fort Jefferson, Tortugas, Florida.
3. Fort Caswell, located on the eastern tip of Oak Island, N.C., is seized by citizens of Smithville and Wilmington. Ordnance Sergeant Frederick Dardingkiller reports, “A Mr. [John] Hedrick [Cape Fear Minutemen], from Wilmington…has signed receipts to me for all the ordnance stores at the post, and is using such of them as he needs.”
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. Florida becomes the third state to pass an ordinance of secession by a vote of 62-7. A proposal for a public referendum on secession is defeated.
2. Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis gives his last speech from the Senate floor, expressing regret about his impending resignation.
January 11 1861 (Friday)
South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens sends a commission to demand the surrender of Fort Sumter. “It was composed of General [David F.] Jamison, Secretary of War, and Judge [Andrew G.] McGrath, Secretary of State of South Carolina.” Major Robert Anderson refuses to surrender and instead proposes that “a joint commission” be sent to Washington, D.C.
Report of Captain John G. Foster, Captain of Engineers.
GENERAL: The sudden resolution to send a joint commission to Washington enables me to write only a few lines to tell you that my operations are going steadily on…. My force is gradually growing less and less, owing to the fears of the approaching conflict among the men. By tonight I may not have more than a dozen men for work. This is unavoidable, because it will not do to force the fearful or seditious men to remain…. A commission came from Governor Pickens to summon this fort to surrender…. They subsequently (during the conference with us) moderated the matter somewhat, so as to have it understood that their demand was not to alter the present status. The major proposed to send a joint commission to Washington, which is accepted…Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J.G. FOSTER, Captain of Engineers.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. Federal troops arrive in Saint Louis, Missouri, to guard the U.S. Sub-Treasury in response to an alarm raised by Asst. U.S. Treasurer Isaac Sturgeon. In response, Charles McLaren forms a pro-secession militia called the Minute Men and is named the first chairman.
Other Confederate activity reported on this date:
1. An ordinance of secession is adopted in Alabama by a vote of 61-39. Delegates for a Provisional C.S. Congress are selected and invitations for a Convention of Seceded States to be held in Montgomery, Alabama, are issued
January 12 1861 (Saturday)
Lieutenant Norman Hall, First U.S. Artillery, acting assistant quartermaster, acting assistant commissary of subsistence, and post adjutant at Fort Sumter, accompanies Colonel Isaac Hayne, South Carolina Militia, an aide to South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens, to Washington, D.C., as part of the agreed upon joint commission. The South Carolinians want an assurance from President Buchanan “that no re-enforcements will be sent to Fort Sumter in the interval, and that the public peace will not be disturbed by any act of hostility toward South Carolina.” Until that time, an informal truce will be in effect in Charleston Harbor.
CHARLESTON, S.C., January 12, 1861.
Col. S. COOPER, U.S. Army: Colonel Hayne, of South Carolina, is bearer of dispatches from the governor of his State. I accompany him from Major Anderson. We start on the two o'clock train this afternoon.
NORMAN J. HALL.
From Fort Pickens, in Pensacola Harbor, Lieutenant Slemmer reports that the “navy-yard…is besieged,” and asks Commodore James Armstrong, Commandant of the Navy-Yard, to send “the [forty-eight] marines to strengthen my command.” However, Armstrong, a native of Kentucky, instead decides to “ingloriously pull down the Stars and Stripes and surrender the navy-yard at Pensacola without a blow.” The 67 year old commodore declares that although he has “served under the flag of the United States, in sunshine and in storm, for fifty years, loving and cherishing it as he did his heart's blood, he would strike it now together with the blue pennant, the insignia of his present command, rather than fire a gun or raise his sword against his countrymen.” (3)
Report of Lieut. Adam J. Slemmer, First U.S. Artillery.
SIR: Several hours after this the United States flag was lowered from the navy-yard. The [storeship] Supply was towed outside by the [steamer] Wyandotte, and both vessels remained anchored at a distance of about five miles. That night Captain [Otway H.] Berryman told me that his orders of the previous evening were to co-operate with me, but especially that he must not fire a gun unless his vessel was attacked. He could offer me no assistance in case I were assaulted. Left thus entirely to depend on ourselves for defense--eighty-one men, including officers--active preparations were made for flank defense, the guns being loaded with grape and canister, and the embrasures closed as well as possible…. I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,
A.J. SLEMMER, First Lieutenant, First Artillery, Commanding Post.
Other Union activity reported on this date:
1. The Star of the West returns to New York harbor, having been unable to reach Fort Sumter.
2. Captain John Brannan, 1st U.S. Artillery, commanding at Key West, Florida, is ordered to take “military custody” of Fort Taylor. With provisions for four months and 70,000 gallons of water, Brannan promises to “defend it to the last moment against any force.”
Other activity reported on this date:
1. Members of the House of Representatives from the state of Mississippi leave their seats in the U.S. Congress.
Sources for Week 2:
1. James M. McPherson, Battle cry of freedom (New York, NY 1988), p. 251.
2. James M. McPherson, Battle cry of freedom (New York, NY 1988), p. 253.
3. J. Thomas Scharf, History of the Confederate States Navy from its organization to the surrender of its last vessel (New York, NY 1887), p.603.