Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 1.

At his place of entrance, Wigfall met Captain J. G. Foster, Lieutenant J. C. Davis, and Surgeon S. W. Crawford, all of whom were afterward general officers in the Army; also Lieutenant R. K. Meade. Trembling with excitement, he said:--“I am General Wigfall; I come from General Beauregard, who wants to stop this bloodshed. You are on fire, and your flag is down; let us stop this firing.” One of the officers replied: “Our flag is not down, Sir. It is yet flying from the ramparts.” Wigfall saw it where Peter Hart and his comrade had nailed it, and said: “Well, well, I want to stop this.” Holding out his sword and handkerchief, he said to one of the officers:--“Will you hoist this?” “No, Sir,” replied the officer; “it is for you, General Wigfall, to stop them.” “Will any of you hold this out of the embrasure?” he asked. No one offering, he said: “May I hold it, then?” “If you wish to,” was the cool reply. Wigfall sprang into the embrasure, or port-hole, and waved the white flag several times. A shot striking near frightened him away, when he cried out excitedly: “Will you let some one show this flag?” Corporal Charles Bringhurst, by permission, took the handkerchief and waved it out of the port-hole, but he soon abandoned the perilous duty, exclaiming: “I won't hold that flag, for they don't respect it. They are firing at it.” Wigfall replied, impatiently: “They fired at me two or three times, and I stood it; I should think you might stand it once.” Turning to Lieutenant Davis, he said: “If you will show a white flag from your ramparts, they will cease firing.” --“It shall be done,” said Davis, “if you request it for the purpose, and that alone, of holding a conference with Major Anderson.”

The commander, in the mean time, with Lieutenant Snyder and Surgeon Crawford, had passed out of the sally-port to meet Wigfall. He was not there, and they returned, and just as Davis had agreed to display a white flag, they came up. Wigfall said to Major Anderson: “I come from General Beauregard, who wishes to stop this, Sir.” --“Well, Sir!” said Anderson, rising upon his toes and settling firmly upon his heels, as he looked the traitor in the face, with sharp inquiry. “You have defended your flag nobly, Sir,” continued Wigfall; “you have done all that can be done, Sir. Your fort is on fire. Let us stop this. Upon what terms will you evacuate the fort, Sir?” Anderson replied: “General Beauregard already knows the terms upon which I will evacuate this fort, Sir. Instead of noon on the 15th, I will go now.” --“I understand you to say,” said Wigfall, eagerly, “that you will evacuate this fort now, Sir, upon the same terms proposed to you by General Beauregard?” Anderson answered: “Yes, Sir; upon those terms only, Sir.” --“Then,” said Wigfall, inquiringly, “the fort is to be ours?” --“Yes, Sir; upon those conditions,” answered Anderson. “Then I will return to General Beauregard,” said Wigfall, and immediately left.¹ Believing what had been said to him to be true, Major Anderson allowed a white flag to be raised over the fort.