Sir:--On the 15th March ult., I left with
Judge Crawford, one of the
Commissioners of the
Confederate States, a note in writing to the following effect:
I feel entire confidence that Fort Sumter will he evacuated in the next ten days. And this measure is felt as imposing great responsibility on the Administration.
I feel an entire confidence that no measure changing the existing status, prejudicious to the Southern Confederate States, is at present contemplated.
I feel an entire confidence that an immediate demand for an answer to the communication of the Commissioners will be productive of evil, and not of good.
I do not believe that it ought, at this time, to be pressed.
The substance of this statement I communicated to you the same evening by letter.
Five days elapsed, and I called with a telegram from
Gen. Beauregard, to the effect that
Sumter was not evacuated, but that
Maj. Anderson was at work making repairs.
The next day, after conversing with you, I communicated to
Judge Crawford, in writing, that the failure to evacuate
Sumter was not the result of bad faith, but was attributable to causes consistent with the intention to fulfill the engagement; and that, as regarded
Pickens, I should have notice of any design to alter the existing status there.
Mr. Justice Nelson was present at these conversations, three in number, and I submitted to him each of my communications to
Judge Crawford, and informed
Judge C. that they had his (
Judge Nelson's) sanction.
I gave you, on the 22d March, a substantial copy of the statement I had made on the 15th.
The 30th of March arrived, and at that time a telegram came from
Gov. Pickens, inquiring concerning
Col. Lamon, whose visit to
Charleston, he supposed, had a connection with the proposed evacuation of
Fort Sumter.
I left that with you, and was to have an answer the following Monday (1st April). On the first of April, I received from you a statement, in writing, “I am satisfied the
Government will not undertake to supply
Fort Sumter without giving notice to
Gov. Pickens.”
The words “I am satisfied” were for me to use as expressive of confidence in the remainder of the declaration.
The proposition, as originally prepared, was, “The President
may desire to supply
Sumter, but will not do so,” etc., and your verbal explanation was that you did not believe any such attempt would be made, and that there was no design to reenforce
Sumter.
There was a departure here from the pledges of the previous month; but, with the verbal explanation, I did not consider it a matter then to complain of — I simply stated to you that I had that assurance previously.
On the 7th April, I addressed you a letter on the subject of the alarm that the preparations by the
Government had created, and asked you if the assurances I had given were well or ill founded.
In respect to
Sumter, your reply was, “Faith as to
Sumter fully kept — wait and see.”
In the morning's paper, I read, “ An authorized messenger from
President Lincoln informed
Gov. Pickens and
Gen. Beauregard that provisions would be sent to
Fort Sumter peaceably,
or otherwise by force.”
This was the 8th of April, at
Charleston, the day following your last assurance, and is the evidence of the full faith I was invited to
wait for and
see. In the same paper, I read that intercepted dispatches disclose the fact that
Mr. Fox, who had been allowed to visit
Maj. Anderson, on the pledge that his purpose was pacific, employed his opportunity to devise a plan for supplying the fort by force, and that this plan had been adopted by the
Washington Government, and was in process of execution.
My recollection of the date of
Mr. Fox's visit carries it to a day in March.
I learn he is a near connection of a member of the
Cabinet.
My connection with the commissioners and yourself was superinduced by a conversation with
Justice Nelson.
He informed
