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Agreement between the United States Government and South Carolina as to ‘preserving the status’ of the Forts at Charleston.
The following statement was made to me by
Governor James L. Orr at the request of
General T. W. Crawford, U. S. A.
Governor Orr dictated the statement and I wrote it down.
General Crawford had written to ask me if I could procure from
Governor Orr any information respecting the reputed agreement between the United States Government and the
State of South Carolina in reference to a fixed status of the forts in
Charleston harbor at the time of the
State's secession.
Governor Orr was at the time of making the statement
Judge of the Circuit Court and holding court in
Greenville, S. C.
I retired from Congress on the 4th of March, 1859, hence was not present as a member when the arrangement was made between
Mr. Buchanan and the
South Carolina delegation with reference to the forts in
Charleston harbor, early in December, 1860.
Immediately after the passage of the ordinance of secession by the South Carolina Convention that body elected
Messrs. Barnwell,
Adams and
Orr commissioners to go to
Washington to arrange for a peaceable secession of the
State, and for an arrangement by which the
State should pay her proportion of the public debt of the
United States and receive likewise her proportion of all the public property.
Before the Commission left
Charleston, where the
Convention was in session,
Mr. Miles, one of the delegates, and also a member of Congress, announced to the
Convention the arrangement which had been made between
Mr. Buchanan and the delegation, securing a fixed military status in the harbor.
He stated and produced a memorandum to the effect, that the authorities of
South Carolina should make no demonstration upon the forts or troops of the
United States until notice should be given the
President; and he, on his part, stipulated that the garrison in
Charleston harbor should not be reinforced, or the status of the situation changed without notice to the authorities of
South Carolina.
The Commissioners went on to
Washington and opened negotiations with the
President.
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A day or two after they reached there they received a telegram (the first that reached the city) that
Major Anderson had in the night-time evacuated
Fort Moultrie, and occupied
Fort Sumter.
This movement was in direct violation of the stipulations before referred to. A few moments afterwards
General Floyd, the
Secretary of War, called to pay his respects to the
Commissioners.
He was handed immediately the telegram, and when he read it he expressed the utmost surprise and indignation at the movement of
Major Anderson.
He said that it was entirely voluntary on the part of
Major Ander son; that he had received no orders from him to take any such step; that he was aware of the arrangement made between the
President and the
South Carolina delegation with reference to the status of the troops and forts in
Charleston harbor; that it was a violation of that arrangement; and that he would see the
President immediately and order
Major Anderson to return with his forces to
Fort Moultrie.
He left the commissioners, saying that he would see the
President immediately.
The commissioners acertained that day, or the next, that the
President hesitated about ordering
Anderson to reoccupy
Moultrie, and they proposed to fix an hour to call upon the
President with reference to this matter.
He informed them that he could not receive them in their official capacity, but would give them an audience at the hour designated as leading and distinguished citizens of
South Carolina.
The commissioners called at the hour appointed, and had a long and earnest interview with the
President, reaching nearly two hours in length.
Mr. Barnwell was the chairman of the commission.
He brought to the attention of the
President the arrangement which had been made early in December between his
Excellency and the
South Carolina delegation; that it had been observed in good faith by the people of
South Carolina, who could at any time after the arrangement was made, up to the night when
Major Anderson removed to
Sumter, have occupied
Fort Sumter, and captured
Moultrie with all of its command; that the removal of
Major Anderson violated that agreement on the part of the Goverment of the
United States; and that the faith of the
President and Government had been thereby forfeited.
The President made various excuses why he should be allowed time to decide the question, whether
Anderson should be ordered back to
Moultrie and the former status restored.
Mr. Barnwell pressed him with great zeal and earnestness to issue the order at once.
Mr.
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Buchanan still hesitated, and
Mr. Barnwell said to him at least three times during the interview: ‘But,
Mr. President, your personal honor is involved in this matter; the faith you pledged has been violated, and your personal honor requires you to issue the order.’
Mr. Barnwell pressed him so hard upon this point, that the
President said: ‘You must give me time to consider; this is a grave question.’
Mr. Barnwell repeated to him for the third time: ‘But,
Mr. President, your personal honor is involved in this arrangement.’
Whereupon,
Mr. Buchanan, with great earnestness, said: ‘
Mr. Barnwell, you are pressing me too importunately—you don't give me time to consider—you don't give me time to say my prayers; I always say my prayers when required to act upon any great state affair.’
The interview terminated without getting an order to restore the status of the troops in
Charleston harbor.
The commissioners the next day addressed him a communication more plain than diplomatic, in which they reviewed very fully his pledges not to allow any change in the status of the forts in
Charleston harbor.
After reading their communication, he returned it to them with an endorsement: The communication was not respectful; that he would not receive it
General Floyd declared when he first heard of
Anderson's removal that if the
President did not order him back to
Moultrie that he would resign his position as
Secretary of War, and he did resign before the commission left
Washington.
The circumstances which transpired during the eventful week that the commission was in
Washington satisfied us that
General Floyd never gave
Major Anderson any orders to remove, and that if such orders were communicated to him in
Floyd's name, or from the War Department, such orders were issued clandestinely and without
General Floyd's knowledge.
There was no formal vote passed in the
Convention with reference to the course that was to be pursued by the
State towards the forts in
Charleston harbor as to occupying them.
After the communication already referred to, by
Mr. Miles to the
Convention, it was tacitly endorsed; many members of the
Convention believed that the commissioners to
Washington would be able to negotiate amicable terms of separation between
South Carolina and the
United States.
It was supposed that such negotiations might occupy several weeks, and not until the commissioners reported a failure in the purposes of the mission did the
Governor or any member of the
Convention contemplate
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armed or other violence against the troops or forts of the
United States in
Charleston harbor.
Mr. Buchanan, in his last communication to the commissioners, states that he never contemplated for a single moment issuing an order requiring
Anderson to return to
Fort Moultrie.
During the two or three days when that matter was under consideration and discussion several of the
Southern Senators waited upon the
President and urged him to issue the order; and without perhaps making any positive pledge that he would do so, his conversation and promises left the impression upon the minds of many of them that the order would be issued.
Messrs. Hunter, of
Virginia,
Toombs, of
Georgia,
Mallory and
Yulee,
Davis,
Slidell and
Benjamin are among those who conferred with the
President, and most of them after such conference were left with the impression that
Anderson would be ordered back by the
President.
The above is an accurate copy of the original statement as I took it down when given to me by
Governor Orr.
I sent a copy to
General T. W. Crawford, and have his letter acknowledging its receipt.
