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

“ [150] of public affairs, to secede from the United States. She called a convention of her people to put her declaration in force. The Convention met, and passed the Ordinance of Secession. All this you anticipated.” They then taunted him with dereliction of duty. “You did not re-enforce the garrison in the harbor of Charleston. You removed a distinguished and veteran officer from the command of Fort Moultrie because he attempted to increase his supply of ammunition.¹ You refused to send additional troops to the same garrison when applied for by the officer appointed to succeed him. You accepted the resignation of the oldest and most eminent member of your Cabinet, rather than allow the garrison to be strengthened. You compelled an officer, stationed at Fort Sumter, to return immediately to the Arsenal forty muskets which he had taken to arm his men. You expressed, not to one, but to many, of the most distinguished of our public characters, your anxiety for a peaceful termination of this controversy, and your willingness not to disturb the military status of the forts, if Commissioners should be sent to the Government, whose communications you promised to submit to Congress. You received, and acted on, assurances from the highest official authorities of South Carolina, that no attempt would be made to disturb your

Signatures of the South Carolina “Commissioners.”

possession of the forts and property of the United States, if you would not disturb their existing condition until the Commissioners had been sent, and the attempt to negotiate had failed. You took from the members of the House of Representatives a written memorandum that no such attempt should be made, ‘provided that no re-enforcements should be sent into those forts, and their relative military status shall remain as at present.’ ² . . . You sent orders to your officers, commanding them strictly to follow a line of conduct in conformity with such an understanding.” They then mentioned the circumstances of their arrival and personal interview :--“On Friday,” they said, “we saw you, and we called upon you then to redeem your pledge. You could not deny it.” Because of the resignation of Floyd, expressly in consequence of the alleged violation of the pledged faith of the Government, they said, “denial was impossible. You did not deny it. You do not deny it now, but seek to escape from its obligations on the ground that we terminated all negotiations by demanding, as a preliminary measure, the withdrawal of the United States troops from Charleston, and the hostile action of the ”