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| North front of the white House, from Pennsylvania. Avenue |
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authorities of South Carolina.”
1 They told him that they had felt kindly, and, by forbearance, had acted kindly toward him, because of the delicacy of his position, but he had deceived them.
“You have decided,” they said.
“You have resolved to hold by force what you have obtained by misplaced confidence; and by refusing to disavow the act of Major Anderson, have converted his violation of orders into a legitimate act of your executive authority.
Be the issue what it may, of this we are assured, that if Fort Moultrie has been recorded in history as a memorial of Carolina gallantry, Fort Sumter will live upon the succeeding page as an imperishable testimony of Carolina faith.
By your course you have probably rendered civil war inevitable.
Be it so. If you choose to force this issue upon us, the State of South Carolina will accept it, and, relying upon Him who is the God of Justice, as well as God of Hosts, will endeavor to perform the great duty which lies before her, bravely and thoroughly.”
The President made no reply to this letter, but returned it to the “Commissioners,” indorsed with these words:--“This paper, just presented to the President, is of such a character that he declines to receive it.”
This occurred on New Year's Day.
The usual calls on the President were very few and formal.
The “East room,” which is the great h all of “The white House,” as the official residence of the President is called, and which is usually very much
crowded on such occasions, was almost deserted.
Only a few Army and Navy officers made their appearance.
Many Unionists and secessionists, it is said, declined to
1 Much has been said concerning the visit to Charleston, at about this time, of Caleb Cushing, the distinguished citizen of Massachusetts who presided over the Democratic Convention in that city, seven months before. One of the most careful chroniclers of the events immediately preceding, and at the outbreak of the civil war, says, that he was sent there by President Buchanan as his confidential agent, to assure the insurgents that he would not “re-enforce Major Anderson, nor initiate any hostilities against the Secessionists, provided they would evince a like pacific spirit, by respecting the Federal authority down to the close of his Administration.” He says the time of this mission was at “the middle of December,” and that General Cushing, having been informed that his being a “representative of the Federal authority had cast a sudden mildew on his popularity in that stronghold of secession,” remained there but five hours, when he returned to Washington, and his report was “the theme of a stormy and protracted Cabinet meeting.” See The American Conflict: by Horace Greeley, i.,409. I have the authority of a letter from General Cushing himself, dated 26th March, 1865, for saying, that the single and sole object of his visit (which was on the 20th of December) was to endeavor to “counteract the mad scheme of secession.” The visit was suggested or promoted by gentlemen at Washington of the very highest authority, North and South, including the President. At the very moment when General Cushing entered Charleston, the bells were beginning to ring, and salutes to be fired, in. honor of the passage of the Ordinance of Secession. Of course there was nothing for him to do at Charleston, and he left for Washington the next morning. His agency went no further. He had no authority to say any thing on the subject of the forts or of hostilities, and, of course, he did not.
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