Editor, The Herald:

In two articles printed on 12-03-10 and 12-31-10 respectively, the author mentions events surrounding Fort Sumter located in the harbor of Charleston South Carolina. I believe some of the information was incorrect and some incomplete.

On December 10, 1860, South Carolina and the U.S. Government entered into an armistice agreement. On January 29, 1861 the State of Florida entered into a similar armistice with the U. S. Government whereby both parties agreed that no attempt would be made to reinforce the forts on the part of the U.S. and no attempt to capture the forts on the part of the state governments would be attempted until some agreement could be reached between the two parties to adjust the present difficulties or in other words, the status quo would be maintained as to men and equipment. Both agreements were filed in the U.S. Department of War and Navy.

On December 20, 1860, The State of South Carolina in convention voted to secede from the compact known as the Constitution. Up to this time, no Federal property had been seized by South Carolina. On the night of December 26, under the cover of darkness and by his own authority Major Anderson, commanding the U.S. garrison at Fort Moultrie, moved his men and supplies to the unfinished fort and custom house located in Charleston Harbor called Sumter. Before leaving Moultrie, Anderson spiked the guns, burned the carriages and destroyed the ammunition. These actions violated the armistice. It was at this time (December 27th) that the South Carolina State authorized seizure of Federal property; prior to this time no demand had been made to surrender property.

The article mentions the myth that “President James Buchannan finally authorized a supply ship to journey to the fort, with food only.” The Star of the West arrived at Charleston harbor on January 9th under the guise of re-supplying Fort Sumter with provisions, but secretly had 200 armed soldiers hidden under the decks. A shot or two across her bow was enough to convince her to return to New York. Major Anderson reported to the Secretary of War that when he removed his command from Fort Moultrie on the night of December 26th he took with him to Fort Sumter “one year's supply of hospital stores and about four month's supply of provisions”. In addition to these provisions, Major Anderson was allowed to purchase fresh meat and vegetables daily from the markets in Charleston and received regular mail delivery through April 8th. There was no “starving garrison” stationed at Fort Sumter.

Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4th 1861 and began to lay plans to inaugurate war between the sections. Although the first shots were fired in Charleston Harbor, it was Mr. Lincoln's design to bring on the fight in Pensacola, Florida by reinforcing Fort Pickens in violation of the armistice then in place. On March 12th orders were issued to Captain Vogdes, U.S. Army, to land his forces at Fort Pickens. Captain Vogdes received his orders on March 31 and presented them to Captain Adams commanding the U.S. naval forces at Pensacola and asked for boats and other means to carry out the order to which Captain Adams refused based on the fact that “It would be considered not only a declaration but an act of war and would be resisted to the utmost. Both sides are faithfully observing the agreement enter into by the United States Government and Mr. Mallory and Col. Chase”…. To his credit Captain Adams averted war on April 1, 1861 by his refusal; otherwise the first shots would have been fired in Florida rather than South Carolina.

Jefferson Davis was inaugurated President of the Confederate States of America on February 18, 1861 and immediately sent a Peace Commission to Washington to discuss, among other topics, paying for Federal property located in the Confederacy and arrange to pay the Confederacy's share of the national debt. Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861 but consistently refused to meet with the commissioners. Lincoln did have William Seward, U.S. Secretary of State communicate with the Peace Commission through Judge Campbell, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. It was Mr. Lincoln's design to inaugurate war by forcing the South to fire first by reinforcing either Fort Pickens in Pensacola Florida or Fort Sumter in Charleston South Carolina in violation of the armistice then in place. These forts were also customs houses used to collect taxes or tariffs on imported goods. Remember, Lincoln had promised in his inaugural to collect the taxes in the seceded states.

Several significant events took place on March 12th. First, the Peace Commission submitted their proposal for peace to the U.S Government. On the same day Lincoln initiated orders to Captain Vogdes, U.S. Army, to land his command at Fort Pickens. Also on March 12th, one of Lincoln's cabinet members, Montgomery Blair, sent for a kinsman Mr. G.V. Fox (who was a civilian) to come to Washington to head a naval expedition to reinforce Fort Sumter. Both of these expeditions were prepared in secret with Congress in session.

Captain Vogdes received his orders on March 31 and presented them to Captain Adams who commanded the U.S. Naval forces at Pensacola and asked for boats and other means to carry out his orders which Captain Adams refused to do based on the fact that “It would be considered not only and declaration but an act of war and would be resisted to the utmost. Both sides are faithfully observing the agreement entered into by the United States Government and Mr. Mallory and Col. Chase”.

On March 15th William Seward told Judge Campbell that, “Sumter will be evacuated in ten days” and there “is no intent to reinforce Fort Sumter”. The Senate adjourned on March 28th and on March 29th Lincoln ordered the Secretary of the Navy to fit out three ships of war to be ready to sail for Charleston. On April 1 orders were issued again to Captain Adams to land the troops at Fort Pickens. On the same day U.S. Army Col. Harvey Brown was sent to New York to take command of a second expedition to reinforce Fort Pickens. Also on April 1, Lincoln ordered a second expedition to Fort Sumter to be commanded by D. D. Porter, U.S. Navy. So we now have 4 secret expeditions in motion and yet on the same day Seward told Judge Campbell that “there is no design to reinforce Fort Sumter”, and he indicated that notice would be given “as to any design to change the existing condition at Fort Pickens.”

On April 8th a messenger from Lincoln notified the Governor of South Carolina that an attempt would be made to supply Sumter with provisions only unless resisted. Major Anderson sent his refusal to abandon the fort late in the afternoon of April 11. The first U.S. warship arrived outside of Charleston Harbor on the evening of April 11. The Confederate batteries opened fire on Sumter at 4:30 a.m. on April 12 and the artillery duel began. The U.S. fleet never fired a shot to assist Major Anderson.

Lincoln, who had so broadly conveyed that he had a “yearning for peace” not only refused to meet with the Peace Commission but misled, and dare I say, lied to them and sent four secret armed expeditions to reinforce two forts in two Southern harbors where even the U.S military officers recognized there was an armistice in place. Then, in what has to be one of the most blatant examples of hypocrisy in history, proclaims war and gives as his excuse that the South fired on Fort Sumter.

Chuck Ironmonger

Prince Edward