134 



CONFEDERATE STATES. 



to Charleston to give notice of its purpose to 

 use force if opposed in its intention of supply- 

 ing Fort Sumter. 



" No more striking proof of the absence of 

 good faith in the conduct of the Government 

 of the United States towards the Confederacy 

 can be required, than is contained in the cir- 

 cumstances which accompanied this notice. 



"According to the usual course of navigation, 

 the vessels composing the expedition, and de- 

 signed for the relief of Fort Sumter, might be 

 looked for in Charleston harbor on the 9th 

 of April. Yet our commissioners in Washing- 

 ton were detained under assurances that notice 

 should be given of any military movement. The 

 notice was not addressed to them, but a mes- 

 senger was sent to Charleston to give notice to 

 the Governor of South Carolina, and the notice 

 was so given at a late hour on the 8th of April, 

 the eve of the very day on which the fleet might 

 be expected to arrive. 



" That this manoeuvre failed in its purpose, 

 was not the fault of those who controlled it. A 

 heavy tempest delayed the arrival of the ex- 

 pedition, and gave time to the commander of 

 our forces at Charleston to ask and receive in- 

 structions of the Government. Even then, 

 under all the provocation incident to the con- 

 temptuous refusal to listen to our commis- 

 sioners, and the treacherous course of the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States, I was sincerely 

 anxious to avoid the effusion of blood, and 

 directed a proposal to be made to the com- 

 mander of Fort Sumter, who had avowed him- 

 self to be nearly out of provisions, that we 

 would abstain from directing our fire at Fort 

 Sumter if he would promise to not open fire on 

 our forces unless first attacked. This proposal was 

 refused. The conclusion was, that the design of 

 the United States was to place the besieging force 

 at Charleston between the simultaneous fire of 

 the fleet and fort. The fort should, of course, 

 be at once reduced. This order was executed 

 by General Beauregard with skill and success." 



Subsequently, at the session of the Confeder- 

 ate Congress held in July, President Davis sent 

 a message to that body in which he referred 

 to his message of the 29th of April, in which 

 he says : 



" I referred to the course of conduct of the 

 Government of the United States towards the 

 commissioners of this Government, sent to 

 "Washington for the purpose of effecting, if pos- 

 sible, a peaceful adjustment of the pending dif- 

 ficulties between the two Governments. I also 

 made allusion to ' an intermediary, whose high 

 position and character inspired the hope of suc- 

 cess ;' but I was not then at liberty to make 

 my communication on this subject as specific 

 as was desirable for a full comprehension of the 

 whole subject. 



" It is now, however, in my power to place 

 before you other papers, which I herewith ad- 

 dress to you. From them you will perceive 

 that the intermediary referred to was the Hon. 

 John A. Campbell, a Judge of the Supreme 



Court of the United States, who made earnest 

 effort to promote the successful issue of the 

 mission entrusted to our Commissioners, and 

 by whom I was kept advised, in confidential 

 communications, of the measures taken by him 

 to secure so desirable a result. It is due to 

 you, to him, and to history, that a narration of 

 the occurrences with which he was connected, 

 should be known." 



He also states that he was prompted to call 

 the Congress together, in extraordinary session, 

 on April 29th, " not by reason of the declara- 

 tions contained in the proclamation of President 

 Lincoln of the 15th of April. My proclamation 

 convoking you was issued on the 12th of April, 

 and was prompted by the declaration of hostile 

 purposes contained in the message sent by 

 President Lincoln to the Governor of South 

 Carolina, on the 8th of April." 



The documents referred to in this message of 

 President Davis consist of two letters of Judge 

 Campbell to Secretary Seward, and one to 

 President Davis, as follows : 



WASHINGTON Crrr, April 13, 1861. 



SIR: On tbe 15th of March ultimo I left with Judge 

 Crawford, one of the commissioners of the Confederate 

 States, a note in writing to the effect following : 



" I feel entire confidence that Fort Sumter will be 

 evacuated in the next five days. And this measure is 

 felt as imposing great responsibility on the Adminis- 

 tration. 



" I feel entire confidence that no measure changing 

 the existing status prejudicially to the Southern Con- 

 federate States, is at present contemplated. 



" I feel an entire confidence that an immediate de- 

 mand 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 General Beauregard 

 to the effect that Sumter was not evacuated, but thai 

 Major Anderson was at work making repairs. 



The next day, after conversing with you, I commu- 

 nicated 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 fulfil 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 written communications to Judge 

 Crawford, and informed Judge C. that they had his 

 (Judge Nelson's) sanction. I gave you, on the 22d of 

 March, a substantial copy of the statement I had made 

 on the loth. 



The 30th of March arrived, and at that time a tele- 

 gram came from Governor Pickens inquiring concern- 

 ing Colonel Lamon, whose visit to Charleston he sup- 

 posed 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 of April.) On 

 the 1st of April I received from you the statement in 

 writing : " I am satisfied the Government will not un- 

 dertake to supply Fort Sumter without giving notice 

 to Governor P." The words " I am satisfied" were 

 for me to use as expressive of confidence in the re- 

 mainder of the declaration. 



The proposition as originally prepared was, " The 

 President may desire to supply Sumter, but will not 

 do so," Ac., and your verbal explanation was that you 

 did not believe any such attempt would be made, and 

 that there was no design to reinforce Sumter. 



There was a departure here from the pledges of the 



