CONFEDERATE STATES. 



135 



previous month, but, with the verbal explanation, I 

 did not consider it a matter then to complain of. I 

 simply stated to you that I had that assurance pre- 

 viously. 



On the Tth of April I addressed you a letter on the 

 subject of the alarm that the preparations by the Gov- 

 ernment had created, and asked you if the assurances 

 I had given were well or ill-founded. In respect to 

 Sumter your reply was, " Faith as to Surnter, fully 

 kept wait and see'." In the morning's paper I read, 

 " An authorized messenger from President Lincoln in- 

 formed Governor Pickens and General Beauregard that 

 provisions will be sent to Fort Sumter peaceably, or 

 otherwise by force." This was the Sth of April, at 

 Charleston, the day following vour last assurance, and 

 is the evidence of "the full faith I was invited to wait 

 for and see. In the same paper, I read that inter- 

 cepted despatches disclosed the fact that Mr. Fox, 

 who had been allowed to visit Major Anderson, on the 

 pledge that his purpose was specific, employed his op- 

 portunity to devise a plan for supplying the fort by 

 force, and that this plan had been adopted by the 

 Washington Government, and was in process of exe- 

 cution. My recollection of the date of Mr. Fox's visit 

 carries it to a day in March. I learn he is a near con- 

 nection of a member of the Cabinet. My connection 

 with the commissioners and yourself was superin- 

 duced by a conversation with Justice Nelson. He in- 

 formed me of your strong disposition in favor of peace, 

 and that you were oppressed with a demand of the 

 commissioners of the Confederate States for a reply to 

 their first letter, and that you desired to avoid it if 

 possible at that time. 



I told him I might perhaps be of some service in 

 arranging the difficulty. .1 came to your office entirely 

 at his request and without the knowledge of either 

 of the commissioners. Your depression was obvious 

 to both Judge Nelson and myself. I was gratified at 

 the character of the counsels you were desirous of pur- 

 suing, and much impressed with your observation that 

 a civil war might be prevented by the success of my 

 mediation. You read a letter of Mr. Weed to show 

 how irksome and responsible the withdrawal of troops 

 from Sumter was. A portion of my communication 

 to Judge Crawford on the 15th March was founded 

 upon ttiese remarks, and the pledge.to evacuate Sum- 

 tor is less forcible than the words you employed. 

 These words were : Before this letter reaches you ''a 



Eroposed letter by me to President Davis) Sumter will 

 ave been evacuated. 



The commissioners who received those communica- 

 tions conclude they have been abused and overreached. 

 The Montgomery Government hold the same opinion. 

 The commissioners have supposed that my communi- 

 cations were with you, and upon the hypothesis were 

 prepared to arraign you before the country in connec- 

 tion with the President. I placed a peremptory pro- 

 hibition upon this as being contrary to the term 'of my 

 communications with them. I pledged myself to them 

 to communicate information upon what "I considered 

 as the best authority, and they were to confide in the 

 ability of myself, aided by Judge Nelson, to determine 

 upon the credibility of my informant. 



I think no candid man who will read over what I 

 have written, and considers for a moment what is 

 going on at Sumter, but will agree that the equivo- 

 cating conduct of the Administration, as measured 

 and interpreted in connection with these promises, is 

 the proximate cause of the great calamity. 



I have a profound conviction that the' telegrams of 

 the Sth of April of General Beauregard, and of the 

 10th of April of General Walker, the Secretary of War, 

 can be referred to nothing else than their b'elief that 

 there has been systematic duplicity practised on them 

 through me. It is under an impressive sense of the 

 weight of this responsibility that I submit to you these 

 things for your explanation. 



Very respectfully, 



JOHN A.' CAMPBELL, 

 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, U. S. 



Hon. WM. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. 



DESPATCHES. 



CHARLESTON, April 8, 1S61. 

 To L. P. Walker, Secretary of War: 



An authorized message from President Lincoln just 

 informed Governor Pickens and myself that provisions 

 will be sent to Fort Sumter peacea'blv, or otherwise by 

 force. G. T. BtAUREGARD. 



MONTGOMERY, April 10, Iv'il. 

 Gen. (?. T. Beauregard : 



If you have no doubt as to the authorized character 

 of the agent who communicated to you the intention 

 of the Washington Government to supply Fort Sumter 

 bv force, you will at once demand its evacuation, and 

 if 1 this is refused, proceed in such manner as you may 

 determine to reduce it. L. P. WALKER. 



WASHINGTON, April 20, 1861. 



SIR : I enclose you a letter, corresponding very 

 nearly with one I addressed to you one week ago, 

 (13th April,) to which I have not had any reply. The 

 letter is simply one of inquiry in reference to facts 

 concerning which, I think, I am entitled to an expla- 

 nation. I have not adopted any opinion in reference 

 to them which may not be mo'dified by explanation ; 

 nor have I affirmed in that letter, nor do I in this, any 

 conclusion of my own unfavorable to your integrity in 

 the whole transaction. All that I have said and mean 

 to say is, that an explanation is due from you to my- 

 self. ' I will not say what I shall do in case this request 

 is not complied with, but I am justified in saying 

 that I shall feel at liberty to place these letters before 

 any person who is entitled to ask an explanation of 

 myself. Verv respectfullv, 



'JOHN A. CAMPBELL, 

 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, U. S. 



Hon. WM. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. 

 No reply has been made to this letter. 



April 24, 1861. 



MONTGOMERY, (ALA.,) 3fay 7, 1S61. 

 SIR : I submit to you two letters that were addressed 

 by me* to Hon. W. H. Seward, Secretary of State of the 

 United States, that contain an explanation of the na- 

 ture and result of an intervention by me in the inter- 

 course of the commissioners of the Confederate States 

 with that officer. I considered that I could perform 

 no duty in which the entire American people, whether 

 of the Federal Union or of the Confederate States, 

 were more interested than that of promoting the coun- 

 sels and the policy that had for their object the preser- 

 vation of peace. This motive dictated my interven- 

 tion. Besides the interview referred to in these letters, 

 I informed the Assistant Secretary of State of the 

 United States, (not being able to see the Secretary,) 

 on the llth of April ultimo, of thexistence of a tele- 

 gram of that date from General Beauregard to the 

 commissioners, in which he informed the commis- 

 sioners that he had demanded the evacuation of Sum- 

 ter, and if refused he would proceed to reduce it. On 

 the same day I had been told that President Lincoln 

 had said that none of the vessels sent to Charleston 

 were war vessels, and that force was not to be used in 

 the attempt to supply the fort. I had no means of 

 testing the accuracy" of this information, but offered 

 that, if the information was accurate, I would send a 

 telegram to the authorities at Charleston, and it might 

 prevent the disastrous consequences of a collision at 

 that fort between the opposing forces. It was the last 

 effort that I would make to avert the calamities of war. 

 The Assistant Secretary promised to give the matter 

 attention, but I had no other intercourse with him or 

 any other person on the subject, nor have I had any 

 replv to the letters submitted to you. 



'Very respectfully, JOHN A. CAMPBELL. 



Gen. DAVIS, President of the Confederate States. 



The last letter of the commissioners to Sec- 

 retary Seward was dated April ,9th, in which 



