VIRGINIA. 



737 



Convention between t\e Commonwealth of Virginia 



and the Confederate States of America. 



The Commonwealth of Virginia, looking to a speedy 

 union of saiil Commonwealth and the other slave States 

 with the Confederate States of America, according to 

 the provisions of the Constitution for the Provisional 

 Government of said States, enters into the following 

 temporary Convention and agreement with said States, 

 for the purpose of meeting pressing exigencies affect- 

 ing the common rights, interests, and safety of said 

 Commonwealth and said Confederacy. 



1st. Until the union of said Commonwealth with 

 said Confederacy shall be perfected, and said Common- 

 wealth shall become a member of said Confederacy, 

 according to the Constitutions of both powers, the whole 

 military force and military operations, offensive and de- 

 fensive', of said Commonwealth, in the impending con- 

 flict with the United States, shall be under the chief con- 

 trol and direction of the President of said Confederate 

 States, upon the same principles, basis, and footing as 

 if said Commonwealth were now, and during the in- 

 val, a member of said Confederacy. 



2d. The Commonwealth of Virginia will, after the 

 consummation of the union contemplated in this Con- 

 vention, and her adoption of the Constitution for a 

 permanent Government of said Confederate States, and 

 she shall become a member of said Confederacy under 

 said permanent Constitution, if the same occur, turn 

 over to said Confederate States all the public property, 

 naval stores, and munitions of war, etc., she may then 

 be in possession of, acquired from the United States, 

 on the same terms and in like manner as the other 

 States of said Confederacy have done in like cases. 



3d. Whatever expenditures of money, if any, said 

 Commonwealth of Virginia shall make before the 

 union under the Provisional Government, as above 

 contemplated, shall be consummated, shall be met and 

 provided for by said Confederate States. 



This Convention, entered into and agreed to in the 

 city of Richmond, Virginia, on the twenty-fourth day 

 of April, 1361, by Alexander H. Stephens, the duly 

 authorized commissioner to act in the matter for the 

 said Confederate States, and John Tyler, "William Bal- 

 lard Preston, Samuel McD. Moore, James P. Holcombe, 

 James C. Bruce, and Lewis E. Harvie, parties duly 

 authorized to act in like manner for said Common- 

 wealth of Virginia ; the whole subject to the approval 

 and ratification of the proper authorities of both Gov- 

 ernments respectively. 



In testimony whe'reof the parties aforesaid hare 

 hereto set their hands and seals, the day and year 

 aforesaid and at the place aforesaid, in duplicate 



originals. 

 [Seal] 



[Seal] 



ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS, 

 Commissioner for Confederate States. 

 Jonx TVLER, WM. BALLARD PRESTON, S. 

 JIcD. MOORE, JAMES P. HOLCOMBE, JAMES 

 C. BRUCE, LEWIS E. HARVIE, Commis- 

 sioners for Virginia. 



Approved and ratified by the Convention of Virginia, 

 on the 25th day of April, 1861. 



JOHN JAXXEY, President. 

 Jxo. L. EUBAXK, Secretary. 



In Western Virginia, on the 23d of April, at 

 a public meeting held in Clarksburg, Harrison 

 County, eleven delegates were appointed to 

 meet delegates from other north-western coun- 

 ties at "Wheeling on May 13th, to determine 

 what course should be pursued in the present 

 emergency. This movement resulted in the 

 separation of Western from Eastern Virginia. 



The State Convention apppointed delegates 

 to the Confederate Congress, which assembled 

 on the 29th of April. A resolution was passed, 

 inviting the Congress to make Richmond the 

 seat of government for the Southern Confed- 

 eracy. The banks were authorized to sus- 

 47 



pend specie payments. An ordinance estab- 

 lishing a navy for Virginia, and providing for 

 enlistments in the State army was passed. 

 The Convention further ordered a poll to be held 

 in the camps of Virginia Volunteers on the Or- 

 dinance of Secession. It also dismissed all mili- 

 tia officers, from generals to captains, thus re- 

 moving a mass of incapable, and opening their 

 places to competent men. Thus the ancient 

 commonwealth of Virginia bared her breast as 

 the shield and her arm as the defence of the 

 Southern Confederacy. Alabama, Georgia, 

 Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina now- 

 hurried forward troops to Virginia, and before 

 the year expired, nearly a million of soldiers 

 from North and South were encamped within 

 her borders. 



The Statue Convention adjourned from the 

 first of May to the eleventh of June. The in- 

 junction of secrecy was still retained as to their 

 proceedings relative to the secession ordinance. 

 The acts of violence which had been committed 

 thus far, such as the march upon Harper's Fer- 

 ry, and the sinking of vessels at the mouth of the 

 Elizabeth River, were done in opposition to the 

 authority of the State. The Governor refused 

 to consent that troops should be ordered to the 

 Ferry. It was his purpose to preserve the 

 State in an uncommitted position until after 

 the vote on the Ordinance of Secession. The 

 seizure at Harper's Ferry was, however, after- 

 wards approved by him, and his thanks given 

 to the party who made it. He also issued his 

 proclamation calling out troops, in accordance 

 with the requisition of the Confederate Govern- 

 ment. Whatever might have been his previous 

 purposes, he seems now to have had only one 

 object in view, which was, to secure Virginia 

 to the Southern Confederacy. The vote on the 

 Ordinance of Secession in the Convention was 

 not published by them. It was rumored to 

 have been ayes 88, nays 55. Many of the 

 negatives were subsequently induced to ac- 

 quiesce with the majority. 



In Western Virginia, the attachment to the 

 Union was so strong, and the opposition to 

 secession so great, that this state of feeling soon 

 manifested itself in public meetings in different 

 townships of several counties ; the result was, 

 that delegates were appointed in these counties 

 to meet in convention at Wheeling. This Con- 

 vention assembled on the 13th of May. Dele- 

 gates were present from twenty-five counties. 

 The Union flag floated from all the principal 

 buildings, and was raised with much ceremony 

 over the custom-house. The topic discussed in 

 the Convention was the division of the State 

 of Virginia. 



Subsequently, the Convention adopted resolu- 

 tions, condemning the Ordinance of Secession 

 and annexation to the Southern Confederacy, 

 as being destructive of the rights and interests, 

 social and political, of Western Virginia, and 

 providing for holding a Convention, to be com- 

 posed of all the counties in the State favorable 

 to the division thereof, on the llth day of June, 



