Show u- u w F a tk I Mt MI MIi f fr V r i m I r x k 1 m I y y s l a j i f 9 w ii iii I I r ty L 1 ft t i I t rr Ij Entry or of Major Anderson Andersons Command Into Fort Sumter Christmas Night 1860 Inset Maj Robert Anderson By ELMO SCOTT WATSON 25 was one of the theD theD most fateful In the his hll- history history D tory of oC the United States On Oo that night 75 years a ago aeo o a It little force ot of soldiers stole quietly out of ot a tort fort located on a sandy Island outside an Atlantic seaport entered boats and andi silently rowed across the water to toS j the shelter of ot another fort tort In the thea middle of or the entrance to the hartI hart bar I T bor tor Although their commander had had- had hod III il H a perfect rl right ht to lead lend his bis garrison from frolD one fortification to the other this moTe more was wal fraught with the most serIous consequences For he was Robert Anderson major of the FIrst artillery of ot the Ole United d States army the post which he evacuated e l was u Fort Moultrie and the one be entered was as Fort Sumter Slimier In the har harbor bor of Charleston S C C Four moths months later ahot ashot a shot hot went screaming across the water of ot that harbor and when It struck Fort Sumter's brick walls It set Americans against each other In the greatest civil war In history The story of ot the firing on Fort Sumter the raiser raiser curtain to the drama of ot the War Between the States Is a familiar one to most Americans for tor It Is found In every school history ever er pub published dished But the story story of ot the events on that fate tote fateful fateful ful tul Christmas Christinas night which led Inevitably to the opening of ot hostilities In April 1801 1601 Is not so sowell sowell sowell well known Robert Anderson was a Kentuckian who had bad been graduated from West Point In 1825 Ill He had served with distinction In two Indian wars the the Black lack Hawk uprising In Illinois In 1812 and the campal campaigns ns lI against the Seminoles In Florida later and later and was promoted to captain In 1841 1541 Subsequently he served as assistant ad general to Gen Winfield Scott was as severe ere severely severely ly wounded In lri the attack on El EI Molino del ney Bey In the Mexican war and promoted to major In 1 1557 7 When he be took command of ot the United States military post of or Charleston harbor on November ember 20 ISCO the dispute over slavery sla between the North orth slid mud the South had drifted Inevitably Ine Into time the Question question of ot the right of ot A state to sE secede etie frolD the Union and he found himself In time the hot hotbed bed of oC the Secession South movement movement South Carolina That states state's withdrawal from the thu Union seemed certain and when It did withdraw It was almost a certainty also al o that the South Carolinians would seize all nil United States property within time tile bor bore borders ders of ot their state so In as Anderson was wasa wasa wasa a native of ot one slave state and and connected by marriage with the people of another It was hoped by some that be he would hand bund over oer the forts which had been entrusted to him to the South Carolinians and It was 08 feared by others that he would resl resign n his bis commission and Join the Secessionists But nut as 1 later events proved pro neither side understood the true tru character or of the man Ten days before the South Carolina conven com convention convention tion took the final step of ot severing the bonds ot of that state with her sister states In the Union Anderson busied himself strengthening the de- de defenses de defenses lenses of ot both Fort Moultrie which he had gar gar- garrisoned par and Fort Sumter which was Will also under r his command Ills force torce was a small one It consisted of ot nine 55 5 artillerymen 15 musicIans and 30 laborers laborers-a laborers a total of ot of or which only 63 were combatants With this band he determined to defene the nag lag to which he had sworn allegiance and to maintain his post to the last Watchful of all approaches to Fort Moultrie after arrer December 11 no one was admitted within the works unless he was known to some officer of oC the garrison Ills His justification for tor this action was pas the fact that the South Carolinians were erf arming and It seemed almost a certainty that thaI they ther Intended to seize Forts Moultrie and Sumter and Castle On December 20 O South Carolina adopted Its Ordinance of oC Secession and the South Carolinians Immediately be began nn to net nCI as though h they were free tree citizens citizen of ot another country In fact the Charleston pap papers rs as au 1111 MI Indication of ot the Independence of ot th their lr began announcing occurrences In the Northern states tates under the head bend of foreign news newa Soon troops began beban to pour Into Charleston Where their equipping and aM drilling be began an Anderson was well of d f the danger and delicacy of or his bis position In a private letter which he be wrote on December 24 21 he hI set t forth the pre pre- carious nature of ot his with position position with a n garrison or of only CO GO men In an aged fortress the walls of ol which were only 14 feet high and within a hun hun- hundred ed ed dred yards of ot sandhills which commanded the and afforded good cover er for ito sharpshooters s 's to pick pick- off his Runners gunners he confessed that It attacked In force by an any one but a simpleton there Is scarce a n possibility of our being able to held out long enough for our to come to our Gur succor ArC 7 g Wf I I M h- h U d dT f-d f hg g T r iT C R ri Ht tit m t t tit a tt LL W l m Zi t apO t J i i iT ll SId rm I ThIL m cr III a- a aill J ill 1 lj K i f c t t 1 i 8 jJ f Ii A U l p Ur III 0 E E tL r j r- r va 0 c Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor Gen WInfield Scott Stott commander In of ot the United States army was also aware of the situation situ situation and declared that the time fort tort could be taken by men In 24 hours Both President Bu- Bu Buchanno Buchanan chanan Bu-chanan channo chanan and John B Floyd secretary of ot war were In a state of ot uncertainty as ns to what course to pursue In this crisis Their Instructions to Anderson were to care Cull fully avoid old any act which would needlessly pro pro- provoke provoke voke yoke aggression and not without necessity to take talce any position that could be construed Into the assumption of ot a hostile attitude They did howEver direct him to hold possession of oC the forts In the harbor and ond If It attacked you ou are lire to defend yourself to the last extremity The small small ness mess of your our force torce will not permit you perhaps to tn occupy more than one of oC the three forts torts but butan butan nn an attack on or attempt to take possession of oC either of oC them will be regarded as ns an on act of ot hostility and you may mn then th n put nut your command nto which you may deem most proper to Increase Its lis power of ot resistance You are ulso also authorized to take similar steps when when- whenever whenever ever er you ou have bave tan tangible evidence of ot a design to proceed to a hostile act act It was that last sentence In his Instructions Instruction which Rave gave Anderson the necessary latitude for tor to making the move which he did According to a contemporary historian Christmas Christinas day dawn dawned ell upon Major Anderson under these circumstances and hound bound by th these se Instructions It may be sup sup- supposed supposed supposed posed that he was not In a 11 festive mood but whatever his hll or his bis purposes he kept them to himself I During the day the wives and children of ot the tame i troops were sent away from the fort on the plea that as an attack might be made upon It their removal was necessary Three small schooners were wre hired and the time few inhabitants of ot Sullivans Sullivan's Island saw V them loaded as ns they thought with hells furniture trunks and other luggage of ot that kind About nine o'clock In the evening the men were ordered ordred to bold hold themselves In marching order with knapsacks packed r ready to move at a S G i w u q r FOLLY 4 r cast t r f Jt Ft if 1 f t y ya HARBOR i a It moments moment's notice No one seemed to knot the reason reison for the movement mo and probably no one but Major Anderson AnderOn himself and his its next In knew their destination The Time garrison was paraded Inspected d and then hen em embarked embarked barked on boats bunts which headed headd for tor Fort Sumter Time Thy schooners had taken t ken or UJ then n took all allI atlie I of the provisions pru garrison furniture and munitions of war which be carried away awny on such short notice and with such slender means menns or nf enough enough to enl enable fourscore mea Dun r a A Fort Moultrie Cannon Fort Sumter in the Distance to sustain and defend themselves In a strong girt sea girt fortress for tor a Ion long time What could not be carried away was destroyed Not a ke keg of powder or a cartridge was left leCt In the maga mama magazine zinc zine the small arms and military supplies ot of all kinds were removed the guns were spiked the gun carriages un burned and the time guns thus thue dis- dis dismounted dismounted dis dismounted mounted partly finished additions and altera lions of ot time the lie work were destroyed the staff flagstaff Hag was cut down and nothing In fact fact was left un- un unharmed unharmed un unharmed harmed but the round shot which were too heavy heay to carry ofT off and ond which the spiking and dismount dismount- dismounting dismounting ing of ot the time guns had made useless The rime dawn saw Major Anderson safely established with his command In to Fort Sumter secure from Crom Immediate attack though Fort Moultrie was occupied only by a Ii corporals corporal's guard left there thereto thereto thereto to complete the work of ot destruction He lIe saw what a responsibility he bad had assumed and fully the delicacy and the Importance ot of time the trust committed to him Perhaps If It he be could have looked forward for tor three months and fore tore foreseen seen all the consequences of or his act during that period be he would have hove remained at nt l Fort ort until summoned to yield by a force torce too great for him to resist or until he be received orders to yield his post Although Anderson and his bis men must have real real real- realized the extreme me gravity gra of ot the situation la In which this move had placed them this Christmas season was probably a happier hoppler one than they or any of ot their tello fellow fellow Americans Americans both North and South were to know for tor the next four tour years lears Despite the he fact tact that South Carolina had seceded from the Union and that other southern stat states were ready rendy to follow tollo her ber lead lend there was ns still time the possibility that the threatened war might be averted D No doubt In many a church and In inmany Inmany many a home both North and South luring during that season 7 75 years ago ther there were of ot offered feted up prayers that the spirit of ot peace on onearth onearth earth eurth good will to men would prevaIl and save the he nation from roan the horrors of or a civil conflict Hut But forces which no one seemingly ly could con control trul were at work In both the North and tb tb th South to push both sections forward to the holo hole holocaust caust and In April the decisive e step was taken n It was taken at nt Fort Sumter and nud It was wasHie time he lo logical result of ot the events of that fateful nl night ht 75 years a ago o Gen P T Beaure Beaure Bard commander of the Confederate forces In stun hark culled called upon Major r Anderson to sur lur surrender i render 1 Fort ort Sumter Sumler Anderson refused and the Southern batteries opened tire By the time an- an another an another other Christmas hind had come Om I hundreds of oC American buys 1118 had bad died d and thousands ands more mure were to die before the bells were to ring out again their message of peace and will good over a Ii re nation C Wc |