HIGHLY IMPORTANT NEWS: The Evacuation of Fort Sumpter Ordered; ARMY AFFAIRS; Editorial-Affairs in Texas (3/25/1861)

New York Times archives – Times Machine ^ | 3/25/1861

[Homer_J_Simpson]

LATEST REPORTS FROM CHARLESTON.

WASHINGTON, Saturday, March 23.

I have just received a dispatch from a gentleman in Charleston who visited Fort Sumpter this morning. He states that he found Major ANDERSON taking an inventory of everything preparatory to evacuating the post.

He is, it seems, allowed to exercise his own judgment as to the method of leaving.

The Baltimore Exchange publishes the following, saying that it is from an officer stationed at Fort Sumpter, and may be implicitly relied on:

FORT SUMPTER March 18, 1861.

We are now making active preparations to leave, and there is consequently much bustle and confusion -- some of the officers being busily engaged in making up the accounts, and others in getting everything ready. We shall certainly leave here on Saturday. Maj. ANDERSON is ordered to Newport Barracks, Kentucky, and Capt. FOSTER is directed to report himself to the Department in Washington.

MAJOR ANDERSON'S MOVEMENTS.

From the Charleston Courier, March 21.

On Wednesday rumors were rife in this city that Major HUTTO, Paymaster of the United States Army, had made arrangements with the Agent of the New-York steamers for the transport of the garrison at Fort Sumpter to New-York on the steamship Columbia, to leave Saturday.

Reliable information shows that it was only conjecture. Major HUTTO visited the fort on Tuesday for the purpose of paying the troops the amounts due them for regular service. The assertion made in various papers that the term of enlistment of twenty-six of the men had nearly expired is also a mistake. Some two or three of the privates will have served their time out in August next, and one in December. Beyond this their terms of enlistment are for two and three years longer.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas, Harper’s Ferry, the election of 1860, secession – all the events leading up to the Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: Sometime in the future.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.

Posting history, in reverse order

https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:homerjsimpson/index?tab=articles

To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.

Link to previous New York Times thread

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3944467/posts

[Homer_J_Simpson]

1

2

3

4

5

6

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Highly Important News: The Evacuation of Fort Sumpter Ordered – 2-4
Important News from Texas – 4
Reports from New-Orleans – 4
Reports from Norfolk – 4
The Virginia State Convention – 4
The Georgia State Convention – 4
The Southern Tariff – 4
Army Affairs – 4-5
The “Confederated” Flag in New-York – 5
An Important Concession – 5
Editorial: Affairs in Texas – 5-6
From New-Mexico – 6
Position of Fort Sumpter from a Military Point of View – 6
Fires – 6

[real saxophonist]

I appreciate these daily posts, but it’s funny the the oh-so-great New York Times never figured out that it’s actually Fort SUMTER.

[BroJoeK]

"Position of Fort Sumpter from a Military Point of View – 6"

Here the letter writer, named Miles, urges evacuation of Fort Sumter on grounds of military necessity, further noting the fort was never fully "occupied" and never "commanded" its position, but was instead nothing more than a military barracks.
So evacuation in the face of military necessity should be in "good grace".

Nowhere does this writer, or any other, argue that Confederates have a lawful right to claim Fort Sumter and that's why the Union should abandon it.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

I've never been to Fort Sumter, but the picture of it in this week's Harper's Weekly make it look pretty solid for nothing more than a military barracks.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

it’s funny the the oh-so-great New York Times never figured out that it’s actually Fort SUMTER.

I expected them to catch on after a few days - after all, Harper's Weekly gets it right - but it looks like they will be sticking with the extra "p" until at least late in April. (I haven't peeked beyond that.)

[BroJoeK]

"The Southern Tariff – 4"

This is the report:

"The Tariff bill published in the Southern newspapers was not voted on in the Confederate Congress, but simply proposed for the inspection of the Southern people.
The Confederate States Tariff at present is the same as the old United States Tariff.
A new and much lower Tariff will be made in Congress in May.

Please notice, first & foremost, there was never a Confederate "free trade" tariff.
The Confederates' original tariff was simply the old US tariff with some minor changes.
Confederates intended replace it with "a new and much lower" tariff in May 1861, but that new tariff took effect in September 1861, by which time the Union blockade was in full effect.

And, potentially, the new Confederate tariff may have somehow "averaged" much less than the Union tariff, but in reality it ranged (as did the Union's) from zero tariff on some items to over 40% on others.
So the "average" could only be determined by how much of each commodity was actually imported.

For comparisons, Union tariffs raised $53 million in 1860, increasing to $104 million in 1864.
Confederate tariffs produced about $3 million total between 1861 and 1865.

[MattMusson]

Trivia - Abner Doubleday was one of the Union officers that occupied the Southern Ft. Sumter and precipitated the Civil War.

Yes. That Abner Doubleday.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Abner Doubleday was one of the Union officers that occupied the Southern Ft. Sumter and precipitated the Civil War.

Seated, on the left (from this week's Harper's Weekly).