THE WAR NEWS: Virginia Troops Threatening Washington; MARTIAL LAW DECLARED IN BALTIMORE; THE BURNING OF GOSPORT NAVY-YARD (4/24/1861)

New York Times archives – Times Machine ^ | 4/24/1861

[Homer_J_Simpson]

ADVICES BY GOVERNMENT MESSENGERS.

GEN. SCOTT ORDERS A DEMONSTRATION UPON BALTIMORE -- ARMSTRONG GUNS COMING FROM ENGLAND.

By the arrival of two Government messengers, who left Washington late on Saturday night, we have intelligence from the National Capital. At that time they report that no fears were felt for A gentleman who left Washington at 3 o'clock on Sunday last has just given us important information regarding the state of affairs at the Capital. At the safety of the city, but the authorities were anxious regarding Fort Monroe, of the reinforcement of which they had not heard. The messengers came on to Baltimore as rapidly as possible, reaching there early Sunday morning; but deeming it imprudent to put themselves within reach of the mob which now reigns there, they did not enter the city. The Railroad authorities took them in charge, however, and dispatched them by carriage to Cockeysville, a point 13 miles from Baltimore, as has already been stated. While waiting here they heard the whistle of a locomotive engine, and asked the landlord of the hotel where they were stopping if a train had lately reached that point from the North. He replied that it had, and that there were 3,500 men just over the hill. Apprehensive that this might be a force of Secessionists, the messengers were about changing their course, when they learned that the troops were from Pennsylvania. As the messengers were entrusted with instructions from Gen. Scott to Gov. Curtin ordering a demonstration upon Baltimore, in view of the disturbances there, they authorized the officer in command of this force to push ahead, and taking an engine hastened forward to Chambersburgh, where they found 3,500 more Pennsylvanians making their way to Philadelphia.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
The American 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/3953163/posts

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

The War News: Virginia Troops Threatening Washington – 2-3
News from the South: Movement of Government Vessels with Troops – 3-4
Burning of Gosport Navy-Yard: Eleven Vessels Scuttled and Burned – 4-5
Glimpses of War: Our Washington Correspondence – 5-7
Off for the War: Departure of two New-York City Regiments – 7-10
Editorial: Jeff. Davis on his Way to Richmond-Virginia to be the Battle-ground – 10-11
Editorial: Shot-proof Mail for Ships – 11-12
Editorial: An Historical Contrast – 12
Editorial: How to End the War – 12-13
The Destruction of the Ships and Navy-Yard at Norfolk – 13
Editorial: A Startling Report – 13
Editorial: Lincoln and the Country – 13
Editorial: A Chivalric Threat – 13
The First Victory – 13
Dealers in Fire-Arms – 13
Care for the Wounded – 13-14
Our Special Washington Correspondence: Details of Events at the National Capital up to Sunday Night – 14-15
Official Reception of Major Anderson: Speech of Mayor Wood and Major Anderson’s Reply – 15
Affairs in Georgia – 15

[mowowie]

Your daily WWII coverage a few years back was GREAT Homer thank you for that.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

This is sort of off topic, but I've always been fascinated by old time papers. How did they set they type to print out the pages? Don't tell me they did it letter by letter. How did they do this day after day? It must have been time consuming as hell. I remember taking printing in High School back in the 1970s and our teacher showed us how to set type using metal letters that were stamped backwards, but it never occurred to me they might have done the same for newspapers which is mind boggling.

[bigbob]

In fact that’s exactly what they did.

Now you know why Ottmar Mergenthaler is called “the Second Gutenberg” for inventing the Linotype typesetting machine.

[BroJoeK]

"The First Victory – 13"

By which they mean, of course, the first Union victory.
They don't mention Confederate victories over the Star of the West, or the surrender of Fort Sumter.

Rather, they claim a Union victory at the Union arsenal in Harper's Ferry, in preventing Confederates from taking over the weapons & machinery kept there.
History does not confirm this first report, rather says Confederates were successful in seizing the arsenal's weapons-making equipment and transporting it to the Richmond Armory where it served the Confederacy.

The first actual Union victory, in West Virginia, is still over a month away, and will make George McClellan famous.

[BroJoeK]

"Editorial: How to End the War – 12-13"

Our editors suggest the war will end quickly if the Union will just purchase abroad 500 rifled cannons, 200,000 mini-rifles and as many armed steamships as possible.

Perhaps wiser investments would have been 200,000 Sharps rifles (@$30 each), made in Philadelphia & Hartford and instead of foreign cannons, a new-fangled contraption being invented by a North Carolinian living in Indianapolis, a 44 year old medical doctor by the name of Richard Jordan Gatling.

[BroJoeK]

"Affairs in Georgia – 15"

And here it is again: New York will join the Confederacy!

"Our informant says that it was the universal belief in Savannah that New York City would take up arms against the Government.
It was currently reported that [New York Mayor] Fernando Wood was raising a regiment for the Southern service, and they counted confidently upon the support of all the men of wealth and of influence here..."

There again, sir, are your "Northeastern Power Brokers", eager, supposedly, to preserve their "money flows from Europe" by allying with Confederates and attacking the Union!

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

You have to be kidding, how could they set type like that for a daily newspaper day after day?? I assume they must have had a ton of typesetters working for them? And even then, to be able to spell out the words using backwards letters must have been maddening. Unreal. I looked up the Linotype, incredible engineering.

[GreenLanternCorps]

The problem with the Gatling Gun in the civil war was that they tended to treat it as artillery, not like a machine gun.

It was not a long range weapon. Had they embedded them with infantry or dismounted cavalry, they could have been devastating. Imagine first day Gettysburg if Buford had Gatlings...

[BroJoeK]

Agreed.
Somewhere, seems like I read that a major Union concern, and not just in the Civil War, is that soldiers might use up too much ammunition.
I get the impression they were confused about the necessary connections between shooting at the enemy and winning battles.