War Department.
Washington, April 6.
1861
Sir –
You will proceed directly to Charleston, South Carolina; and
if, on your arrival there, the flag of the United States shall be flying over
Fort-Sumpter [sic], and the Fort shall not have been attacked, you will procure
an interview with Gov. Pickens, and read to him as follows:
“I am directed by the President of the United States to
notify you to expect an attempt will be made to supply
Fort-Sumpter with provisions only; and that, if such attempt be not resisted,
no effort to throw in men, arms, or amunition, will be made, without further
notice, or in case of an attack upon the Fort”
After you shall have read this to Governor Pickens, deliver
to him the copy of it herein inclosed, and retain this letter yourself.
But if, on your arrival at Charleston, you shall ascertain
that Fort Sumpter shall have been already evacuated, or surrendered, by the
United States force; or, shall have been attacked by an opposing force, you
will seek no interview with Gov. Pickens, but return here forthwith.
Respectfully
SIMON CAMERON
Secy of War
[Endorsement]
Notice carried by R. S. Chew to Gov. Pickens, and his report
as to how he gave the notice.
__________
EDITOR’S NOTE: This
letter was drafted by Abraham Lincoln and signed by Simon Cameron.
SOURCES: Roy P. Basler, editor, Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln,
Volume 4, p. 323-4. A
copy of this letter is in The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress; An exact duplicate of this letter
can also be found in The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official
Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume 1 (Serial No.
1), p. 245 addressed to “Capt. THEO. TALBOT, Assistant Adjutant-General,” who accompanied Mr. Chew to Charleston.
No comments:
Post a Comment