A.B. Longstreet: Courteous and Kind Secession
From The New-York Times January 7, 1861:
THE SOUTH CAROLINA CONVENTION ADJOURNED.
CHARLESTON, Saturday, Jan. 5.
The journal to-day publish the correspondence between the Commissioners to Washington and the President of the United States.
Hon. A.B. LONGSTREET, President of the South Carolina College, had issued a four-page pamphlet, entitled “Shall South Carolina Begin the War?” He earnestly desires the Collector on board the Harriet Lane to be allowed to land, and says that he should be treated politely, and introduced to Collector COLCOCK, so that the collectors of the two sovereignites could use every means to settle the respective claims in a spirit of courtesy and kindness. If the posts are reinforced it would be an unfair conflict, in which hundreds of our sons would be slain, Fort Moultrie would become deserted, and the wrath of the United States would be brought upon our devoted city. He implores the people to let the first shot come from the enemy.
The President of the Convention received a dispatch to-day from Mayor MONROE, of New-Orleans, which is as follows:
The City of New-Orleans fully sympathizes with the City of Charleston in the perils to which she is exposed, and will not fail to support her when the occasion requires action.
Mr. HUTSON offered an ordinance that all power necessary to make postal arrangements and enact postal laws be vested in the General Assembly. Passed.
Mr. KEITT offered a resolution permitting the officers in any force, regular or volunteer, raised under the order of the Convention, to hold seats in either House of the General Assembly, or any other office. Adopted.
Mr. CURTIS offered a resolution that the late Commissioners to Washington be requested to prepare, at their earliest convenience, a written statement of their oral communication to this body, and communicate the result of their recent attempt at negotiations with the President of the United States for the deliverance of the forts and other State property, said document to be deposited with the President of this body, with an injunction of secrecy until otherwise ordered. Adopted.
An order to print five thousand copies of the correspondence between the Commissioners to Washington and President of the United States, was laid on the table.
The chair and the appurtenances used on the night of the signing of the ordinance of secession were ordered to be placed in the State House at Columbia.
The adoption of an ensign was ordered to be left to the Legislature.
Adjourned, subject to the call of the Governor.
1) Augustus Baldwin Longstreet was born in Georgia and had a interesting and varied career. He worked throughout the South. He was the uncle of James Longstreet. You can read more about him at The New Georgia Encyclopedia
2) To get a great look at the banner that hung at the South Carolina Secession Convention you can check out Son of the South. It’s very impressive and kind of scary – we Northerners (or at least our states) were in “The Ruins”
