Norfolk “Preparing to Resist Invasion”

Governor Letcher: Our Old Dominion will not be Corridor for Coercion

From The New-York Times January 8, 1861:

PUBLIC MEETING AT NORFOLK, VA.

NORFOLK, Sunday, Jan. 6.

A large meeting was held here on Saturday night. Strong speeches were made urging the citizens to arm themselves and place tremselves in a state of defence for any emergency, which were loudly cheered. Resolutions recommending the Legislature to organize thoroughly the military power of the State, and prepare for civil war should it occur; scorning coercion, and preparing to resist invasion, were unanimously adopted with applause.

The same issue of The Times reported on Virginia Governor John Letcher’s message to the Virginia state legislature. You can read the whole report at The New York Times Archive. His message is fairly moderate. He does not think that South Carolina should have seceded, but does not think South Carolina should be coerced back into the Union (echoes of President Buchanan?). Here’s part of his message which seems to resonate with the Norfolk meeting the day before (The New-York Times January 8, 1861):

RICHMOND, Va., Tuesday, Jan. 7. …

The Governor further says he will regard the attempt of the Federal troops to pass across Virginia for the purpose of coercing a Southern State, as an act of invasion which must be repelled. He is not without the hope that the present difficulties will find a satisfactory solution. Let New-England and Western New-York be sloughed off, and let them form an alliance with Canada. …

This reminds me of the present United States government relying on friendly countries from which to deploy troops for the Middle East battlegrounds.

Governor Letcher does not like New England. Part of his plan is to select commissioners to go to the northern states to get them to repeal their Personal Liberty Laws – but he excludes New England. Let them be Canadian!