THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. WM, A. SP'CER Class Book Copyright N°. coPYKir.irr DEPcsrr. \ 1 T II E FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER A PERSONAL NARRATIVE WILLIAM A. SPICER HEAD BEFORE THE RHODE ISLAND SOLDIERS AND SAILORS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, February, 1884. PROVIDENCE: •RINTED BY THE PROVIDENCE PRESS COMPANY 1885. WpM V ^ COPT RIGHT, 1885. THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. ^ ^ " What's liallowed ground? 'Tis what gives birth To sacred thoughts in souls of worth! Peace! Independence! Tmthl" —Campbell. MMEDIATELY upon the election of Abraham Lincoln as President, in Novem- ber, 1860, a prede- termined plan of se- cession was entered upon by the leading public men of the South, on the plea that his election was dangerous to the in- terests of slavery. In February, 1861, seven of the slave States having united in the movement, an independ- 6 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. ciil governmenl was organized, under the name of the Southern Confederacy, and Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President with great pomp, at Mont- gomery, Alabama; so that on the fourth of March, the day of Mr. Lincoln's inauguration al Washington, the flag of the United States was flying al only three points south of the Capital, viz: Fori Sumter, Fort Pickens, and Key Wesl . South Carolina naturally led the scheme of dis- union, passing the ordinance of secession on the twen- tieth of December, 1860, and immediately proceed- ing to secure possession of the national property in the State, particularly the forts in Charleston harbor. To prevent this, Major Robert Anderson, an able and loyal southern officer, commanding a small gar- rison of United States troops in Fori Moultrie, has- tily removed, on the uighl of the 26th of December, to Fori Sumter, a much stronger bul unfinished for- tress in the middle of the harbor, hoping to maintain his position there till reinforced. Bu1 before this could be effected by President Lincoln, who bad plainly advised Governor Pic ken- of his intent ion, a formal demand for the surrender of the fori was made THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. ( by General Beauregard, commanding the rebel forces, which being promptly refused \>y Major Anderson, the order to reduce the fort was given by the Con- federate government. On the morning of Friday, the twelfth of April, 1861, at half-past four, the first shot was tired upon Fort Sumter, which aroused and excited the nation, and begun the war of the Rebel- lion. For two days the assault continued, when after a most gallant defense by the little garrison of eighty men, Major Anderson was compelled to accept terms of evacuation. On Sunday afternoon, April 14th, he inarched out of the fort with colors flying and drums beating, saluting the United States Hag, as it was lowered, with fifty guns. There was great rejoicing in Charleston. Thou- sands had assembled at the Battery, excited specta- tors of the scene. They exultingly beheld the ban- ner of the Republic lowered, and the flags of South Carolina and the Southern Confederacy raised defi- antly over the ramparts of Fort Sumter. Governor Pickens, the bustling and blustering State executive, thus addressed the populace : 8 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. "We are now one of the Confederate States, and they have Benl us a brave and scientific officer, to whom the credit <>f this day's triumph is due We have defeated their twenty millions. We have humbled the dag of the United States before the Palmetto and Confederate, and so long as I have the honor to preside as your chief magistrate, so help me God, there is no power on this earth shall ever lower from that fortress those Bags, unless they be low- ered and trailed in a sea of blood. I can here say to you it is the first time in the history of this country that the stars and stripes have been humbled. That flag has never before been lowered before any nation on this earth. lint to-day it has been humbled, and humbled before the glorious little State of South Carolina." But Governor Pickens little dreamed that the dis- charge of his guns upon the United States flag at Fort Sumter would awaken such an outburst of patriotism as immediately followed all over the North, uniting the people of all classes in a determi- nation to maintain the majesty of the Union, and vindicate the honor of the flag. How little he fore- saw the mighty sweep and terrible devastation of the pitiless storm of civil war which now hurst over the land, and which never departed from the soil of South Carolina till every rebel ensign was "lowered and trailed in a sea of blond ;" till slavery, the cause of the conflict, was forever abolished, and the power THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 9 of the United States firmly reestablished on land and sea. Four years had scarcely passed ere he heard the tramp of Sherman's army sweeping victoriously across the State, and beheld the once proud and haughty Charleston in possession of the Union le- gions. As he saw the starry flag again waving aloft in triumph, he hastened, with reluctant footsteps, to place himself once more under its protecting folds, thus renewing, in 1865, his oath of alle- giance to the government whose authority he had defied in 1861 ! v A few months later, at the State Convention at Columbia, assembled under the direction of the President of the United States, it is none other than our reconstructed friend, Ex-Governor Pickens, who rises amid the ashes of his once beautiful Capital, and offers the following ordinance : "Resolved, We, the delegates of the people of the State of South Carolina, in general convention met, do ordain, that the ordinance [of secession] passed in convention on the twentieth of December, 18G0, withdrawing this State from the Federal Union, be, and the same is, hereby repealed. The fortune:-! of war, together with the proclamation of the President of the United States, and the gener- Hi THE FLAG REPLACED <>N SUMTER. ula in the ii>-!'l commanding, having decided that domestic Blaverj i> abolished, that therefore, under the circumstan •<■-. we acquiesce in -a i> 1 proclamations, and do hereby ordain implicil obedience to the Constitution of the United States, and all laws made in pur- suance thereof." Ho bad thus :it last learned the truth of that ancient and profound maxim, that " he who would aspire to govern^ should lir>t learn to obey!" General Sherman did not pause in his rapid march northward from Savannah, through the Carolinas, to make any demonstration against Charleston; he conquered it, in the words of General Robert Ander- son, "by turning his back on it !" I lis military ope- rations compelled the evacuation of the city, which was occupied by the Union troops on the eighteenth Of February, 1865. Lieutenant-Colonel A. G. Ben- nett, of the Twenty-firsl United States colored troops, was the first to land with a small force, while some of the rebel mounted patrols still remained, apply- ing th<- torch as they retreated. The Colonel at once addressed himself to the Mayor: "In the name of the United States government 1 demand a but- render of the city, of which you are the executive THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 11 officer." The Major responded by immediately turning over the Cradle of Rebellion to its rightful owners. The Colonel then proceeded to the citadel with his colored troops, two companies of the Fifty- second Pennsylvania Regiment, and about thirty men of the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ames, and proclaimed mar- tial law. In his official report he says : "Every offi- cer and soldier exerted himself to a most willing e performance of every allotted duty, yet I do not deem it invidious for me to make special mention of Lieu- tenant John Hackett, Company M, Third Rhode Island Artillery, who volunteered to go alone to Fort Moultrie, and there raise the flag." This was a most perilous service, gallantly performed amid the danger of exploding rebel powder magazines. It was the beginning of the end. President Lin- coln, realizing that the fall of the Confederacy was near at hand, determined to celebrate the fourth anni- versary of the surrender of Fort Sumter by replant- ing the old flag of 18(51, with imposing ceremonies, upon the ruins of the fort, and the following order was accordingly issued: 12 ii 1 1; FLAG REPLACED Q» Bl Ml ER. K \|. I »BDEB8, NO. \\ ai: DEPABTMENT, Al'.n i an i GeNERAI/8 OFFICE, W a ~ 1 1 1 n i . i".\. March 27, 1865. Obdebed: First, Thai ai the hour ol aoon, on the 14th day of April, 1865, brevet Major-General Anderson will raise and plant upon the ruin- of Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor, the same United States flag which floated over the battlements of thatfort during Hi" rebel assault, and which was lowered and saluted by him, and the small force <>f his command, when the works were evacuated on the i lih of April, 1861. ond, Thai the flag, when raised, be sainted by one hundred guns from Fori Sumter, and bj anational salute tromeverj fori and rebel batter; thai tired upon Fori Sumter. Third, Thai suitable ceremonies be had upon th jcasion, under the direction of Major-General William T.Sh< rman, whosemilitary operations compelled the rebels to evacuate Charleston, or, in his absence, under the charge of Major-General Q. A. Gilmore, com- manding the Department. Among the ceremonies will be the deliver; of an address by the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. /• irth, Thai the naval forces at Charleston, and their com- mander "ii that station, be in\ ited to participate in the ceremonies nf the occasion. lal i;. order of the President of the United Mate-. Edwin M. Si lnton, Secretary of War. E. D. Townshend, Assistant Adjutant-General. The Bteamer "Arago" was officially commissioned to carry to the fort those who were to take part in THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 13 the exercises, and the gratifying announcement was afterwards received in Providence that a second steamer had been chartered, the "Oceanus," of our Neptune Propeller Line, to sail from New York for Charleston, on Monday, April 10th, at noon. Imme- diately, three Providence boys, two of us comrades in the Tenth Rhode Island Regiment, fired with the news just received of the fall of Richmond, made our plans for going to Charleston on the "Oceanus." We so well succeeded that on the morning of the tenth we made our appearance on the deck of the steamer, duly armed and equipped with the necessary papers and outfit. There was great enthusiasm on board over the news from the seat of war, not only on account of the recent capture of Richmond and Petersburg, but because, during the night, the news had flashed over the wires of the surrender of Lee and the death of the Rebellion. We thus became the bearers of these glorious tidings to Fort Sumter and Charleston. My reception of the news in New York is thus described in my diary: "Monday, April 10, Astor 2 14 THE FLAG REPLACED OX SUMTER. House. ( )u coming down from my room this morn- ing my attention was arrested by the 'big letters* at the head of the column of the morning paper, bear- in? the announcement of the surrender of General Lee and his whole army. It was pretty big news to take in, and contain myself. Passing into the hotel parlors, I noticed that Broadway was gaily decorated with Hags (though the rain was descend- ing in torrents), and there read in the Herald the official documents from General Grant, upon which 1 could hardly refrain from Bhouting three cheers! I believe 1 did give one I While waiting for breakfast I ventured, in the enthusiasm of the moment, to seat myself at the piano, and was hard at work on about the only patriotic tune I could drum, viz : "renting on the old camp ground,' when B small boy came up with a message from BOme nice looking young ladies at the opposite end of the parlor, requesting 'The star Spangled Banner,' in honor of the glorious news. Well, I didn't exactly fall under the piano; but hrieily conveying regrets at my inability to comply, I retired as gracefully as possible." THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 15 Promptly at noon we waved our adieus from the deck of the " Oceanus" to the friends assembled on shore, and steamed slowly down the harbor. The weather was extremely rainy and foggy, and when hardly three hours out, we found ourselves aground on Sandy Hook bar. A pilot was signaled, who brought the report of a heavy storm outside, and after getting us safely off the sand-spit, he advised our " laying to " till morning. This was a great dis- appointment, as there was no time to lose, and some one impatiently asked, " Can't you take us out this afternoon, pilot ? " "I reckon I can if you all say so," responded the old salt, " but you'd better lay here, to-night!" "Why so, pilot?" "You gentlemen want to go to Charleston, don't you?" " Why, yes, of course." " Wall, then, I tell you, you'd better lay here to-night, for it's goin' to be a werry nasty, dirty night outside." That settled the matter, and down went the big anchor of the "Oceanus." Having eaten but sparingly during the day to avoid sea-sickness, and fully believing that we were firmly anchored for the night, I indulged in a hearty sup- It) THE FLAG REPLACED ON BUMTER. per, concluding, as my diary says, "with sardines and oranges." I had occasion to feel vrery sorry for this a few hours later. A patriotic meeting was held in the cabin during the evening. The music and addresses were very enjoyable, till suddenly the sound of hurrying feet was heard overhead, and the news was whispered round that we were "weighing anchor." Soon we began to feel the uncomfortable rolling of the steamer. The orator who was then addressing the meeting, and who had waxed eloquent with his subject, now provoke. 1 considerable merriment by his ungraceful and involuntary gestures, clutching desperately at a chair, then talcing a fresh hold of the table to steady himself. It well illustrated Demosthenes' famous rule for oratory. "Action ! action! action!" But a more serious impression quickly prevailed among the audience, that it was high time to retire, and, like Longfellow's Arabs, they began to "silently Bteal away." The chairman of the meeting. Mayor Wood, of Brooklyn, unmindful of his usual decorum, upon an extra roll of the steamer weni over the back THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTEH. 17 of bis chair, and rolled ingloriously upon the floor. He acknowledged that he had never been so com- pletely floored in his life. There was another portly gentleman who, in attempting to navigate, was caught near the cabin door, just behind the knees, by a friendly chair, and as he was suddenly tilted back into it, remarked somewhat dryly, "I believe Til sit down/" Going out on deck, I found that the storm had lifted, the lights of Sandy Hook were far astern, and we were fairly at sea. From this point of time on Monday evening, when we lay on deck, (things were getting too unsteady for landsmen to stand,) I omit, out of courtesy to ourselves, any further incidents of the voyage, and pass on to Thursday morning, which found us sitting on the forward deck, waiting and watching for the spires of Charleston. The weather was delightful. As we passed into the warmer southern climate, the sea became calmer and more transparent, schools of porpoises played about the steamer, and one enthusiastic individual insisted that he had seen a whale ! but he was set down by one of the disgruntled passengers as "only a pesky oil ltf THE FLAG REPLACED <>\ SUMTER. speculator." The German band on board, or rather the brief remnant of it, still kept up what at the dis- tance of several yards sounded like very dismal music ! Presently some one suggested "lemons and lump sugar," a> the right remedy for any lingering unpleasantness, and we drew lots as to who should "go below," combat the smells of the cook-room, and purchase them. The announcement that the chance had fallen on my old friend and comrade of the Tenth Rhode Island, William Yauirhan, was greeted with roars of laughter. But he got off very much like another fellow described in Pickwick, who spelled his name with a "double you" and a "wee," by liberally feeing some one else to go in his place. Ahout three o'clock in the afternoon came the joy- ful shout of " Land-ho ! " which quickly filled the deck of the "Oceanus" with a troop of smiling faces. All gloom now gave way to sanguine expectation. We could plainly distinguish the light-ship, bearing the sutreet, among the crumbling and deserted ware- houses, to the Battery. This was a long and straight promenade, with stone pavement, commanding a fine prospect of the bay and fortifications. Here, four years before, all was activity and bustle; here the populace assembled, and Bent up their frenzied shouts as the ilag of the Republic was lowered, and the ensign of Rebellion supplanted it for a season. How changed the scene ! The streets were de- serted. The crowds were scattered and gone for- THE FLAG REPLACED OX SUMTER. 27 ever ! The silence of Mesolation reigned on every hand, disturbed only by the songs of the summer birds. Not even a newsboy assailed us with the Mercury or Courier, containing an account of the latest victory over the Yankees. Here, along the Battery, were many of the finest residences, stately mansions with broad verandas, which bore the ter- rible effects of the long bombardment. Their walls were scarred and rent. The roofs were crushed, the glass shattered, piles of rubbish and other debris encumbered the ground, and the grass was growing in the streets. The siege of the city had steadily and relentlessly continued for five hundred and eighty- eight days. It was commenced on the twenty-first of August, 1863, by the opening of the Swamp Angel Battery on Morris Island, five miles away. On the seventh of September, Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg were taken, and more guns were trained upon the city (notably the water battery), compelling the evacuation of the lower part. During the long siege not less than thirteen thousand shot and shell were thrown into the city. We strolled into the garden of one of the deserted 28 THE FLAG REPLACED <>\ DMTEB. mansions, which still exhibited evidences of taste and culture, even in neglect and decay. Borders of bos lined the graveled walks and encircled beautiful flower shrubs, or clusters of japonica, of manifold hue- : the mock-orange, the lilac and magnolia tree were blooming luxuriantly, and grew to a remark- able height. What a contrast to the hare gardens we had left at home, amid a cold and cheerless storm. We were now in another zone, in the full hloom of summer. After helping ourselves to roses in abun- dance, the largest I had ever seen, we passed on up the street. Notices like the following were posted On the doors Of Some Of the houses: "Occupied by permission of the Provost Marshal, the owner having taken the oath of allegiance to the United States." Similar card- in thi' shop windows announced that the occupants had permission to transact business. A Charleston lady complained to one of our offi- cers, saying, "You treat us well enough, but the niggers are dreadful sassy. They don't turn out now when you meet them; they even smoke cigars, and go right up to a gentleman and ask him for a light "• THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 29 /; e Eisr We now began to meet con- traband s of all ages and of all sizes, from ( the little b arefooted piccanin- nies and chimney sweeps to /r\ the old, gray-haired uncles and turbaned aunties. While all appeared bubbling over with joy, yet they were quiet and orderly, greeting us with bows and cour- tesies, and a "God bress ye! we're so powerful glad ye've come ! " Said one old negro to another, "Yer mus' try now, an' do as yer done by, Uncle Rube." "Yeth," said Uncle Reuben, "but de fact am dis chile ain't never been done by ! Dat's where de shoe pinches ! " 30 ill l : FLAG REPLACED <>n SI MTER. We look greal pleasure in calling \\ ith other friends upon Colonel Lorenzo Potter, one of the veteran Union citizens, formerly of Providence. He had been at home only a few weeks, but his family had remained through the long and dreary siege. For- tunately the shells from the Union batteries had spared the home of these devoted loyalists.. I remember a tine fig-tree in his garden, laden with fruit, and my disappointment at finding it in a green Mate, "for the time of tig- was not yet ."' Reluctantly leaving this hospitable family, we made a hasty tour of several public buildings and banks, which we found in a sadly broken and ravaged condition. The elaborately carved counters and wainscoting had been reduced to fragments; the tiled floors and fres- coed walls were plowed up and ruined by exploding shells. In one of the banks I secured a collection of both Continental and Confederate note-, the obso- lete currency of t\\" centuries. On one of them I read this curious endorsement : " Payable two years after a treaty of peace between the ( lonfederate and United States Governments." But right before me la\ the effective protest of the Union shot and -hell THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 31 against any treaty of peace with armed rebellion, in the shape of an immense pile of debris,— broken brick and glass, and charred timbers, the ruins of a once fine and imposing structure. I was told of an estimable lady of Charleston who, after investing her all (fully $5,000) in these Confederate "promises to pay," brought them out at last, and kindled her morning fire with the worthless chaff. Most of the citizens°.who were considered wealthy at the begin- ning of the war were reduced to penury at its close, and°were to be seen carrying their rations through the streets of Charleston. "General Wade Hampton needs horses," read the last order of the Governor to the citizens, on the twenty-first of January, 1865, "and I have told him he shall have them. Put aside your please-car- riages for the time, and bring or send in your horses to Columbia. Colonel C. T. Hampton is charged by me with the duty of receiving with thanks all that will be sent, and of taking all that are withheld. The horses will be paid for. No one shall suffer from his devotion to the State." 32 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. The public conveyances kindlv placed at our dis- posal by the authorities, showed how effectively this order had been carried out. Such a sorry Looking set of horses, mules and donkeys, attached to omni- buses, army ambulances and fish-wagons, would appropriately have found a place in a Providence Antique and Horrible procession! Passing on to the Market Building we stopped to chat with the darkey shop-keepers who occupied the few stalls which were open. We purchased here some sugar-cane and strawberries, the first of the season. The darkeys proved to be pretty -hrcwd traders, and promptly declined all offers of Confed- erate currency in payment. One shook his woolly head, Baying, "O, sar, we'd better gib um to you, sir!" They had evidently acquired some of the sharpness of their old masters, on,. ,.t' whom I read about used to make his negroes whistle while they were picking cherries, for fear they would eat some ! But now they could sing their Jubilee hymn, as tlnir colored brethren sung it, marching through Richmond : THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 33 " De whip is lost, de han'cuf broken, An' massa'l hab to whistle for his pay; He's ole enough, big enough, an' ought to known better Dan to went an' run'd away: Ole niassa run. ha! ha! De darkey stay, ho! ho! It mus' be now dat de kingdom's cummin', An' de year of Jubilo!" Some ragged negro boys on the street, who, by the way they danced, appeared to have india-rubber joints, and who ended their songs with a "shout" and a "break-down," were asked if they knew the John Brown song. "Oh, yeth, raassa; we know ole John Brown." "Well, give it to us then." " John Brown's body lies a mold'ring in de clay, But his soul am a marchin' home!" " Good ! give us some more ! " " We'll hang Jeff Davis on a sour apple tree, On Canaan's happy sho' !" Some of them doubtless still sing the new version, believing that Jeff Davis will yet be hung, on Ca- naan's happy shore ; and so they are all "bound for 34 THE FLAG REPLACED OX SUMTER. the happy land of Canaan !" It has been stated as an indisputable fact, that some of the older negroes bavins: never beard their masters mention the name of a Yankee except with a profane accompaniment, have been praying for years, "O Lord! bress, we bescecb Thee, and speedily bring along de comin' of de '/"/// Yankees !" Retracing our steps to wants the steamer, we met our friends coming from various directions. Some of them would have passed for returning miners, who, in lieu of rich booty, were heavily laden with relics of stone, brass and iron. "While these Yankee relic-hunters failed in getting away with old Fort Sumter itself, they successfully carried off two six- hundred pound shots from the great English Blakcly gun, (sent over to the rebels by friends in England.) They afterwards presented these to the New York and Lou*? Island Historical Societies, as enduring evidences of British neutrality during our war. My mementoes included several hundred dollars worth, so to 3peak, of Confederate currency ; a tile from the floor of the State Bank of South Carolina, and a Hook of < Jommon Prayer picked up among the i I rChurch. St. Michael's Church. Ruins of Institute Hall ill \l,|.l STON IN RUINS. THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 37 rubbish in St. Michael's Episcopal Church. The floor of the edifice was covered with the shattered glass from the windows. A large shell had ploughed its way directly through the tower, fragments pass- ing through the rear wall of the church, demolish- ing the pulpit, and even "breaking the command- ments " inscribed on tablets attached to the wall. But the iron messenger kindly spared the precepts most needed in Charleston, "Thou shalt not kill I" and "Thou shalt not steal!" We climbed to the top of the tower of this ancient structure, whose chimes had been removed to be recast into rebel cannon. I have since heard that a new set of chimes now ring out the glad notes of Freedom. Near by, on the right, were the ruins of Institute Hall, where the Ordinance of Secession was passed, December 20th, 1860, by more than five hundred majority. On the left, the ruins of Circular Church, where the first secession sermon was preached. But the hour for the grand ceremonial at Sumter had now almost arrived. Hastily embarking on the transport "Golden Gate," the brilliant pageant in the 4 38 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. harbor opened before us. As far as the eye could reach, its water- were thickly crowded with ship- ping, gaily decked from bow-sprit to yard-arm and top-m:i>(, "with flags and streamers gay, in honor of the gala-day ! " While on every ship and transport, in every available place, were assembled the expect- ant multitude. A steamer in the advance suddenly attracted our attention, decked with banners and crowded with the boys in blue. Can it be? Yes, it is our old Rhode Island steamer " Canonicus." Summoned at the opening of the war from the peaceful waters of Narragansetl bay, she had rendered efficienl service as a government transport, and now at its close had been honorably chosen to lead the grand procession in the peaceful advance to Fort Sumter. Presently the signal was given, the drums were beaten, the trumpets sounded, and immediately the "Canonicus" led the proud procession, followed by a long line of steamers and transports which gracefully rounded into line. Prominent among them was the "Planter," commanded by Robert Small, a frecdman, who shouted his orders from the top of the paddle-box, THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 39 while all around him, and below, in every nook and corner, were crowded the happy contrabands of South Carolina, of all ages and sizes, presenting in their variety of costumes a most novel and fantastic pic- ture. It was a proud day for them and for Robert Small, who, a few months before, almost unaided and alone, had captured the "Planter" from the armed State of South Carolina, safely passed the rebel batteries, and delivered her a prize to our blockaders. He received from the government $4,500, one-half the value of the steamer, with a commission of $1,800 as her commander. He afterwards purchased his old master's house and furniture, which set him up as immensely rich among his people, who declared him to be "de dun smartest cullud man in Souf Cur- lina ! " As the long procession of steamers and transports passed the fleet at anchor, manned and decked most gallantly, there was a scene of indescribable enthu- siasm ; guns were booming, bands playing triumphal marches, bells ringing and whistles sounding, while everybody was shouting and cheering at the highest 40 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. pitch of patriotic exultation. This continued ana- bated till wo reached the Landing of Fort Sumter. Disembarking we passed between two files of sol- diers, black men on the right, and while men on the left, rivalling each other in soldierly hearing. Ascending a flight of fifty steps we reached the para- pet of the fort, where wc found the Rhode Island boys of Company B, Third Artillery, Lieutenant J. E. Burroughs commanding, in charge of six pieces of artillery. Captain J. M. Barker and his men, of Company D, were on duty on Morris Island ; and our comrade, Charles II. Williams, with a detach- ment of Company B, were on Sullivan's Island, in charge of Fori .Moultrie and Battery Bee. As 1 stood there on the parapet of Sumter, and looked out over the battered and crumbled fortress, 1 real- ized how it had become, even in ruins, well nigh impregnable. The upper, or barbette walls, had fallen on the outside, and lay packed solidly against the lower walls, choking the entrances to the shat- tered casemates ; numberless -rent guns, whose thun- der had long been the Voice of battle, lay di-lliolintcd and half buried in the sand, while the immense vol- THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 41 ume of shot and shell which had been hurled against the fort had served only to solidify and strengthen the entire mass. The fort was further protected from a scaling party by cheveaux de fvise of pointed pick- ets, while along the base of the wall, near the water line, was a barrier of interlaced wire fence, invisible at the distance of a few feet, and which effectively resisted the advance of our naval forces on the niiiht of September 8, 1863. In the interior of the fort, packed tier above tier against the walls, were layers of tall wicker baskets filled with sand. In the centre stood the new flao 1 - staff, nearly one hundred and fifty feet high, while here and there, at considerable intervals, were piled pyramids of solid shot. But the grim aspect of war had been somewhat softened by the floral decorations, which, I was informed, were the combined taste of six Union ladies of Charleston. Near the flag-staff, a graceful arched canopy had been erected, draped with the American flag, and handsomely trimmed with evergreens and myrtle. On the stage beside the speakers' stand, was a golden eagle, resting upon a shield of the 42 THE FLAG REPLACED «>N 81 MTER. national colors, and holding in his beak a wreath of flowers and evergreen. Descending to the interior of the fort, we pas from the foot of the wall-steps to the platform through a double file of navy hoys, in trimmest holi- day attire. Here were now assembled the great audience of five thousand soldiers, sailors and citi- zens, and we joined them in the stirring song of "Victory at Last /'composed for theoccasion by Wil- liam B. Bradbury, who was presenl and led the sing- in-. Then followed the old battle sone; : •• res, we'll rally round tin' flag, boys, rally once again, shouting the battle-cryof Freedom." The formal exercises were opened with prayer by the Rev. Matthias Han-is, Chaplain United States Army, a venerable man, who had made the prayer at the raising of the flag on Fori Sumter, in Decem- ber, L860, when Major Anderson removed his com- mand from Fori Moultrie. It wn> a brief but touch- ing invocation for the blessing of God upon the flag of the nation, and upon the great occasion. The Rev. K. S. Storrs, D. D., of Brooklyn, N. Y\, then THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 43 read with the audience, alternately, the one hundred and twenty-sixth, forty-seventh, ninety-eighth, and a part of the twentieth Psalms. Major Anderson's dispatch to the Government, April 18, 1861, on steamship "Baltic," off Sandy Hook, announcing the fall of Fort Sumter, was then read by Brigadier-General E. D. Townshend, Assist- ant Adjutant-General United States Army. Then came the crowning event of the day, the " raising and planting upon the ruins of Fort Sumter of the same United States flag which floated over the battlements of the fort during the rebel assault, April 14, 1861, by Brevet Major-General Robert Ander- son, United States Army." Promptly upon the reading of the dispatch, Ser- geant Hart (who had gallantly replaced the flag after it had been shot away in the first assault) stepped forward with the Fort Sumter mail-bag in his hand. As he quietly drew forth from its long seclusion the same old flag of '61, a wild shout went up, " prolonged and loud." It was quickly attached to the halyards by three sailors from the fleet, who were in the first fight, and crowned with a wreath of evergreen, set with clusters of rosebuds and orange blossoms. 44 l in. I LAG Kl.l'l. \< JED "N -I MTER. All was now ready, and the hour, the moment, for which the nation had so long earnestly struggled and patiently waited, had come at lasl ! "Though the mills of <;<>f duty to my country, dear t«> my heart, and which all of you will appreciate and feel. Had 1 observed the wishes of my heart, it Bhould have been -lour in silence; but in accordance with the request of the Honorable Secretarj of War, 1 makes i">w remarks, as bj his order, after four long, long yean of war, I THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 47 restore to its proper place this dear flag, which floated here during peace, before the first act of this cruel rebellion. [Taking the hal- yards'in his hands, he said:] I thank God that I have lived to see this day, and to be here, to perform this, perhaps the last act of my life, of duty to my country. My heart is filled with gratitude to that God who has so signally blessed us, who has given us bless, ings beyond measure. May all the nations bless and praise the name of the Lord, and all the world proclaim, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' " "Amen ! amen !" the multitude responded. Then the old veteran grasped the halyards with firm and steady hand, and "Forthwith from the glittering staff unfurled The starry banner, which full high advanced, Shone like a meteor streaming to the wind." A loud and prolonged shout, from fort and fleet, greeted the old flag as, all tattered with shot and shell, it rose above the battlements into its native air. The whole audience sprang to their feet. Several bands began to play their most inspiring music. Men swung their hats and grasped each other by the hand ; women and children waved their hand- kerchiefs, and many wept for very joy. As it rested at length in its old place at the top of the staff, and waved its victorious folds towards the recovered city, 48 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. which had first disowned it, the enthusiasm became tumultuous and overpowering, till at lasl it found relief in the national song : "The star spangled banner, <» long may it wave, <)'. i the land of the Eree, and the home of the brave! " I can never forget the impression of thai glorious spectacle, and that song of victory that went up from five thousand voices. The colored soldier pacing to and fro, with beating heart and gazing aloft with pride upon the "Hag of the free hearts' hope and home," could now exclaim, "Yes, that is now my flag I and yonder, at Fort Wagner, the colored soldier fought and died to restore it. Four yearsago, when that flag went down, more than four millions of my people had no flag! Bui to-day il is our flag, and our country '. " Immediately followed the grand artillery salute to the flag; and I left my seal and climbed the look-out hiffh above upon the wall to obtain an unobstructed view of the hay. First, the heavy guns of Sumter thundered forth their hearty greeting to the flag. Then, in loyal and quick response, came the an- THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. * 49 swering notes from Fort Moultrie and Morris Island, followed by a national salute from every fort and rebel battery that had fired upon the flag four years before. Finally the fleet, with the little monitors, joined in the deep harmonies of the grand chorus, till the earth trembled with the cannonade, the air grew heavy with smoke, and nothing was visible but the rapid flashes of the artillery. For a moment it seemed as if the assault of '61 was being re-enacted before me. But it is safe to add that had this been the case, I should hardly have chosen such an ele- vated position upon the observatory of the fort. At length the roar of cannon ceased, the dense clouds of smoke and sand drifted away, and order was re- stored. The orator of the day, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, then began his address, of which the open- ing: and closing sentences were as follows : "On this solemn and joyful day, we again lift to the breeze our fathers' flag, now, again, the banner of the United States, with the fervent prayer that God would crown it with honor, protect it from treason, and send it down to our children, with all the blessings of civilization, liberty and religion. Terrible in battle, may it be beneficent in peace. Happily, no bird or beast of prey has been 5 50 % THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. Inscribed upon it. The stars thai redeem the night from darkness, and the beams Of rod light that beautify the morning, have been united upon its folds. As long as the sun endures, or the stars, may it wave over a nation neither enslaved nor enslaving. [Great applause.] "Once, and but once, has treason dishonored it. In that insane hour, when the guiltiest and bloodiest rebellion of time hurled their fires upon this fort, you, sir, [turning to General Anderson,] and a small, heroic band, stood within these now crumbled walls, and did gallant and just battle for the honor and defense of the nation's banner. [Applause.] "To-day you are returned again. We devoutly join with you in thanksgiving to Almighty God, that he has spared your honored life, and vouchsafed you the honors of this day. The heavens over you are the same; the same shores; morning comes, and evening, as they did. All else, how changed I What grim batteries crowd the burdened shores! What scenes have filled this air, and dis- turbed these waters! These shattered heaps of shapeless stone are all that is left of Fort Sumter. Desolation broods in yonder sad c ity _ so le mn retribution hath avenged our dishonored banner I You have come back with honor, who departed hence, four years ago, leaving the air sultry with fanaticism. The surging crowds thai rolled up their frenzied shouts, as the dag came down, are dead, or scattered, or Bilent; and their habitations are desolate. Ruin Bits in the cradle of treason. Rebellion has perished. But there flies the same flag thai was Insulted. [Great and prolonged applause.] With Btarry eyes it looks all over this bay for that ban- ner that Bupplanted it, and sees itnot. [Applause.] You that then, for the day, were humbled, are here again, to triumph once and forever. [Applause.] In the storm of that assault this glorious THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 51 ensign was often struck ; but, memorable fact, not one of its stars was torn out by shot or shell. [Applause.] It was a prophecy. It said, 'Not one State shall be struck from this nation by treason!' The fulfillment is at hand. Lifted to the air, to-day, it proclaims, after four years of war, 'Not a State is blotted out!' [Applause.] Hail to the flag of our fathers, and our flag! Glory to the banner that has gone through four years black with tempests of war, to pilot the nation back to peace without dismemberment! And glory be to God, who, above all hosts and banners, hath ordained victory, and shall ordain peace! [Applause.] "Our nation, under one government, without slavery, has been ordained, and shall stand. There can be peace on no other basis. Reverently, piously, in hopeful patriotism, we spread this banner on the sky, as of old the bow was planted on the cloud ; and, with solemn fervor, beseech God to look upon it, and make it the memo- rial of an everlasting covenant and decree, that never again on this fair land shall a deluge of blood prevail. [Applause.] * * * * ***** "From this pulpit of broken stone we speak forth our earnest greeting to all our land. "We offer to the President of these United States our solemn congratulations that God has sustained his life and health under the unparalleled burdens and sufferings of four bloody years, and permitted him to behold this auspicious consummation of that national unity for which he has waited with so much patience and fortitude, and for which he has labored with such disinterested wisdom. [Applause.] fp "To the members of the government associated with him in the administration of perilous affairs in critical times; to the Senators and Representatives of the United States, who have eagerly fash- 52 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. ioned the Instruments by which the popular will might express and enforce itself, we tender our grateful thanks. [Applause.] "To the officers and men of the Army and Navy, who have so faithfully, skillfully, and gloriously upheld their country's author- ity, by suffering, labor, and sublime courage, we offer here a tribute beyond the compass of words. [Great applause.] "Upon these true and faithful citizens, men and women, who have borne up with unflinching hope in the darkest hour, and cov- ered the land with the labors of love and charity, we invoke the divinest blessing of Him whom they have so truly imitated. [Applause.] "But, chiefly, to Thee, God of our fathers, we render thanksgiv- ing and praise for that wondrous Providence that has brought forth from such a harvest of war, the seed of so much liberty and peace. We invoke peace upon the North. Peace be to the West. Peace be upon the South. "In the name of God we lift up our banner, and dedicate it to Peace, Union and Liberty, now and forever." [Great applause.] At the conclusion of the address, the audience arose and sang the doxology. An impressive prayer followed, with the benediction, by the Bey. Dr. Storrs, Jr. Six deafening cheers were then given for the old flag replaced on Sumter ; and three times three for President Lincoln, General Kobert Anderson, and our soldiers and sailors. Many of us remained to avail ourselves of the opportunity to shake hands with the old veteran, and I well remem- THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 53 ber the exultation with which I walked off with the General's autograph. We spent an hour in exploring the walls and case- ments of the fort and rummaging about for relics. It was amusing to see a man who, after selecting a twenty-five pound shot for a memento, would carry it a short distance, change hands to make it easier, and then come to the conclusion that it was foolish to luo- such a heavy thing around ; or to see another person, who had been sweating under the burden of a heavy shell, — when suddenly told that it was still loaded and liable to go off, and take him off with it, — quickly turn and lay it down carefully, and quietly depart. I satisfied my curiosity with a few small grape and canister shot, some fragments of exploded shells, and a section of the rebel iron wire fence on the outer wall. It must have been fully six o'clock when we all arrived safely back to the city. At sunset there was another grand salute from the fleet, and in the even- in «• we were summoned on deck to witness the clos- ing demonstration of the day. Nothing could be seen in the darkness, till quick, as if by magic, at 54 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. the signal from the flag-ship of the Admiral, the entire harbor for miles around was brilliantly illumi- nated. Every vessel and transport and monitor was ablaze with many-colored fires. Each mast and sail and rope was aglow with light. From every deck came the roar and glare of rockets, darting in quick procession to the sky, then turning and descending in showers of golden rain. Hundreds of lanterns, red, green and white, suspended from the rigging, flashed out their starry signals over the bay, ar!d were reflected in the waters beneath, while heavy clouds of smoke, tinged with golden radiance, rolled heavenward like ascending incense, presenting a scene of rare enchantment. But hark ! another signal gun is heard. Every light instantly disappears ! Every sound is hushed I and grim darkness again mantles the waters of the bay; and, I was about to add, we were all soon in sleep's Berene oblivion, but my diary records that at nine o'clock i>. Bi. five of us took an impressed car- riage and started for the Charleston Botel, to attend a reception given by General Ciilmore. On our arri- val, we made a bargain with our negro driver to wait THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 55 for us, say half an hour, more or less, and then take us over to the Battery, to General Hatch's grand military ball. But once inside, we became so much absorbed, like little Tommy Tucker, in the supper and the toasts, that we forgot all about our colored driver outside, — just as people do at parties still. The following are brief extracts from the remarks of two or three of the principal speakers. Judge- Advocate Holt, in responding to the toast, "General Robert Anderson," said : "It is not uncommon for organizations in treason or in crime, on a vast scale, to commit mistakes in the selection of agents to accomplish their work ; and no man in all history committed a greater mistake than Floyd, in the selection of General Anderson, on the sole ground of his being a southern man, to command Fort Sumter. He thought to find in him a tool of treason, but he found instead a loyal, fearless, and true man. Those who have led great treasonable enterprises, or great crimes, have suffered most from mingled rage and angry fear when they discovered such mistakes in the selection of their agents, and none suffered more in this respect than Secretary Floyd, on hearing of the transfer of the small but devoted garrison from Fort Moultrie to the solid walls of Fort Sumter. There was one man, still in the service of the govern- ment, who was with Floyd, in the Cabinet, at the time, and could bear evidence to the rage of the defeated traitor, and that man, with giant brain and steadfast heart, has for three years presided at the head of the War Department — Edwin M. Stanton." 56 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. Major-General Abner Doubleday was called out by some remarks referring to the part he took in the defense of Fort Sumter, and said : " I feel to-day as if I had been present at the birth of a new nation. I was most happy to have been present at the impressive ceremonies this day, and glad to remember that I dealt some blows against secession in the same place four years ago. I never doubted then the propriety of our resistance. I felt that the only answer to armed treason must come from the mouth of the cannon. There is one class of men in that early effort to whom justice has not been done. I mean the enlisted men. They were offered every inducement to desert- heavy bribes, and promotion in a new ser- vice-but they refused them all. [Cheers.] They were told that there would be no necessity for any fighting; that there would soon be peace, as the North could not stand up against them; but all their efforts failed, and I give you, ' The remembrance of those noble soldiers.' " [Great cheering.] But we were particularly interested in General Robert Anderson's response to a toast which had been assigned to General John A. Dix, who sent the famous order to Louisiana, in 1861, "If any man attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot ! " General Anderson concluded by introducing the toast, "Abraham Lincoln," with an eloquent tribute of respect and affection. Said he : THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 57 " I beg you now, that you will join me in drinking the health of another man whom we all love to honor,— the man who, when elected President of the United States, was compelled to reach the seat of government without an escort, but a man who now could travel all over our country with millions of hands and hearts to sustain him. I give you the good, the great, the honest man, Abraham Lincoln." How little we dreamed, as the cheers, twice re- peated, went around, that at that self-same hour the honored President lay prostrate and dying in the National Capital from the bullet of an assassin. " Thus grief ever treads upon the heels of pleasure " — "And all alike await the inevitable hour; The paths of glory lead but to the grave." Having now remained at the hotel over an hour, we went out to look after our colored coachman, only to find, as we might have expected, that he had given us the slip. But we took possession of another car- riage that fortunately came up, and, in answer to the sable inquiry, "Am Colonel Fuller ready for de ball ? " we kindly informed our colored friend that if he would take us to the ball, the Colonel would undoubt- edly be ready by the time he returned. Thus assured, he started off with us over a very dark and rough road, 58 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. through the burnt district, till we stopped at length before a fine old mansion on East Bay street, bril- liantly illuminated, from which sounds of music and festivity proceeded. Here, we were told, was the scene of another grand ball, given by the Confed- erates in honor of the fall of Sumter, just four years before. Some of the same negroes who served at the first ball, as slaves, now attended the second as free and independent waiters. I purchased of one of them for a nominal sum quite a collection of Confed- erate currency, a Palmetto brass button, and a quaint Pompeiian lamp, which are still preserved as me- mentoes of the occasion. We were told " dat Massa Middleton used to own de place," but, as the darkeys sing: " He saw a smoke way down deribber, Where de Lincum gunboats lay, He took his hat, an' lef berry sudden, An' I 'specs he's run'd away ! " So the fine estate, with its broad verandas, and elegant mirrors ami paintings on the walls, all be- came, including the darkeys, "contraband of war." The next day was Saturday, and it was announced that the w Oceanus " would sail at five in the after- THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 59 noon. The hour of departure was afterwards post- poned to Sunday morning at nine o'clock, by advice of the pilot. We visited various points of interest on Saturday, including the office of the Charleston Mercury, where we secured some interesting papers, which are referred to in the Appendix. We also saw the slave-marts, where families had so long been bouoht and sold like cattle. I secured a bill of sale of a slave who was described as "a negro fellow called Simon." The seller's name was Mordecai, and the buyer of " the sole use of Simon forever," was a Mr. Laz- arus. During the morning, one of our lady passengers was accosted by an aged black woman with a hen and a bag of eggs, as fol-^7, lows: "Missus, I want to gib^z de northern ladies sumthin', but I have nuthin' but this yer hen, and these yer eggs. Won't you take 'em ? " This was too much 60 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. for the sympathetic nature of Mrs. B , but what to do with the hen and her products so far from home, was the question. Finally the eggs were taken and the hen left. The woman was rewarded and de- parted in much delight. On the homeward voyage a gentleman proposed to take them up to his coun- try seat in New York State, and put them under the care of the most motherly hen of his large flock. This was done with the following result : "June 10, iscs. "I am happy to inform you that the Charleston hen has done her duty as well as could be expected under the circumstances. The eggs were evidently the product of secession times, and stoutly resisted all northern influences. But the mother hen dertermined, 'a la General Grant,' to set it out on this nest 'if it took all sum- mer!' A great destruction of capital has been the result, but 'victory at last' has rewarded her efforts, and she is now followed by a train of four bipeds, one Mack, one white, and two octoroons. I have neglected to tell you thai the mother hen Is Mack, and struts with pompous pride above her white and octoroon subjects. 'Let as have peace.' " My record would be incomplete without a brief description of the freedmen's meetings on Saturday. \\ «■ found Citadel square almost impassable with the dense crowds of negroes, while hundreds of children THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 61 were marching through the streets singing "John Brown." The principal gathering was in Zion's Church, where more than three thousand colored people were crowded together. One of the speakers from the north, William Lloyd Garrison, the vete- ran abolitionist, was surrounded by the freedmen as he entered the church, and borne on their shoulders amid great enthusiasm to the platform. Then the surging multitude sang, with thrilling power and effect : "Roll, Jordan, roll, the year of Jubilee ; " and another song, beginning : " Blow, blow your trumpet, Gabriel ! " How they all shouted at the first mention of the name of Lincoln ! " Spread it abroad," said Hon. Henry Wilson, " all over South Carolina, that the black men of South Carolina know no master now, and that they are slaves no more forever ! [Great cheering.] Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States [tremendous cheering and waving of hats and hand- kerchiefs] , with twenty-five millions of freemen by his side, and seven hundred thousand bayonets 62 THE FLAG REPLACED OX SUMTER. In-hind him, has decreed it, and it will stand while the world stands, that the black men of South ( aro- lina can never more he slaves! ,[Loud cheers.] They have robbed your cradle-: they have sold your children; they have separated husband and wife, father and mother and child. [Gries of 'Yes ! yes! ye>!". They shall separate you no more ! ['Halle- lujah! bress de Lord!'] The long, dreary night of slavery has passed away forever. ['Amen! amen! amen!'] Remember that you are now to he obe- dient, faithful, true and loyal to your country for- e\ ermore ! " [< Jheers and cries of ' Yes ! yes ! \ Twenty years have passed since the emancipation of this race, and while a greal work has been accom- plished for their education, aided by the princely gifts of siuh philanthropists as George Peabody and John F. Slater, of New England, it is also true that much remains to be done. There -till appear- to exist among the ruling class in the south a tendency to put barriers in the way*of the poor and ignorant masses, and hinder them in the exercise of their per- sonal and political rights. "This is a white man's government,*' exclaim- the solid south to-dav. Sfl in •-• ICuj/yrtylued by J. A. d- R. A. Held.] "Ole Mass a run — ha! ha! De darkeys stay — ho! ho! ! THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 6<> I860. And again let the loyal answer go forth, as from the lips of the lamented Lincoln, at Gettysburg, twenty years ago, "This is a government of the peo- ple, by the people, and for the people, without dis- tinction of race or color." The most serious danger which threatens our country to-day, is the ignorance of the masses, both white and black, north as well as south. This class in many States holds the balance of power, and has become a most dangerous force in the hands of educated but unprincipled leaders. The beneficent influences of Christianity and univer- sal education are necessary to lift the masses from their servile position, and enable them to think and vote for themselves. Nor should they be allowed to vote until they can read and write. Education and suffrage should go hand in hand. CONCLUSION. On the morning of Sunday, the sixteenth of April, 1865, the good steamer "Oceanus," gay with crowds of passengers, and proudly waving flags and signals, steamed slowly down Charleston harbor homeward bound. As she passed the fleet, parting salutations 66 TIIE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTEB. wore exchanged with the monitors, men-of-war, and the -mailer boats passing to and fro. We turned to lake a last survey of the city in the distance, the forts, and shores thickly studded with now peaceful batteries. As we passed abreast of Fort Sumter, where, as at Lexington a hundred years ago, "was fired the shot heard 'round the world," every head was uncovered, while we reverently sang, the hand accompanying : •• Praise (Jod, from whom all blessings How," followed by the sweet strains of: •• My country, 'tis nf thee, Sweet land nf liberty." Immediately the colors on the fort were dipped, and the sentinels on the walls waved their adieus w ith caps and bayonets. At Length we crossed the bar and took leave of the pilot. A- the shores of South Carolina faded in the dis- tance, and the walls of the storied fort sank below the -ray horizon, we bade farewell to scenes which, how- ever changed by the ceaseless march of time, must always posses- a charm indescribable. Religious ser- THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 67 vices were held in the cabin at eleven o'clock, and again during the evening. The sound of merriment was hushed, and all seemed to realize that it was the Sabbath. Indeed, it was observed by one of the speakers, that he had not heard a word of profanity or seen any one under the influence of intoxicating beverages during the voyage. Monday followed without important incident, save that at five o'clock in the afternoon we safely rounded Cape Hatteras with a gentle reminder of the old couplet : "If the Bermudas let you pass, You must beware of Hatteras ! " Tuesday morning, when about thirty miles south of Fortress Monroe, and while most of the passen- gers were at breakfast, a steamer was observed in the distance with her flag at half-mast. Various were the conjectures for whom it could be. We had been without news from the north for more than a week ; what could have happened ? Presently a pilot-boat, with her colors also at half- mast, appeared within hailing distance. 68 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. "What's the news?" was eagerly shouted from the "Oceanus." "The President is dead," came faintly back, with startling effect, over the water. Immediately the breakfast t aides were de- serted, and the passengers gathered in astonished groups on deck, exclaiming, "It cannot be!" "We do not believe it !" lint a second pilot-boat could now be seen with her flag, half-hoisted, drooping from the halyards. Again the earnest inquiry, "What's the news?" " President Lincoln is dead." "How did he die?" "He was assassinated in Washington." Then stoul hearts trembled with dismay, and men unused to tears turned pale and wept. As we passed vessel after vessel, we obtained further particulars of the cruel tragedy, and the feeling of -loom and indig- nation which prevailed was deep and indescribable. Ann a ham Lincoln. THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 69 Nothing else was thought or talked of, till we arrived at the fortress. On landing, I purchased a Rich- mond paper, containing a full account of the assassi- nation, the murderous attack upon Secretary Seward and his sons, with the plot to remove General Grant and the entire Cabinet. We found the entrance to the fortress draped in mourning, and the saddest reminders of all were the portraits of the departed President, deeply hung with crape, in the various offices. We made but a brief stay at the splendid fortress, with its powerful armament, where, a few weeks later, Jefferson Davis was brought and confined as a prisoner of war. We could plainly discern " the Rip Raps " and Se wall's Point, and the locality was pointed out "in the Roads," where the little Monitor defeated the Merrimac, in 1862, and saved the Union fleet. The story of this famous battle, and the rev- olution it produced in naval warfare, has been graph- ically recited by Comrade F. B. Butts. But the sad intelligence from the Capital had crushed the desire for sight-seeing, and all seemed anxious to get home with the least possible delay. After taking a supply of coal and water, and landing 70 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. tour or five blockade-runners who had secreted them- selves in our coal-bunkers al Charleston, we were again "homeward bound." Wednesday morning found us well on our voyage to New York, with continued pleasant weather. At half-pasl ten, the Sumter Club, which had been organized, held a meeting, and the rebel flag of Fort Moultrie was formally presented to the Club. It was voted to procure a suitable gold badge, with Fort Sumter engraved upon it, for each member. It was further voted thai every passenger who sailed from New Y..rk for Charleston on the "Oceanus" should he entitled to membership. Appropriate services were held od hoard at eleven o'clock, the hour at which the funeral obsequies of the Presidenl were being solemnized in Washington. At three o'clock we were opposite Coney [aland, and entering the Narrows. After a short detention at quarantine, we rapidly passed the light-houses and tort> and the fleet of shipping, moving and at an- chor about the great metropolis, and drew into the dock at the fool of Robinson streel as the city hells struck five. Hasty farewells were exchanged with THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. 71 friends on board, mingled with greetings from friends on shore. Making my way with difficulty through the crowds of people and among teams, drays and carriages, I at length emerged into the streets of New York. But what a change ! The city was in mourning ! Ten days before, every highway and avenue had been resplendent with flags and streamers ; and a whole city had celebrated with joy and thanksgiv- ing the return of peace and the triumph of loyalty over armed rebellion. We had sailed to the metrop- olis of the south, the Cradle of the Rebellion, and found it a city in ruins. There, where the national ensign had been first dishonored, we had seen it uplifted and restored with imposing ceremonies, amid the shouts of a race redeemed and set free. To-day we had returned to find New York as mournful as Charleston. A national calamity had filled the land with mourning. From every flag-staif the " stars and stripes," shrouded in black, drooped at half-mast. From the houses of rich and poor alike, hung the emblems of the universal sorrow. It is estimated that not less than five hundred thousand people, the rep- i 2 THE FLAG REPLACED ON SUMTER. resentatives of all classes, crowded the entrances to the City Hall to take a last look at the familiar fea- tures of the beloved President, who had so endeared himself to all parties by his patience, wisdom and fidelity during his long and difficult term of service. Just before the tall of Richmond he uttered those «\er-mcmoral)le words, his fitting epitaph: "With malice towards none, with charity for all, with tirm- aess in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we arc in, and do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." His work was finished. The nation was reunited, and at peace with all the world. As we enjoy to-day the blessings of peace and orderly progress let us never forget the name of Lincoln. Let us ever remember at what a fearful sacrifice of precious blood and treasure, Liberty and Union were maintained, and "the flag replaced on Sumter " VICTORY AT LAST. SONG AND CHORUS. Words by Mrs. M. A. Kildeb. Muaio by W». B. Beadso-ht. li m ■mm ±=± j J For many years we've waited To ' J And now that-day approaches, The it ij Introduction, m . f*», •»» #4-- 'US 9 =f=33 Hi|P| *=Fr" # i55^ iJ=ttS •-^ p=lt- fefe ^±3 t j^^ ^!t hall the day of peace, Wlion our land should be united. And war and strife should cease ; I drums are beating fast. Anil all the boys are coming home, There's victory at last. J lUfc± 9 £3233 ^ — j i — i-i ?^§£S§ippp8 ^=3=2 — ^ 3=g £ ^s ifc r-1 H =t ^1 FULL OHORTJS, afei There's vie - to - ry at last, boys, vie - to - ry it last I O'er jEEgESgEEEE^ j^j^ m*m g m &£&z&& land nnd sea Our flag Is free; We'll nnll It to the mast ; Yes, we'll £="££=££=£ : ^r-t^^-F^£ nnil It to tlio mast, boys, Nail It to the most; For tin-re's & hrrY* z - *_n«: "> b - l7~b~v^ ^^^^fe^^d^^ ^if vie • to - ry, vie - to - ry, vie ■f- -t— +- t— . -C /T\ to - ry Rt l&stl U=P '-' The hi roes '.\ lio have gal ' It, And lived i" Bee the day, We will meet with flying banners And hi rs on the way ; And all their sad privations Bhall to the winds be i For ull the boys are coming home — i here's victory at last. — chorus. O bappy wives and children, Light up your hearts and homea, For see, with martial music, " I be conquering hero come-," With tla^> and Bt reamers flying, While drums are l" ating For nil the boj .- are coming home - i here's \ Ictorj at laal — < bobi b ■ I >n Sumter April 1 1 APPENDIX. From the Charleston Mercury of January 19, 1865. (A month before the evacuation of the city.) Charleston a Saragossa ! ******** " The same tenacity and daring which has held Charleston and the Savannah line for four years, can hold Charleston now, if brought to bear upon the emergency. Too long we have been lighting here, around these old walls, to yield them now without a struggle. We say, unhesitatingly, to those in authority, there are brave men here, who are prepared to make of Charleston a second Saragossa. We use no fancy phrase. We mean the exact thing. We mean fight the country inch by inch to her outside lines ; and we mean, then, fight it inch by inch to the foot of old St. Michael's walls. * * * We want no Atlanta, no Savannah business here. * * * Let Charleston be strictly a military camp. The opportunity is offered — let the commanding general make a fight here that will ring round the world. We will not fail him. There are men here to do it. We have made names historic before. We can do it now. Let us strip and enter the arena for life or for death. Will he stand by us?" From the Charleston Mercury of February 10. 1865. (A week before the evacuation of the city.) "Amidst the dark shadows that envelop the destinies of the Con- federate States at the present moment, we think — we dream per- haps, perhaps we imagine — that we see a faint streak of light, 76 APPENDIX. struggling up across the eastern horizon through the darkness of the night, [s it the earl] messenger of morn ? or Is it an aurora of the night ? Set we Imagine we see a streak of dawn upon the horizon. Anew Yankee Congress comes in on the fourth of March next. What sort of body is it? Wild lunatics. Thej come into power flushed with success, and are themselves the very dregs of radical- ism. Every oneofthem are drunken mobocrats and blood; Puri- tans of the deepest dye. What will they nol do and say? Can Lincoln control them ? Can Seward control them '.' We think not. In their very violence and brutality lies our hope. Can Europe stand them six months ? We think not. Must nol Europe see that if they are successful in destro] ing is that their ovi D time is not far off when they will he swept from off this continent ? Will not this coming Yankee Congress force all the world either to cower before them, or check them by upholding usf We think ii must. Tin- i- a streak of dawn that we imagine we see. Perhaps we are only nodding— and only dream. Still we fancj the thing. Let us stand to our arms, and watch for the morning." The morning daw na at length. From tin Charleston Mercury, February 11,1865. e last edition published in the city.) I'd ci i: Re u>eks. " The progress of military events, which has occasioned SO much public and private inconvenience and Buffering, ha- not spared the newspaper interest. The interruption of railroad communication between Charleston ami the interior, produces a state of affairs winch compels us, t< mporarily, to transfer the publication office ol the Mercury elsewhere ; and to-day's paper will be our last issue, for the present, in ti Itj of Charleston." (The editor then moved his establishment to Cheraw, S. •'.. directly in the line of General Sherman's advance.)