Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘TWIXT LOVE AND DUTY. 11 drawn from the Federal Union, and formed a govern- ment of their own. I repeat, gentlemen, the Confed- erate States at this moment constitute an independent nation.”’ His voice was drowned in a round of applause and a tattle of glasses. ‘“The South has already crossed the Rubicon,’?’ con- tinued the Senator, ‘‘and whatever may be the final result, impartial history will record the innocence of the Confederate States and place the responsibility of the blood and mourning that may ensue upon those who have denied the great fundamental doctrine of American liberty that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.”’ Here the speaker was/ _-in interrupted by another vehement demonstration, clearly showing how high partisan feeling ran. ‘“There is no one present but is aware that we have tried to arrive at a peaceful solution of the present crisis. We sent commissioners to Washington a month ago, fully authorized to adjust all questions gtowing out of this political separation. The national authorities at the capital, however, have seen fit to ignore their mission; and the active naval and mili- tary preparations of the United States Government, as well as the formal notice served upon. General Beauregard, commander of our forces around this harbor, that President Lincoln intends to provision and teinforce Fort Sumter, for forcible means if nec- essary, can only be construed as a declaration of war against the Confederate States, for the President of the United States knows that Fort Sumter cannot be provisioned without the effusion of blood. ”’ The excitement was now at fever heat, and the applause deafening. ‘‘Gentlemen, I have but one word more to say. It is now one o'clock i in the morning. Within one hour from this time, unless Major Anderson reconsiders Gcomicbooks (E(0)