Letter from I. W. Garrott in Columbia, South Carolina, to Governor A. B. Moore.
Item
Identifier
RSG00248_f09_Q0000134721_Q0000134724
Title
Letter from I. W. Garrott in Columbia, South Carolina, to Governor A. B. Moore.
Rights
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Type
Text
Creator
Garrott, I.W.
Date
December 8, 1860
Description
This is a letter written to Governor A.B. Moore from I.W. Garrott in December of 1860. This letter describes the need for secession. It specifically describes the role of South Carolina in secession.
Format
letter
Place
Columbia (S.C.)
Publisher
Alabama Department of Archives and History. (electronic version)
Contributor
Anna Grace Beddingfield
transcription
Columbia S. C. Decr. 8. 1860.
My dear Sir.
I have had just
closed a long & (to me) interesting
inteview whth Govr. Gist. He
is an affable & intelligent gentle
-man of fine personal appearance
& agreeable conversational powers.
Information derived from him satis
=fies me that there is not the
slightest doubt that S. C. will se
=cede. 125 out of the 164 members
of the Convention are for immediate
& unconditional secession & the
others are avowed secessionists but
a little weak about the knees. &
would like to have a little delay in
order to see if by possibility something
may not turn up which would jus
=tify S. C. in remaining in the Union.
When, however, they have to meet
the issue which the 125 will compel
them to [reach?] up to, the Convention
will be a unit on the question.
The Governor says that we may rely
on S. C.'s going out in three or four days
at furthest after the convention assembles
He has been himself elected a member
of that body. Two members of Congress
from this state have written him by
the last mail that Gen Davis,
Govr. Brown & others have abandoned
all idea of compromising the dif
=ficulty & say that they desire S. C.
to go out of the Union without de=
=lay. He can bring 60.000 fighting men
into the field & is fully prepared for
war if war should result He is no
doubt prepared with all munitions
of war more thoroughly than any
southern state in the Union. The
Govr. seems to be fully posted as to
what is going on in & out of the
state. The rumor that the General
Government was introducing soldiers
in Fort Moultrie in the character
of workmen he regards as unfounded.
He says that S. C. can take the forts
in Charleston harbor without a great
deal of bloodshed. that they have
sufficient ordinance to do it & fears
that it will be difficult to res
=train the people from doing ^it after
the state secedes. With coolness, pru
=dence & great care, he thinks that
that the secession will be peaceable.
that if peaceable, other states will
be tempted to follow S. C. - if not peace
=able, then the slaveholding states will
rally to her support & will then secede.
He does not expect a collision on account
of the collection of the revenues even.
The Collector at Charleston will probably
resign. then Mr. Buchanon will either
not nominate a successor or if he does,
he will not be confirmed by the Senate.
In the meantime the authorities of
the state can proceed to collect the
duties which she may impose. Provided
it is not done in the Federal Cus=
tom house. In short by coolness, &
prudent caution the most delicate
matters can be managed so as to
avoid an outbreak. Please consider
what is said about the customs as
confidential. From all I can hear on
all sides S. C. is as certain to go out at
least as early as the 20 or 21st inst as
the sun continues to rise & by the time
I return home, I expect to have to use
my commission as a passport through
the free & independent Republic of S. C.
Yours truly - J. W. Garrett
To His Excellency A. B. Moore
Letter from
J. W. Garrott
Coms -
My dear Sir.
I have had just
closed a long & (to me) interesting
inteview whth Govr. Gist. He
is an affable & intelligent gentle
-man of fine personal appearance
& agreeable conversational powers.
Information derived from him satis
=fies me that there is not the
slightest doubt that S. C. will se
=cede. 125 out of the 164 members
of the Convention are for immediate
& unconditional secession & the
others are avowed secessionists but
a little weak about the knees. &
would like to have a little delay in
order to see if by possibility something
may not turn up which would jus
=tify S. C. in remaining in the Union.
When, however, they have to meet
the issue which the 125 will compel
them to [reach?] up to, the Convention
will be a unit on the question.
The Governor says that we may rely
on S. C.'s going out in three or four days
at furthest after the convention assembles
He has been himself elected a member
of that body. Two members of Congress
from this state have written him by
the last mail that Gen Davis,
Govr. Brown & others have abandoned
all idea of compromising the dif
=ficulty & say that they desire S. C.
to go out of the Union without de=
=lay. He can bring 60.000 fighting men
into the field & is fully prepared for
war if war should result He is no
doubt prepared with all munitions
of war more thoroughly than any
southern state in the Union. The
Govr. seems to be fully posted as to
what is going on in & out of the
state. The rumor that the General
Government was introducing soldiers
in Fort Moultrie in the character
of workmen he regards as unfounded.
He says that S. C. can take the forts
in Charleston harbor without a great
deal of bloodshed. that they have
sufficient ordinance to do it & fears
that it will be difficult to res
=train the people from doing ^it after
the state secedes. With coolness, pru
=dence & great care, he thinks that
that the secession will be peaceable.
that if peaceable, other states will
be tempted to follow S. C. - if not peace
=able, then the slaveholding states will
rally to her support & will then secede.
He does not expect a collision on account
of the collection of the revenues even.
The Collector at Charleston will probably
resign. then Mr. Buchanon will either
not nominate a successor or if he does,
he will not be confirmed by the Senate.
In the meantime the authorities of
the state can proceed to collect the
duties which she may impose. Provided
it is not done in the Federal Cus=
tom house. In short by coolness, &
prudent caution the most delicate
matters can be managed so as to
avoid an outbreak. Please consider
what is said about the customs as
confidential. From all I can hear on
all sides S. C. is as certain to go out at
least as early as the 20 or 21st inst as
the sun continues to rise & by the time
I return home, I expect to have to use
my commission as a passport through
the free & independent Republic of S. C.
Yours truly - J. W. Garrett
To His Excellency A. B. Moore
Letter from
J. W. Garrott
Coms -
Subject
Moore, A. B. (Andrew Barry), 1807-1873; South Carolina--1860.; Alabama--Politics and government--To 1865; Secession--Southern States; Alabama--Politics and government--To 1865