Letter from J. A. Elmore in Charleston, South Carolina, to Governor A. B. Moore.
Item
Identifier
RSG00248_f09_Q0000134725_Q0000134729
Title
Letter from J. A. Elmore in Charleston, South Carolina, to Governor A. B. Moore.
Rights
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Type
Text
Creator
Archer, J.A.
Date
December 19, 1860
Description
J.A. Elmore is writing to Governor A.B. Moore to update him on the state of the convention to discuss secession. Elmore is describing the beliefs and opinions of each state and how it will support or withdraw support as a result of the overall move toward secession.
Format
letter
Place
Charleston (S.C.)
Publisher
Alabama Department of Archives and History. (electronic version)
Contributor
Anna Grace Beddingfield
transcription
Charleston Decr 19. 1860
His Excellency A. B. Moore
Sir,
I received your dispatch on the night of the 17th at 11 P. M. after the Convention had adjourned to this place of which I telegraphed you on yesterday morning - I did not leave Columbia until 2 P. M. yesterday and arrived here last night - This morning was the ear= liest opportunity I had of communicating your dispatch to the Convention which I did by a letter to the President inclosing it and request= ing that it be read & submitted to them which was done and it was received with applause - I hesitated about making this communication so public, as you might have intended that I should only exhibit it to the members or tell them of its contents, but as I was satisfied the object was to produce an influ= ence on the Convention, and as I had already in my speech to them at Columbia on the night of the 17th told them to go forward with= out delay, and announced it not only as my opinion as the wisest and best course to strengthen the cause in the other states, but that I was authorized by you to say it was also your opinion. I thought I had fully committed you and the only way was to carry it through - In my haste above I omitted to mention that the Convention when at Columbia invited Mr [?] the [Commr] from Miss & myself to address the Convention at 7 P. M. which we did and you will have seen what I said, in the
papers by the time this reaches you - The Convention to day did nothing but receive and refer resolutions to committees - The Committee to prepare the ordinance has not reported - and probably will not report before the day after tomorrow - Although nothing new was done [than?] this refer= ence of measures, there was some speaking on the various questions referred - Among the questions was one in relation to Commercial Affairs - Postal Arrangements - the surrender of the Forts here - A provisional Government with other seceding States - This last excited some interesting dis= cussion between Col Hayne the Atty General who introduced it sustained by Col [?] & opposed by R. B. Rhett - Col Hayne's prop osition was to the same effect as that of which I wrote you, as suggested in the preliminary meeting of the members of the Convention at Columbia - The most embarrassing questions apparently first that of commercial matters or how vessels are to be cleared here &c, and mail facilities when the act of secession is ac= complished - The strongest objection to the derange ment of the mails by the act of secession is the effect upon Georgia whose Convention will not meet probably for near 4 weeks afterwards and in the mean time they will be cut off from the reception of letters papers &c which will furnish a strong argument to the opponents of the cause in that State - The proposition on this subject was to appoint Commissrs to proceed to Washington and make some arrangements with the President for this continued transmission of the mails through this state, until [things?]
were finally settled - It was said that this had been done by nations while engaged in actual warfare - but the difficulty is that Mr Buchanon may not think proper to recognise and [treat?] with this State as a separate State even on this question - If he makes any such ar= rangement, does he not recognise to that extent at least her separate and independent nationality - These I think are the two questions that embarrass the Convention principally - The matter of the posts does not trouble them so much although a very important one.
There is no question about secession here - I have not seen since my arrival one man who has said he was opposed to it, or who doubted it would take place - I am told by every one that the people are ahead of their public men, and are determined upon it, if no other State shall follow, or it should make her land a desolation. The old men seem as determined as the young and although there must be some who from their natures cant help being opposed to it, such is the overwhelming excitement they dare not whisper their opposition -
From the work they seem to be cutting out by the various matters referred to Committees I think the Convention will sit the whole of this week - I anticipate also more interesting discussion -
In my opinion the most serious matter to be solved is how is commerce to be carried between this State & foreign States after her act of secession - If however as I understand clearances are granted only on evidence of
the lawfulness of the trade, then the cargo itself would afford in general such evidence - In proof of this I heard it stated by a gentleman as a fact that some years since a foreign vessell was sold here by the Sheriff, and under the laws of the United States the Collector decided that he could not give the purchaser a citizen of this place a clearance after his cargo was on board & the vessel ready to sail to England - The owner put a captain on board, gave him his sheriff's title and started him - He arrived at his intended port in Great Britain and exhibited the Sheriff's deed - no question was made, he delivered his cargo and took one in return -
You will have seen Gov Picken's inaugurial - It is a capital speech and State paper - but I am told that three weeks ago he was for making new appeals in the Union, amendments to the Constitution &c &c -
Cobb late Secretary of the Treasury was in Co= lumbia on the day Pickens was inaugurated He is for action on the part of the South and will do all he can to bring Gerogia up to this mark. When he first arrived he favored the idea of So. Ca making her ordinance take effect on some day say 1st February by which time all the other States that were going would be ready and that they should all fix on the simultaneus march out of the Union - I told him the prompt action of this State was necessary to strengthen us in the other States and if such a course was adopted, I feared it would be disastrous to the cause in his own State - That with So Ca on our side - Alabama
and Miss on the other & Florida on the South unyielding and unhesitating, Georgia would be obliged to yield to this purpose and take her stand with us - Such also was the opinion of all whom I heard speak to him on the subject and he apparently yielded - You have seen the progress of public sentiment in Louisiana - Can Georgia, with the movements in So. Ca. Florida Ala, Miss. Louisiana & Texas hold back - You have by this time seen [?new?] [?] letter - Cobb undertook to explain it as nothing very terrible according to Georgia [?] and [Yoombs'?] especially - not very satisfactory, I confess to myself or others -
I find the Convention in the aggregate a very able body, but no one yet towers above the rest - There as yet has appeared no one who has a controlling influence -
How come on your other missions - Mine as I told the Convention was a mere labor of love - I had nothing to do but holler hurrah - they were all so precisely where Ala wanted them - The others Garretts & [?] particularly is of difficulty - Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee Kentucky & Miss= ouri, I am willing to see stay out until the new Confederacy adopts her constitution as she pleases, and then these states will have to come in under that Constitution or stay out -
I will write again tomorrow - With respect yrs very truly J. A. Elmore
His Excellency A. B. Moore
Sir,
I received your dispatch on the night of the 17th at 11 P. M. after the Convention had adjourned to this place of which I telegraphed you on yesterday morning - I did not leave Columbia until 2 P. M. yesterday and arrived here last night - This morning was the ear= liest opportunity I had of communicating your dispatch to the Convention which I did by a letter to the President inclosing it and request= ing that it be read & submitted to them which was done and it was received with applause - I hesitated about making this communication so public, as you might have intended that I should only exhibit it to the members or tell them of its contents, but as I was satisfied the object was to produce an influ= ence on the Convention, and as I had already in my speech to them at Columbia on the night of the 17th told them to go forward with= out delay, and announced it not only as my opinion as the wisest and best course to strengthen the cause in the other states, but that I was authorized by you to say it was also your opinion. I thought I had fully committed you and the only way was to carry it through - In my haste above I omitted to mention that the Convention when at Columbia invited Mr [?] the [Commr] from Miss & myself to address the Convention at 7 P. M. which we did and you will have seen what I said, in the
papers by the time this reaches you - The Convention to day did nothing but receive and refer resolutions to committees - The Committee to prepare the ordinance has not reported - and probably will not report before the day after tomorrow - Although nothing new was done [than?] this refer= ence of measures, there was some speaking on the various questions referred - Among the questions was one in relation to Commercial Affairs - Postal Arrangements - the surrender of the Forts here - A provisional Government with other seceding States - This last excited some interesting dis= cussion between Col Hayne the Atty General who introduced it sustained by Col [?] & opposed by R. B. Rhett - Col Hayne's prop osition was to the same effect as that of which I wrote you, as suggested in the preliminary meeting of the members of the Convention at Columbia - The most embarrassing questions apparently first that of commercial matters or how vessels are to be cleared here &c, and mail facilities when the act of secession is ac= complished - The strongest objection to the derange ment of the mails by the act of secession is the effect upon Georgia whose Convention will not meet probably for near 4 weeks afterwards and in the mean time they will be cut off from the reception of letters papers &c which will furnish a strong argument to the opponents of the cause in that State - The proposition on this subject was to appoint Commissrs to proceed to Washington and make some arrangements with the President for this continued transmission of the mails through this state, until [things?]
were finally settled - It was said that this had been done by nations while engaged in actual warfare - but the difficulty is that Mr Buchanon may not think proper to recognise and [treat?] with this State as a separate State even on this question - If he makes any such ar= rangement, does he not recognise to that extent at least her separate and independent nationality - These I think are the two questions that embarrass the Convention principally - The matter of the posts does not trouble them so much although a very important one.
There is no question about secession here - I have not seen since my arrival one man who has said he was opposed to it, or who doubted it would take place - I am told by every one that the people are ahead of their public men, and are determined upon it, if no other State shall follow, or it should make her land a desolation. The old men seem as determined as the young and although there must be some who from their natures cant help being opposed to it, such is the overwhelming excitement they dare not whisper their opposition -
From the work they seem to be cutting out by the various matters referred to Committees I think the Convention will sit the whole of this week - I anticipate also more interesting discussion -
In my opinion the most serious matter to be solved is how is commerce to be carried between this State & foreign States after her act of secession - If however as I understand clearances are granted only on evidence of
the lawfulness of the trade, then the cargo itself would afford in general such evidence - In proof of this I heard it stated by a gentleman as a fact that some years since a foreign vessell was sold here by the Sheriff, and under the laws of the United States the Collector decided that he could not give the purchaser a citizen of this place a clearance after his cargo was on board & the vessel ready to sail to England - The owner put a captain on board, gave him his sheriff's title and started him - He arrived at his intended port in Great Britain and exhibited the Sheriff's deed - no question was made, he delivered his cargo and took one in return -
You will have seen Gov Picken's inaugurial - It is a capital speech and State paper - but I am told that three weeks ago he was for making new appeals in the Union, amendments to the Constitution &c &c -
Cobb late Secretary of the Treasury was in Co= lumbia on the day Pickens was inaugurated He is for action on the part of the South and will do all he can to bring Gerogia up to this mark. When he first arrived he favored the idea of So. Ca making her ordinance take effect on some day say 1st February by which time all the other States that were going would be ready and that they should all fix on the simultaneus march out of the Union - I told him the prompt action of this State was necessary to strengthen us in the other States and if such a course was adopted, I feared it would be disastrous to the cause in his own State - That with So Ca on our side - Alabama
and Miss on the other & Florida on the South unyielding and unhesitating, Georgia would be obliged to yield to this purpose and take her stand with us - Such also was the opinion of all whom I heard speak to him on the subject and he apparently yielded - You have seen the progress of public sentiment in Louisiana - Can Georgia, with the movements in So. Ca. Florida Ala, Miss. Louisiana & Texas hold back - You have by this time seen [?new?] [?] letter - Cobb undertook to explain it as nothing very terrible according to Georgia [?] and [Yoombs'?] especially - not very satisfactory, I confess to myself or others -
I find the Convention in the aggregate a very able body, but no one yet towers above the rest - There as yet has appeared no one who has a controlling influence -
How come on your other missions - Mine as I told the Convention was a mere labor of love - I had nothing to do but holler hurrah - they were all so precisely where Ala wanted them - The others Garretts & [?] particularly is of difficulty - Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee Kentucky & Miss= ouri, I am willing to see stay out until the new Confederacy adopts her constitution as she pleases, and then these states will have to come in under that Constitution or stay out -
I will write again tomorrow - With respect yrs very truly J. A. Elmore
Subject
Moore, A. B. (Andrew Barry), 1807-1873;
Elmore, John Archer, 1809-1878; Secession--Southern States
Elmore, John Archer, 1809-1878; Secession--Southern States