The steamer Daniel Webster succeeded in making her escape, and arriving at New York from New Orleans, via Havana, with her passengers and outward freight, having been ordered back, by her agent at New Orleans. Steamer W. H. Webb, with two thirty-two pounders, and a crew of seventy-five men, was at the bar, with the intention of taking the Daniel Webster, but while the captain of the W. H. Webb was waiting orders from New Orleans, the Daniel Webster put to sea, without landing her passengers and cargo, and succeeded in making good her escape. May 7. Major Anderson, of Fort Sumter, accepted command of the Kentucky volunteers. Troops were constantly flocking towards the national capital by thousands daily. The railroads throughout the free States were appropriated for the use of government, for the transmission of troops, stores, and munitions of war. In deed and in truth there was no lack of men, money, or any needful thing to aid in putting down the rebellion. The contributions of the people of the North, for the war, during the three weeks previous to May 7th, amounted to $23,277,000, and every other necessary article was given in proportion. The Second Regiment, New Hampshire volunteers composed of the Mechanics Phalanx of Manchester, and five companies from Lancaster, Littleton, and vicinityabout four hundred in number, were the first troops to leave the State. Relatives and friends in great numbers flocked to the station to bid them farewell, mothers and fair maidens were in tears, and on every hand might be heard the exclamations, "God bless you," "Do your duty faithfully," "Preserve the honor of the Granite State," and many others of similar import. Governor Harris, of Tennessee, sent a message to the General Assembly, announcing the formation of a military league between that State and the Confederate States. May 9. The Congress at Montgomery passed an act authorizing Jefferson Davis to raise such a force for the war as he might deem expedient. The Legislature of Pennsylvania passed a bill appropriating three millions of dollars for war purposes. The First Regiment Connecticut volunteers left New Haven for the seat of war; also the First Regiment Vermont volunteers left Rutland for Washington. Not only were the Eastern and Middle States in motion, but the West, almost en masse, like a mighty cataract, was moving on toward the national capital, eager to lay themselves on the altar of their country, for their country's good; and the multitudes who gathered to see these regiments depart were witnesses to many heartrending scenes, many a tear-dimmed eye, many an outburst of sorrow and affectionate adieu, which will be as lasting as the world, even till the resurrection morning. May 10. A brigade of the Missouri State militia, under General Frost (rebel), in camp at Camp Jackson, surrendered unconditionally on demand of Captain Lyon, commander of United States forces in St. Louis. It appears that the governor of that State, who was a secessionist, had been doing all in his power to precipitate the community into the hands of the rebel leaders. One of his ingenious schemes was the formation of a State militia, which was simply a rebel force under another name. Captain Lyon could not suffer this defiant treasonable body to organize and gain strength close under his eye, so he marched on Camp Jackson with some 6,000 volunteers, surrounded it, and planted eight field-pieces on the adjoining eminences. Captain Lyon then sent a letter to General Frost, charging him with being openly in communication with the Southern Confederacy, and in direct hostility to the government of the United States and coöperation with its enemies, receiving at Camp Jackson, and under its flag, for said Confederacy, large supplies and materials of war, most of which were known to be the property of the United' States, and demanded an immediate surrender of his command, with no other conditions than that all the persons surrendering should be humanely and kindly treated, and giving him half an hour to comply with the demand. General Frost replied that he was unprepared successfully to resist the attack; he therefore accepted the terms specified and surrendered his command, about eight hundred men being in camp, and a large number being in the city on leave; they then laid down their arms, and were escorted to the city as prisoners of war. Release on parole was tendered to the officers and troops, providing they took the oaths not to take up arms against the United States government, which they declined to do. They were accordingly confined in the arsenal, but released on the next day by acceding to these propositions. General Frost and his officers gave their parole under protest, and the men took the oath not to serve against the United States. Just before the troops left for the city, and while the State forces were drawn up between the lines of the volunteers, rocks and other missiles were thrown at the volunteers, and a few pistol shots were fired by excited. persons in the crowd, which was composed of a large number of citizens, including many women. One shot took effect in the leg of Captain Biantowski, and as he fell he gave the order to fire, which was obeyed, resulting in the death of several in the crowd, and severely wounding many others. General Sam Houston, in a speech at Independence, Texas, declared his opposition to the coercive policy of the Federal government. President Lincoln issued a proclamation authorizing the commander of the forces of the United States on the coast of Florida, to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, and to remove from the vicinity of the United States fortresses all dangerous or suspected per sons. No one can realize the amount of embarrassment which the government has encountered from the necessity of intrusting the execution of its orders to an army and navy almost half demoralized by officers of treasonable sympathies. When it was decided to employ troops for the defence of the capital, staff-officers, after remaining long enough in the War Department to acquire as much knowledge as possible of the details, resigned, to carry that knowledge into the camp of the enemy: When the Norfolk Navy Yard was found to be in danger, orders were despatched from the Navy Department to have all the vessels taken out. Officers at the yard, secretly sympathizing with secession, first prevented the execution of the orders, on the ground that it was not necessary, and then resigned. The Navy Department, on being apprised of this, instantly sent Commodore Paulding down to save the property. But it was then too late. All that could then be done was to destroy it, to prevent its falling into the hands of the secessionists. When the Seventh Regiment and the Massachusetts troops arrived at Annapolis, the capital was almost defenceless. A quartermaster was ordered to go to Annapolis from Washington to hasten their march. He went, as was supposed, to execute his mission; but, instead of bringing in the desired reinforcements, coolly, at his leisure, brought in his resignation! These are but a few items out of a whole volume of unwritten history. At every step, for a while, the |