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John D. Billings, Hardtack and Coffee: The Unwritten Story of Army Life, I. The tocsin of war. (search)
nfederacy. Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee seceded later. The people at the North stood amazed at the rapidity with which treason against the government was spreading, and the loyal Unionloving men began to inquire where President Buchanan was at this time, whose duty it was to see that all such uprisings were crushed out; and Oh for one hour of Andrew Jackson in the President's chair! was the common exclamation, because that decided and unyielding soldierPresi-dent had so pe angry billows of rebellion which seemed just ready to break over the nation. But at any rate he would have attempted it, even if he had gone down in the fight,--at least so thought the people. The very opposite of such a President was James Buchanan, who seemed anxious only for his term of office to expire, making little effort to save the country, nor even willing, at first, that others should do so. With a traitor for his Secretary of War, the South had been well supplied with arms und
system of motion telegraphy. These facts are taken from a small pamphlet written by Lieutenant J. Willard Brown of West Medford, Mass., and issued by the Signal Corps Association. Other facts pertaining to signalling have been derived from A manual of signals, written by General Myer (Old Probabilities) himself, since the war. Recognizing to some extent the value of his system, Congress created the position of Chief Signal Officer of the army, and Surgeon Myer was appointed by President Buchanan to fill it. Up to some time in 1863 Myer was not the Chief Signal Officer alone, but the only signal officer commissioned as such, all others then in the corpsand there were quite a number — being simply acting signal officers on detached service from various regiments. One of the officers in the regular army, whom Surgeon Myer had instructed in signalling while in New Mexico, went over to the enemy when the war broke out and organized a corps for them. From this small beginni
ttysburg, 338-39 Beats, 94-102, 174,312 Bell, John, 16 Belle Plain, Va., 369 Benham, Henry W., 391 Big Shanty, Ga., 404 Birney, David B., 157,255-56,261, 345,353 Blair, Francis P., 264, 383 Borden's Milk, 125 Boston, 25,29-30,51, 199,226 Bounty-jumpers, 161-62,202 Bowditch, Henry I., 315 Boxford, Mass., 44 Boydton Plank Road, 313 Bragg, Braxton, 262 Brandy Station, Va., 113, 180,229, 352-53 Bristoe Station, Va., 367 Brown, Joseph W., 403 Buchanan, James, 18-19,395 Buell, Don Carlos, 405 Bugle calls, 165-66, 168-69, 172, 176-78,180-97,336-38 Burgess' Tavern, Va., 313 Burnside, Ambrose E., 71-72,100, 260-61 Butterfield, Daniel, 257 Cambridge, Mass., 45,199,394 Camp Andrew, 44 Camp Barry, 189 Camp Cameron, 44-45 Canton, Mass., 270 Carr, J. B., 347 Carrington, Henry B., 160-61 Centreville Heights, Va., 367 Century Magazine, 407-8 Chancellorsville, 71, 331,349,388 Chattanooga, 262,270,362,403 Chicag
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles. Volume 1., Organization of the two governments. (search)
Organization of the two governments. The United States Government. I. The Buchanan Administration. (1857-1861.) President: James Buchanan (Pa.) Vice-President: John C. Breckinridge * (Ky.) Department of State. Secretary of State: Lewis Cass (Mich.) Secretary of State: Jeremiah S. Black (Pa.), appointed Dec. 17, 1860. War Department Secretary of War: John B. Floyd * (Va.) Secretary of War: Joseph Holt (Ky.) (ad interim), Dec. 31, 1860; regularly appointed Jan. 18, 1861. Navy Department. Secretary of the Navy: Isaac Toucey (Conn.) Treasury Department. Secretary of the Treasury: Howell Cobb* (Georgia) Secretary of the Treasury: Philip F. Thomas (Md.), appointed Dec. 12, 1860 Secretary of the Treasury: John A. Dix (N. Y.), appointed Jan. 11, 1861. Justice Department. Attorney-General: Jeremiah S. Black Attorney-General: Edwin M. Stanton (Pa.), appointed Dec. 20, 1860. Department of the Interior. Secretary of the Interior: Jacob T<
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles. Volume 1., Washington on the Eve of the War. (search)
ion of affairs would it be the policy of President Buchanan, at the outset of the session, to proposthree thousand regular troops. Even had President Buchanan been desirous of bringing troops to the e of the Circuit Court of the District. James Buchanan, President of the United States from Marchent to the White House, and was received by Mr. Buchanan. I found him sitting at his writing-table,ranged the programme of the procession. President Buchanan was to drive to Willard's hotel, and cal raise a weapon. At the appointed hour, Mr. Buchanan was escorted to Willard's hotel, which he ee order to the White House. Arrived there, Mr. Buchanan walked to the door with Mr. Lincoln, and thite House to the house of Mr. Ould, whither Mr. Buchanan drove, and the cavalry escorted his carriage left the carriage and entered the house. Mr. Buchanan turned on the steps, and gracefully acknowlnt Lincoln his first military salute and to Mr. Buchanan his last. The Powhatan, Fort Pickens, S[1 more...]
Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Resignation-private life-life at Galena-the coming crisis (search)
catastrophe be averted altogether; if it was not, I believed the country would be better prepared to receive the shock and to resist it. I therefore voted for James Buchanan for President. Four years later the Republican party was successful in electing its candidate to the Presidency. The civilized world has learned the consequitution and, next, that that particular institution was not safe in the hands of any body of legislators but themselves. Meanwhile the Administration of President Buchanan looked helplessly on and proclaimed that the general government had no power to interfere; that the Nation had no power to save its own life. Mr. Buchanan Mr. Buchanan had in his cabinet two members at least, who were as earnest — to use a mild term — in the cause of secession as Mr. Davis or any Southern statesman. One of them, [John B.] Floyd, the Secretary of War, scattered the army so that much of it could be captured when hostilities should commence, and distributed the cannon and small ar
Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Investment of Fort Donelson-the naval operations-attack of the enemy-assaulting the works-surrender of the Fort (search)
ecretary of War he had taken a solemn oath to maintain the Constitution of the United States and to uphold the same against all its enemies. He had betrayed that trust. As Secretary of War he was reported through the northern press to have scattered the little army the country had so that the most of it could be picked up in detail when secession occurred. About a year before leaving the Cabinet he had removed arms from northern to southern arsenals. He continued in the Cabinet of President Buchanan until about the 1st of January, 1861, while he was working vigilantly for the establishment of a confederacy made out of United States territory. Well may he have been afraid to fall into the hands of National troops. He would no doubt have been tried for misappropriating public property; if not for treason, had he been captured. General Pillow, next in command, was conceited, and prided himself much on his services in the Mexican war. He telegraphed to General Johnston, at Nashvill
Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, The bayous West of the Mississippi-criticisms of the Northern press-running the batteries-loss of the Indianola-disposition of the troops (search)
iscovered one day a small skiff moving quietly and mysteriously up the river near the east shore, from the direction of Vicksburg, towards the fleet. On overhauling the boat they found a small white flag, not much larger than a handkerchief, set up in the stern, no doubt intended as a flag of truce in case of discovery. The boat, crew and passengers were brought ashore to me. The chief personage aboard proved to be Jacob Thompson, Secretary of the Interior under the administration of President Buchanan. After a pleasant conversation of half an hour or more I allowed the boat and crew, passengers and all, to return to Vicksburg, without creating a suspicion that there was a doubt in my mind as to the good faith of Mr. Thompson and his flag. Admiral Porter proceeded with the preparation of the steamers for their hazardous passage of the enemy's batteries. The great essential was to protect the boilers from the enemy's shot, and to conceal the fires under the boilers from view. T
Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, Debates of Lincoln and Douglas: Carefully Prepared by the Reporters of Each Party at the times of their Delivery., Speech of Hon. Abraham Lincoln, at Springfield June 17, 1858. (search)
sidential election, the law case came to, and was argued in, the Supreme Court of the United States ; but the decision of it was deferred until after the election. Still, before the election, Senator Trumbull, on the floor of the Senate, requested the leading advocate of the Nebraska bill to state his opinion whether the people of a Territory can constitutionally exclude slavery from their limits ; and the latter answers : That is. A question for the Supreme Court. The election came. Mr. Buchanan was elected, and the indorsement, such as it was, secured. That was the second point gained. The indorsement, however, fell short of a clear popular majority by nearly four hundred thousand votes, and so, perhaps, was not overwhelmingly reliable and satisfactory. The outgoing President, in his last annual message, as impressively as possible echoed back upon the people the weight and authority of the indorsement. The Supreme Court met again ; did not announce their decision, but order
if it is meant to be said that the Republicans had formed an alliance going beyond that, by which there is contribution of money or sacrifice of principle on the one side or the other, so far as the Republican party is concerned; if there be any such thing, I protest that I neither know any thing of it, nor do I believe it. I will, however, say — as I think this branch of the argument is lugged in — I would before I leave it, state, for the benefit of those concerned, that one of those same Buchanan men did once tell me of an argument that he made for his opposition to Judge Douglas. He said that a friend of our Senator Douglas had been talking to him, and had among other things said to him : Why, you don't want to beat Douglas? Yes, said he, I do want to beat him, and I will tell you why. I believe his original Nebraska bill was right in the abstract, but it was wrong in the time that it was brought forward. It was wrong in the application to a Territory in regard to which the ques