April 5, 1861; The Charleston Mercury
When it became generally known yesterday morning that the companies now on duty at Sullivan’s Island had been ordered to fill up their ranks without delay, and that the reserves belonging to the several corps were to join their comrades already on duty by the four o’clock boat, people began to speculate as to what was going to happen next. The public curiosity grew more general upon the arrival of two of the officers of Major ANDERSON’S command–Lieuts. TALBOT and SNYDER–with a flag of truce. They were received by the Governor and General BEAUREGARD. Lieut. TALBOT having been appointed by the Government at Washington as Assistant Adjutant-General for the District of Oregon, with orders to repair to that station at once, desired permission to leave the city to report himself at Washington. Leave was of course readily granted to him with the understanding that no officer was to be permitted to join the garrison of Fort Sumter to supply his place; and, accompanied to the depot by Colonel MOSES, aid to the Governor, he left Charleston by the two o’clock train of the N.E. Railroad. Meantime, Lieutenant SNYDER had mentioned the facts of the firing into the unknown schooner (as described in our issue of yesterday), and informed the Governor that the vessel in question was a Boston schooner, loaded with ice, and bound for Savannah, and that she had put into this harbor on account of stress of weather. He further said that one of the shots had passed through the schooner sail. Lieutenant SNYDER then returned to the wharf in company with an aid, and went back to the Fort. During his interview with the Governor, the soldiers who manned the boat had seized the opportunity to lay in some coveted individual supplies of whisky, tobacco, eatables, and a host of other provisions, making in all no less than thirty-five packages. The police, however, had kept a bright eye upon the soldiers, and when the provisioning was complete, they quietly seized all the packages and transferred them to the guard house.
During the whole of yesterday afternoon all kinds of rumors were rife on the streets. A vague impression had somehow got abroad that the long agony of suspense and inaction was to be speedily and abruptly ended; but how, or when, or by whose orders, nobody could tell. We have made diligent inquiry; and, (in the absence of official information, which, in a juncture like this, is seldom made public), we deem the following facts to be reasonably certain:
First. That the supplies of provisions and the mails, hitherto furnished regularly to the garrison of Fort Sumter, are to be cut off today, and that no further communication will be allowed between Major ANDERSON and the Government at Washington.
Second. That the troops at all the State fortifications are now finally disposed, equipped and provided for, so as to be ready for action at a moment’s warning.
Third. That no attack of any kind will be made upon Fort Sumter until further orders, unless such an attack should be provoked by Major ANDERSON, or by an attempt on the part of his Government to bring aid to the beleagued fortress.
Fourth. That these measures are taken at the instance of the Government of the Confederate States, which has lost all confidence in the professions of the LINCOLN Administration.
We have said that this information has no official sanction; but we have not given it without sifting thoroughly all the conflicting reports prevalent last night, and we think it can be relied on as affording a fair outline of the new policy to be pursued henceforth…