Under these circumstances it is clear that Major Anderson acted upon his
own responsibility, and without authority, unless, indeed, he had
"tangible evidence of a design to proceed to a hostile act" on the part
of the authorities of South Carolina, which has not yet been alleged.
Still he is a brave and honorable officer, and justice requires that he
should not be condemned without a fair hearing.
Be this as it may, when I learned that Major Anderson had left Fort
Moultrie, and proceeded to Fort Sumter, my first promptings were to
command him to return to his former position, and there to await the
contingencies presented in his instructions. This could only have been
done, with any degree of safety to the command, by the concurrence of
the South Carolina authorities. But, before any steps could possibly
have been taken in this direction, we received information, dated on the
28th instant, that "the Palmetto flag floated out to the breeze at
Castle Pinckney, and a large military force went over last night (the
27th) to Fort Moultrie." Thus the authorities of South Carolina, without
waiting or asking for any explanation, and doubtless believing, as you
have expressed it, that the officer had acted not only without, but
against my orders, on the very next day after the night when the removal
was made, seized, by a military force, two of the three Federal forts in
the harbor of Charleston, and have covered them under their own flag,
instead of that of the United States.
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