Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 1.djvu/378

340 caused the South Carolina military to occupy Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney, producing a movement of troops under arms and placing them at once in hostile attitude. This movement was made by the gallant Anderson under a rumor that he was about to be attacked. He acted under a mistake but nevertheless his maneuvre was an act of military hostility. It was doubly unfortunate because it violated the understanding between the President and the South Carolina authorities, and now broke off the negotiations between the commissioners and the President. Mr. Buchanan stated that Maj. Anderson acted upon his own responsibility and without instructions and that his first promptings were to command him to return to his former position, but now he accepted the act and declared he would defend Fort Sumter.

It is probable that verbal interviews with Maj. Anderson were more extensive than appears in the written memorandum, and that this officer had been impressed with the fact that the responsibility would be laid upon him as the military commander in order that the civil authorities might escape without reproach. It is inferred from the last clause of the instructions to Anderson that the pledge not to change the military status of the forts should be broken whenever he deemed it prudent to evacuate one or more forts in order to concentrate upon another.

South Carolina, however, was relying upon no reinforcement being attempted and no changes taking place in the military status. The Federal administration was there fore compelled to defend itself against the charge that the pledge had been secretly disregarded and was now openly broken. Buchanan assured the commissioners that when he learned that Anderson had left Fort Moultrie for Sumter his first promptings were to command him to return, but excused his neglect to pursue this wise course on the plea that this could only have been done