Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/257

 ALABAMA 233 affirming " the unqualified right of the people of the slaveholding states to the protection of their property in the states, in the territories, and in the wilderness in which territorial gov- ernments are yet unorganized." The conven- tion having refused to declare in favor of this doctrine, the Alabama delegation withdrew. Early in December commissioners were sent, by Alabama to the other southern states to urge the withdrawal of these states from the federal government, and their union in a sepa- rate confederacy ; and on Dec. 24 an election was held for the choice of delegates to a state convention. These delegates were classified as immediate secessionists and cooperationists, the latter being in favor of secession with the cooperation of the other southern states. The convention assembled at Montgomery Jan. 7, 1861, and on the same day communications were received from the representatives of the state in congress, who had held a meeting in Washington, and passed resolutions advising immediate secession. On Jan. 11 the ordi- nance of secession was adopted by a vote of 61 to 39. The immediate cause of this action was stated in the preamble to the ordinance to be "the election of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin to the offices of president and vice president of the United States of America by a sectional party, avowedly hostile to the domestic institutions and to the peace and security of the people of the state of Ala- bama, preceded by many and dangerous infrac- tions of the constitution of the United States by many of the states and people of the north- ern section." The convention held secret ses- sions and refused to submit its action to the people. These proceedings were followed by the withdrawal on Jan. 21 of the senators and representatives of Alabama from the federal congress, and the election of delegates to the southern congress, which assembled at Mont- gomery Feb. 4, to organize the southern confede- racy. Forts Morgan and Gaines at the entrance to Mobile harbor and Mt. Vernon argenal were seized by order of the governor, and on the 9th five companies of volunteers were sent to Pen- sacola, at the request of the governor of Flori- da, to assist in capturing the forts and other property there belonging to the United States. Subsequently a commissioner was sent to Wash- ington to negotiate with the president for the transfer to the state authorities of the forts, arsenals, custom houses, and other United States property in the state. The president declined to receive this commissioner except as a "distinguished citizen of Alabama." On March 13 the state convention, which had re- assembled on the 4th, ratified by a vote of 87 to 6, without submission to the people, the con- stitution adopted by the confederate congress, and subsequently passed an ordinance transfer- ring to the provisional government the arms and munitions of war acquired from the United States, and also all authority over the forts and arsenals in the state. Laws were enacted by the legislature placing the state upon an effi- cient war footing and appropriating $500,000 to aid the cause of southern independence. On April 10 the president of the Confederate States made a requisition on the governor for 3,000 troops, and on May 1 the first battalion of the third state regiment left for Virginia. No important military operations occurred within the borders of Alabama during the first years of the war. In February, 1862, immedi- ately after the capture of Fort Henry, Com- mander Phelps, with three gunboats from the fleet of Commodore Foote, proceeded up the Tennessee river and took possession of Flor- ence at the foot of the Muscle Shoals. This was the first appearance of the national flag in northern Alabama since the beginning of the war, and was received with demonstrations of loyalty by many of the inhabitants who had opposed secession. On April 9 Gen. O. M. Mitchel, who had advanced from Nashville with a division of Gen. Buell's army, took Huntsville by surprise and gained possession of 100 miles of the Memphis and Charleston railroad between Stephenson and Decatur. He advanced westward to Tuscumbia, and thence as far south as Russellville, capturing confederate property without loss of life. The federal forces were soon compelled to abandon the territory south of the Tennessee river, but, having burned the railroad bridges at Decatur and Bridgeport, held all of Alabama north of that river. In the spring of 1864 a naval ex- pedition was fitted out at New Orleans under Rear Admiral Farragut to operate against the fortifications guarding Mobile bay. He defeat- ed the confederate fleet under Admiral Frank- lin Buchanan, Aug. 6, and, with the coopera- tion of a land force under Gen. Granger, reduced the forts at the entrance to the harbor Fort Gaines on the 7th, and Fort Morgan on the 23d. Early in 1865 a combined military and naval expedition against Mobile was organized at New Orleans under Maj. Gen. Canby and Rear Admiral Thatcher ; and a force of cavalry under Maj. Gen. J. H. Wilson was ordered to cooperate by a southern march from Eastport, Tenn. Wilson's command, numbering about 15,000, of whom 13,000 were mounted, ad- vanced from Chickasaw March 23, and on April 3 occupied Sehna, one of the most im- portant military depots in the southwest. The arsenals, founderies, arms, tools, and military munitions of every kind, together with a large amount of cotton, were destroyed. From Sel- ma Gen. Wilson moved eastward to Georgia, taking possession of Montgomery, the capital, on the 12th of April. On the same day Mobile was taken by Canby and Thatcher. During these operations " the last cannon," says Pol- lard, " was fired for the Confederacy." On May 4, at Citronelle, Ala., the forces, munitions of war, &c., in the departments of Alabama, Mis- sissippi, and East Louisiana were formally sur- rendered by Gen. Taylor to Gen. Canby; and on the same day Commodore Farrand surren-