The treachery in Texas, the secession of Texas, and the arrest of the United States officers and soldiers serving in Texas. Read before the New-York Historical Society, June 25, 1861. By Major J. T. Sprague, U. S. A. Page: 35 of 36
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DOCUMENTS.
141
day to day, they had no alternative but to be cai
ried along by the crowd, under the guidance c
imaginary wrongs For a time, the most intelli
gent dared to speak audibly for the Union, bu
the pressure and the active measures applie,
to such in their private and public relations, a
well as social, soon destroyed all indications of ;
favorable change. Volunteers were mustered int
service, and the citizens of San Antonio forme(
themselves into companies, requiring doubtfu
men to take the oath in support of the Confeder
ate States. Officials and practitioners at the ba
renewed their oaths, and the grand-jury present
ed those who, biy word or deed, thwarted th
comiplete triumph of secession. The policy of th(
Federal Government was still undeveloped: delay
andl forbearance had been construed into timidi
tvy even fear; and the belief was generally enter
talined )b the conservative men, that a recon
strtction of the Union woulld be attained-if not,
a peaceftul separation. Doubts and fears filled
the public mind with intense anxiety. "Blood
tust be shed in less tlhan twenty days," said a
United States Senator, writing from Montgomery,
on the seventh of April, "or secession is at an
end." The attack upon Fort Sumter, and the
Proclamation of Mr. Lincoln, on the fifteenth of
April, 1(i1, closed the door to all compromise,
unless upon constitutional grounds. The outrages
inflicted upon our flag, caused those men
whose sentiments had been smothered from necessity
to feel deeply their position, causing them
to express freely their animosity towards those
who had made them partisans in a contest so
critical in its character, and so doubtful in its results.
The firm tone of the Proclamation and
the measures adopted, created sorrow and disappointment
throughout the community. "Can it
be possible," said the violent partisan, "that the
North is determined to make war upon us and
shed our blood ? We have been for secession in
the hope and expectation of a re-construction of
the Union, and have been led to believe there
was a strong party in the North active in our behalf"
The vigorouo s measures indicated by the
Cabinet in Washington, caused a general depression
in the public mind. The act of secession
had now become personal, and the active supporter
found himself denbunced as a rebel in
arms, and threatened with punishment by the
Government which had protected him through a
long life.'" The fltlure was dark and gloomy; the
streets wlre solitar-, business was suspended,
and the cheerful recognition among friends, differing
in sentiment, was at an end. The Union men
were silent, while the secessionists became violent
and vindictive. A man from the North was
at once derounced as an Abolitionist, a Black Reptublican,
a Lincoln man-consequently, an eneny.
Our flag was denominated the old rag, the
Government. the t?ilk, the wreck; and those
who adhered to its destiny, were either assailed
by gross epithets, or symrpathy expressed for men
whose fortunes were so desperate, and whose
.linds were so dark andI deluded. Tn the face of
SuP. Doc. 9.r
all this, there was a Union feeling in Texas. The
)f large population of Germans, together with the
i
Irish, Poles, and citizens from Pennsylvania and
It New-York, looked upon these events with sadd
ness as well as alarm. Their families and pro
s perty were around them; they had no means of
a escape, nor had they arms or organization for deo
fence. There was no remedy but quiet submisd
sion. Texas, remote as she is, must be left to
1 her own fortunes. Strike the vitals of this rebel-
lion, and Texas will fall. She is now threatened
r by a Mexican army upon the Rio Grande, corn-
ing to reclaim that which they proclaim to llave
been wrested from them by force; and as Texas,
they say, has absolved herself from her allegiance
r to the United States Government, Mexico claims
-her rights-the repossession of thle " )epartmlentof Texas."
The Camnanche and Apache Indians depredate
, witliin thirty miles of San Antonic, and tie citiIzens
flee to the towns for protection. It is tlius
this beautiful country is doormed Land desolated
by the foul spirit of rebellion, which is imnstigated
and kept alive by telegramls, filse reports, and
exciting correspondence, leading the people to believe
that the object of the North is to ldesoltctheir
homes, destroy their institutionsl , al(nd (ro
them of their property. Unfortunate and erroneous
as these opinions are, there is no alternative
but to meet them with the strong arm of'
power. Arguments, entreaties, an(l forbearance,
are of no avail. The question is narrowe(d lownz
to one of self-defence: either the Union, the (overlnment
is to be trampled under foot by desperate
and sagacious men, followed by crowds,
swearing allegiance to their leaders, or thle lovers
of the country must rise in their strength and defend
their firesides and their homes. Partisanship
is at an end; political opinions are swallowe(l
up in the defence of the Union. The force of
the North, physically and intellectually, must be
put forth, fearlessly and steadily, without passion
or excitement, but with a firm resolve to maintain
inviolate, the Constitution of our country.
The South will submit to no compromise but
to such as she may dictate. The separation of
the Union, a total disruption of this Govermllent,
such as has been meditated for thirty years, is
the only basis upon which a reconstructioin can
be based. They will not consent to be governed
by majorities. The institutions of the South have
had their sway, and the patronage of the (General
Government has been in their hands for a period
of sixty years. Political power has been absorbed
by the extension and growth of our co.nnon
country; the sceptre which has guided and gcverned
the land for so long a period, is broken;
and there remains no alternative for those so long
the rulers, but to disrupt the Union, or sub)'it to
the voice of the people. When the election of
-Mr. Lincoln was announced, one hundred gluns
were fired in the streets of Charleston, the sectional
candidate was triumphant, and the Uiioin declared
at an end. In this conflict let us not underrate
our foes. They are judicious, sagacioris, vigilant,
and secretive; full of zeal, talenit, and colnirae.
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Sprague, John Titcomb. The treachery in Texas, the secession of Texas, and the arrest of the United States officers and soldiers serving in Texas. Read before the New-York Historical Society, June 25, 1861. By Major J. T. Sprague, U. S. A., book, 1862; New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6102/m1/35/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.