ucting them that "upon
the bells of the churches sounding a continuous peal, interrupted by
a pause of five minutes, they should assemble with their men in their
armories, and there await further orders." One of these circulars fell
into the hands of a good Union man, who immediately took it to Frank
P. Blair. It was found that it was the Catholic church bells that were
relied upon to do the ringing, implying that the enthusiastic, reckless
Irishmen were to take the initiative.

40

The Archbishop of St. Louis was immediately seen, to prohibit the bells
of the churches being used as a tocsin to light the flames of civil war.
Mr. Blair sent the circular with other information to Gen. Scott, with
an urgent request that an officer of sounder loyalty supersede Maj.
Bell, and that some troops be sent to Jefferson Barracks against an
emergency. Mr. Montgomery Blair, brother of F. P. Blair, Jr., and soon
to be Postmaster-General, Gov. Yates, of Illinois, and President-elect
Lincoln supported this request. A fortnight later Maj. Bell was
relieved, and assigned to duty in the East.

A gallant one-armed Irish First Lieutenant of the 2d U. S., one Thomas
W. Sweeny, of whom we shall hear more later, was ordered to Jefferson
Barracks, where it was supposed his influence with his countrymen might
offset that of Mr. Champion. A small squad of Regulars was sent him from
Newport Barracks.

Maj. Bell foreseeing that the Army was to be no longer a place for a
quiet gentleman with business tastes, resigned his commission, to remain
with his well-placed investments in St. Louis.

41

All this disturbed the Secessionists. They saw that the Government had
an eye on the important Arsenal, and did not intend to give it up as
tamely as it had other places in the South. The arrival of the Regulars
was made the basis of inflammatory appeals that the Government
was trying to "overawe and coerce the people." Two days later this
"intimidation" became flagrant. Isaac H. Sturgeon, Assistant United
States Treasurer at St. Louis, a Kentuckian and Secessionist, had for
reasons of his own reported to President Buchanan that he was concerned
about the safety of $400,000 in gold in his vaults. The President handed
the letter to Gen. Scott, who sent an order to Jefferson Barracks which
resulted in a Lieutenant with 40 men being sent to the Post Office
Building to protect the removal of the gold. The city was thrown into
the greatest excitement as