ltimore laborers were of inestimable value. They did an immense amount
of labor in the way of mounting guns, and moving weighty materials from
one part of the work to another; but they showed no inclination to take
part in the fighting, should any occur.

On the 3d, the South Carolina commissioners finally shook off the dust
from their feet, and left Washington, having utterly failed to
accomplish the object of their mission.

On the same day, the governor, through Mr. Gourdin's[10] influence,
permitted us to receive our mails once more. By this date we had mounted
all the guns we were able to man on the lower tier, and had bricked up
the surplus windows, sally-ports, and embrasures, as we had no one to
guard them. The enemy, in the mean time, had erected a battery at Fort
Johnson, and marked out another directly opposite to us in
Moultrieville.

On the 6th, the mayor of New York, Fernando Wood, promulgated a message
to the effect that the Union was breaking up, and recommending that the
city of New York secede from the State. At this time the seeming
indifference of the politicians to our fate made us feel like orphan
children of the Republic, deserted by both the State and Federal
administrations.

On the same day, Governor Pickens graciously allowed Mrs. Anderson to
visit her husband, but coupled the permission with the ungenerous
stipulation that the interview must take place in presence of witnesses.
He disliked very much to disoblige her, as she belonged to one of the
most distinguished families of Georgia, and had many influential
relatives among the Secessionists. Mr. Gourdin too, who was a warm
personal friend of her husband, exerted himself in her behalf. While she
herself displayed great patriotism, several of her brothers in the final
attack on Fort Sumter were on the opposite side, fighting against her
husband. Under the circumstances, her visit to us was a brief one. She
brought a valuable addition to the fort in the shape of Peter Hart, a
gallant and trustworthy man, who had been Anderson's orderly sergeant in
Mexico. She felt much easier in her mind, now that the major had Hart to
look after him. He was only permitted to join us on condition that his
duties were to be those of a civilian, and not of a soldier.

On the 8th, the governor, who, like Louis XIV., might very readily have
said, "_L'etat, c'est moi!_" concluded to form a cabinet to assist him
in his onerous duties. He accordingly appointed