J.G. Magrath Secretary
of State; D.F. Jamison, Secretary of War; C.G. Memminger, Secretary of
the Treasury; A.C. Garlington, Secretary of the Interior; and W.H.
Harlee, Postmaster-general.

On the same day, our ladies, who had assembled at the Mills House, in
Charleston, left for the North in a body, on account of the state of
public feeling in the city.[11]

Their presence with us threw a momentary brightness over the scene, but
after their departure every thing looked more gloomy and disheartening
than before. The fort itself was a deep, dark, damp, gloomy-looking
place, inclosed in high walls, where the sunlight rarely penetrated. If
we ascended to the parapet, we saw nothing but uncouth State flags,
representing palmettos, pelicans, and other strange devices. No echo
seemed to come back from the loyal North to encourage us. Our glasses in
vain swept the horizon; the one flag we longed to see was not there. It
did come at last, in a timid, apologetic way, and not as a
representative of the war power of the Government.

We had seen a statement in a Northern paper that a steamer named the
_Star of the West_, which belonged to Marshall O. Roberts, was to be
sent to us, under command of Captain John M`Gowan, with a re-enforcement
of several hundred men and supplies of food and ammunition; but we could
not credit the rumor. To publish all the details of an expedition of
this kind, which ought to be kept a profound secret, was virtually
telling South Carolina to prepare her guns to sink the vessel. It was
hard to believe the Government would send to us a mercantile steamer--a
mere transport, utterly unfitted to contend with shore batteries--when
it could dispatch a man-of-war furnished with all the means and
appliances to repel force by force. As the insurgents at this period had
but few field-guns, and a very scanty supply of cannon-powder, the
_Brooklyn_ alone, in my opinion, could have gone straight to the wharf
in Charleston, and have put an end to the insurrection then and there;
for we all know what its distinguished captain, Farragut, was able to
accomplish when left to his own resources.

It seems, however, the news was literally true. The expedition was
fitted out by Lieutenant Washington A. Bartlett, an ex-officer of our
navy.[12]

Although I had little faith in the announcement, I scanned with
increased interest every vessel that approached the harbor.

Soon after daylight, on the morning of the 9th, I wa