ame at last which was to set fire to the magazine. The
startling news of Lincoln's election reached Charleston on the 7th of
November. As this event was sure to lead to secession, the Disunionists
were wild with delight. In their exuberance of spirits, they ran
through the streets shouting "Hurra for Lincoln!" The United States
District Court, which was in session, at once broke up, and its judge,
Magrath, sent in his resignation. In the evening of the same day, Edmund
Ruffin, who has already been referred to, made a fiery secession speech
to an immense audience at the capitol of the State. The Legislature,
inflamed by public sentiment, called a convention, to meet on the 17th
of the month, to decide the question of secession. Governor Joseph E.
Brown, of Georgia, also called a convention there for the same purpose;
and the excitement in each State constantly reacted on the other.

In the early part of November, one hundred and fifty masons arrived from
Baltimore to work on the forts in the harbor. They were undoubtedly good
workmen, but it is much to be regretted that they were not also good
Unionists. Captain Foster at this time did not believe that any serious
complications would arise from the attitude South Carolina had assumed,
and did not, therefore, think it necessary to pay any attention to the
politics of his laborers. Had he selected zealous Union men, their
arrival would have been a most opportune re-enforcement for the
garrison. Unfortunately, most of them sympathized with the South, and
their coming was rather a source of weakness than of strength, so far as
actual fighting was concerned. They rendered us, however, great and
timely assistance by their labor.

The first thing that attracted the eye of the stranger, upon approaching
Charleston from the sea, was Fort Sumter. It was built on an artificial
island made of large blocks of stone. The walls were of dark brick, and
designed for three tiers of guns. The whole structure, as it rose
abruptly out of the water, had a gloomy, prison-like appearance. It was
situated on the edge of the channel, in the narrowest part of the
harbor, between Fort Moultrie and Cummings Point, distant about a mile
from the former place, and twelve hundred yards from the latter. The
year before, it had been used by us as a temporary place of confinement
and security for some negroes that had been brought over from Africa in
a slaver captured by one of our naval vessels. The inevi