How'd they do that?

[Michael19103]

Hi - brand new to this forum, so please be gentle. I'm rereading The Coming Fury, and last night I hit on something that made me say, "how?" In fact, I sought out a Civil War forum (via Google) so I'd be able to ask.

My question: It's late December of 1860, Major Anderson has shifted his troops over to Sumter, Charleston harbor's under South Carolina surveillance (boats, S.C. now has Moultrie...), and I read that Anderson sent a report to someone. And then a couple of paragraphs later, he's getting letters from friends and strangers in the North telling him to hang in there.... At both points, I said to myself, "how's he getting mail in and out?" How would the military have gotten mail in and out through enemy lines - were they still in a relatively courteous phase where that sort of thing was being permitted to pass and someone was rowing a boat to and from Sumter for that purpose? Is that what a "flag of truce" means? Did they use carrier pigeons (who'd have to fly, where, a ship at sea??

Chose the subject line I did to attract attention ;-) but also because I'm guessing there are occasionally people out there with sort of practical, how-did-that-work-in-those-days questions. (And if the discussion already exists somewhere, I didn't find it; as I say, please be gentle).

Thanks!

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

Welcome to the site!

I don't know if this will help or lead to more questions, but here goes..

I was catching bits and pieces of a documentary about Ft. Sumter during April 1861. There was a mention of an African American running a small boat back and forth from the mainland (?) to Ft. Sumter before the battle itself took place. The only name I can recall is the name of the boat, "The Pontain". So far, I have not found any mention of this water craft or it's pilot.

Maybe this or some other craft was able to supply Anderson with his messages.

--BBF

 

[gary]

The mail must go through!

D*mn dedicated mail carriers who are deterred neither by sleet, snow or rebel gunfire. It couldn't have been by wig-wag (signal flags) as the Confederates could have read them too.

Joking set aside, you've raised a very good question and I'd like to learn how Anderson got messages through.

 

[trice]

Hi - brand new to this forum, so please be gentle. I'm rereading The Coming Fury, and last night I hit on something that made me say, "how?" In fact, I sought out a Civil War forum (via Google) so I'd be able to ask.

My question: It's late December of 1860, Major Anderson has shifted his troops over to Sumter, Charleston harbor's under South Carolina surveillance (boats, S.C. now has Moultrie...), and I read that Anderson sent a report to someone. And then a couple of paragraphs later, he's getting letters from friends and strangers in the North telling him to hang in there.... At both points, I said to myself, "how's he getting mail in and out?" How would the military have gotten mail in and out through enemy lines - were they still in a relatively courteous phase where that sort of thing was being permitted to pass and someone was rowing a boat to and from Sumter for that purpose? Is that what a "flag of truce" means? Did they use carrier pigeons (who'd have to fly, where, a ship at sea??

Chose the subject line I did to attract attention ;-) but also because I'm guessing there are occasionally people out there with sort of practical, how-did-that-work-in-those-days questions. (And if the discussion already exists somewhere, I didn't find it; as I say, please be gentle).

Thanks!

Well, actually, some very odd things were going on. Most of the people involved were amateurs, they had some odd mixed feelings about these people who were/used-to-be their fellow countrymen, and they hadn't really gotten around to facing the hard facts about the path they had chosen.

So for most of that period from December of 1860 to April of 1861, no one attempted to stop the mail or keep messengers from passing through. Heck, the South Carolina/Confederate authorities didn't even start reading Major Anderson's mail as it passed through until about late March, IIRR.

At the same time, there were armed patrols in the water between Ft. Moultrie and Ft. Sumter when Anderson moved his men, and they would have fired on him if they had seen him. In December, the Charleston papers were printing plans of Ft. Moultrie with articles on how best to seize it by assault. South Carolina Militia officers were seen walking the dunes around it, studying the approaches. Speakers harrangued crowds of gawkers who crossed from Charleston, trying to incite them, and torchlit parades around the fort by secessionist crowds were seen.

If all that sounds unreal and bizarre, well, it was.

Tim

 

[diddyriddick]

An excellent question, Michael. Welcome aboard.

 

[ole]

The news of Anderson's move caused a great deal of official and street-corner consternation, but conditions didn't get ugly until late March. There were still laborers from Charleston working on the fort, officers from the fort still paid calls on friends in town, some supples were obtained from vendors in town, and the U.S. mail was not stopped.

When Lincoln sent supply ships, he was still able to get a message to Governor Pickens (who was ordered by Davis to keep a lid on hostilities).

Welcome to the board, you got lucky when Google turned up CWT for you.

ole

 

[M E Wolf]

Dear Michael10103;

Welcome to CivilWarTalk forums.

Good post--good questions.

Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf

 

[OpnDownfall]

As a matter of historical record, on April 6, Lincoln informs Gov. Pickens that Ft. Sumter will be resupplied.
The next day April, 7 Beauregard cuts off sumter's mail and daily market supplies