UNION or SECESSION Virginians Decide Library of Virginia | Virginia Department of Education UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Table of Contents Introduction . 1 Chapter 1. Virginia Convention at work . 2 Chapter 2. Map of April 4, 1861, Vote on Secession . 8 &KDSWHU´9LUJLQLDQVFDQQHYHUÀJKt our southern breathren”. .10 Chapter 4. “Submission or war” . .16 Chapter 5. Roll Call of Vote on Secession, April 17, 1861 . .19 Chapter 6. Map of April 17, 1861, Vote on Secession . .21 Chapter 7. Ordinance of Secession (Enrolled Version) . .23 Chapter 8. “To Arms!” . .26 Chapter 9. “Hold themselves ready” . .27 Chapter 10. “To do any thing that a woman can do for her country” . .29 Chapter 11. A speedy union with the other slave states. .33 Chapter 12. Ordinance of Secession (First Signed Version) . .36 Chapter 13. Robert E. Lee takes command of Virginia’s forces. .40 Chapter 14. Ordinance of Secession (Calligraphy Version) . .42 Chapter 15. “Pay Roll of Slaves Employed by the Commonwealth”. .47 2 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Introduction Drawn primarily from the collections of the Library of Virginia, Union or Secession: Virginians Decide presents private letters, public debates, and other records that allow Virginians who experienced the crisis between the autumn of 1860 and the summer of 1861 to explain their thoughts, fears, and decisions in their own words. 800 East Broad Street | Richmond, VA 23219-8000 804.692.3592 www.virginiamemory.com/exhibitions ePub produced by Virginia Department of Education 1 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Chapter 1. Virginia Convention at work Peyton Gravely to Benjamin Franklin Gravely, April 1, 1861, Gravely Family Papers, Acc. 34126, Library of Virginia On April 1, 1861, Peyton Gravely, a member of the Virginia Convention from Henry County, reported on the work of the convention. Elected as an opponent of secession, Gravely commented on the “Strong out Side pressure” the delegates faced from Richmond’s newspapers, most of which favored seceding from the Union. Three days after writing his letter, Gravely voted with a two-to-one majority against a motion to secede. Gravely mentioned speeches of Timothy Rives, of Prince Edward County, Thomas S. Flournoy, of Halifax County, James Barbour, of Culpeper County, William Leftwich Goggin, of Bedford County, William Ballard Preston, of Montgomery County, William T. Sutherlin and William M. Tredway, both of Pittsylvania County, and James Cole Bruce, of Halifax County. The great length of many of the speeches eventually led the delegates to place a time limit on each speaker. Jubal A. Early, whom Gravely thought might be a good candidate to oppose Representative Thomas Salem Bocock for Congress, represented Franklin County in the Virginia Convention. For more links click Virginia Convention at work 2 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Peyton Gravely to Benjamin Franklin Gravely, April 1, 1861, Gravely Family Papers, Acc. 34126, Library of Virginia 3 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Peyton Gravely to Benjamin Franklin Gravely, April 1, 1861, Gravely Family Papers, Acc. 34126, Library of Virginia 4 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Peyton Gravely to Benjamin Franklin Gravely, April 1, 1861, Gravely Family Papers, Acc. 34126, Library of Virginia 5 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Peyton Gravely to Benjamin Franklin Gravely, April 1, 1861, Gravely Family Papers, Acc. 34126, Library of Virginia 6 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide TRANSCRIPTION Virginia Convention at work Richmond April 1st 1861 Dear nephew Your much esteemed favour of march the 25 was duly recived which brought to me the gratifying inteligence wh that all was at that time well at home On friday last resolutions were introduced in the convention to terminate debate in the committee of the whol after tuesday nexte which resolutions meet with Strong oposition from the Secssi Secession Side of the house the resolutions was amended by Substituting thursday in the place of tuesday nexte and has Since been adopted in that Shape by a large majority Tim Rives Spoke on friday last Seven hours in favor of the Union and it was a very able Speech Mr. Flournoy to Spoke on Saturday a bout one houer and a half in favor of the union his Speech was a well timed and very Abel and gives general Satisfaction to the party -LP%DUERXUQH[WWRRNWKHÁRRUHDQGPDGHDYHU\6HFHVVLRQGU\DQGXQLQWHUHVWLQJ6HFHVVLRQ6SHHFKRIDERXWKDOI DQRXUHLQOHQWK0U*RJJLQQH[WHLQWXUQWRRNWKHÁRUHDQG6SRNHIRXUHKRXUVDSDUWHRIZKLFKZDVLQIDYRURI Secession and part in favor of union Goggin and Barbour are boath instructed deligates Baldwin Preston and Flornoy have all made very able Speeches on the Side of union I now think the convention will adopt for its ultimatum the reporte of the committee on federal relations at this time if the vote could be taken it would be adoped by a very large majority (There is not much differince) betwen the reporte of the committee on federal relations and the reporte of the peace conference what will be the result when the vote is taken I am at this tim unable to Say We have in Richmond a Strong Strong out Side pressure the [one word cancelled and illegible] publick presses are all against us but the whig and that will go in a few days, if I have not been misinformed upon the Subject You nead have no fears a bout Sutherlin nor Tredway they will be kept Strate by there constituents So will Flornoy Bruce and ohers Wm Martin lefte here on Saturday morning I think he has Som idea of Runig for congress in oposition to Mr Bocock Majr Early would be a sutable candidate if he could compeat with Bocock on the Stump I think the convention will adjourn by the 15 of April if not before that time I am glad to hear that you have Set a resolution to write y me onst a week during the Siting of the convention My Kind regardes to Julia and the Children And accept the Same for for your Self from PEYTON GRAVELY Citation: Peyton Gravely to Benjamin Franklin Gravely, April 1, 1861, Gravely Family Papers, Acc. 34126, Library of Virginia. 7 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Chapter 2. Map of April 4, 1861, Vote on Secession Residences of delegates who voted for and against secession on April 4, 1861, displayed on E. Hergesheimer, Map of Virginia Showing the Distribution of its Slave Population from the Census of 1860, C. B. Graham, Lithographer (Washington, D.C.: Henry S. Graham, 1861), Library of Virginia. On April 4, 1861, the convention rejected a motion to secede by a vote of 90 to 45. The importance of VODYHU\LQWKHGLIIHUHQWUHJLRQVRI9LUJLQLDLQÁXHQFHGWKHSROLWLFDORSLQLRQVRIFRQYHQWLRQGHOHJDWHVZKHQ they voted on the secession resolution that day. Plotting the places of residence of the delegates on an 1861 map showing the distribution of slaves in Virginia illustrates that the strongest support for secession came from areas where slaves were most numerous and that opposition to secession came from regions where slaves were less numerous. No delegate in the Virginia Convention of 1861 favored abolishing slavery, and some opponents of secession feared that secession and civil war would endanger slavery in Virginia. Voters in cities and in counties with large commercial towns elected very few supporters of secession. Some counties contain no marker because 17 delegates were absent on April 4, and some counties were parts of districts that included more than one county and the district’s delegate resided in another county. For more links click Map of April 4, 1861, Vote on Secession 8 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide Residences of delegates who voted for and against secession on April 4, 1861, displayed on E. Hergesheimer, Map of Virginia Showing the Distribution of its Slave Population from the Census of 1860, C. B. Graham, Lithographer (Washington, D.C.: Henry S. Graham, 1861), Library of Virginia. 9 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide +PIX\MZ¹>QZOQVQIV[KIVVM^MZÅOP\ our southern breathren” James C. Taylor to Governor John Letcher, April 15, 1861, Executive Papers of Governor John Letcher, Acc. 36787, State Government Records Collection, Record Group 3, Library of Virginia. Following the surrender of Fort Sumter, in South Carolina, on April 13, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln UHTXHVWHGYROXQWHHUVLQFOXGLQJRIÀFHUVDQGPHQIURP9LUJLQLDWRSXWGRZQWKH6RXWKHUQ rebellion. James C. Taylor, of Christiansburg, in the southwestern county of Montgomery, informed the governor two days later that “Our Community, has been thrown into the most intense excitement” and WKDW´9LUJLQLDQVFDQQHYHUÀJKWRXUVRXWKHUQEUHDWKUHQµ*RYHUQRU-RKQ/HWFKHUUHIXVHGWRFRPSO\ZLWK Lincoln’s request. On April 16, Montgomery County’s delegate, William Ballard Preston, who had been unanimously elected as an opponent of secession, introduced an ordinance of secession in the Virginia Convention. On April 17, 1861, the convention adopted Preston’s ordinance by a vote of 88 to 55. During WKHFOLPDFWLFZHHNVRI$SULODQG0D\PHQLQ9LUJLQLDMRLQHGPLOLWDU\FRPSDQLHVVRPHWRÀJKWIRU WKH8QLWHG6WDWHVDQGRWKHUVWRÀJKWIRU9LUJLQLDRUWKH6RXWK For more links click ´9LUJLQLDQVFDQQHYHUÀJKWRXUVRXWKHUQEUHDWKUHQ” 10 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide James C. Taylor to Gov. John Letcher, April 15, 1861, Executive Papers of Governor John Letcher, Acc. 36787, State Government Records Collection, Record Group 3, Library of Virginia. 11 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide James C. Taylor to Gov. John Letcher, April 15, 1861, Executive Papers of Governor John Letcher, Acc. 36787, State Government Records Collection, Record Group 3, Library of Virginia. 12 UNION or SECESSION: Virginians Decide James