Posted inUS Civil War

March 15, 1861 – The Noble Sentiment

The noble sentiment—so exultingly, enthusiastically, and unanimously adopted previous to the election of the Virginia Convention—of holding on to the fortunes of Virginia, whatever they might be—submitting to the decision…
Posted inUS Civil War

March 12, 1861 – The Zouaves

Amer Picon liqueur advertisement featuring a smiling Zouave carrying six large bottles of the product.

So much interest and admiration exist at the present time in and for this remarkable body of men, that we deem it not amiss to lay before our readers our idea of their characteristics and feats.

The recipe for manufacturing a Zouave is as follows: Take an ordinary man, the smaller the better ; cultivate long hair, unlimited moustachios, if at possible, bright red, placing upon the back of his head a cap something the shape of a saucepan, a brighter shade of red than the hair, with an extensive blue tassel.; envelope him in a blue bag with two other blue bags for sleeves, and presto! you have his jacket; then take two large red bags brighter red than the cap, and you at once have him breeched; you then keep continually winding blue sash around his waist until physical exhaustion compels you to cease your efforts, when clapping on a very tight pair-of white gaiters just below the very loose pair of red breeches, lo’! you have a first-rate Zouave.

Posted inUS Civil War

March 9, 1861 – Gov. Ellis in Wilmington

We learn from the Journal that Gov. Ellis was in Wilmington on the 5th, had a reception at the hands of his brother disunionists, and made a speech—The Journal says:

“The Governor referred to the position of public affairs in Congress and throughout the country to Mr. Lincoln’s declarations to his sneaking into Washington to the total failure of all plans of adjustment to the coercion policy of Lincoln’s message to the necessity of resistance, and to the inevitable course of things leading North-Carolina to join her fate with her sisters of the South, and that at no distant day. He did not know how the election in this State had resulted, but however it had resulted the march of events was still onwards. If we had not a convention now, we would have one very soon. When he looked around and saw the spirit manifested here he felt that the spirit of resistance to oppression which animated the men of ’76 was still alive, and its fires still burning.

Neither the law nor the constitution gave the President power to coerce any State, and the attempt to do so would be an act of usurpation that the people themselves had the natural and indefeasible right to resist, even should it be necessary to do so without waiting for the forms of authority.