of his party, was being forced by circumstances to make his
choice among the three inevitable courses, and each chose the Northern
side. At once the question of the moment was whether the new Secretary
of State and his powerful henchmen would hypnotize the President.

For a couple of weeks the issue hung in the balance. Then there
appeared at Washington commissioners from South Carolina "empowered to
treat...for the delivery of forts...and other real estate" held by
the Federal Government within their State. On the day following their
arrival, Buchanan was informed by telegraph that Anderson had dismantled
Fort Moultrie on the north side of the harbor, had spiked its guns,
and had removed its garrison to the island fortress, Sumter, which
was supposed to be far more defensible. At Charleston his action was
interpreted as preparation for war; and all South Carolinians saw in
it a violation of a pledge which they believed the President had given
their congressmen, three weeks previous, in that talk which had not been
written down. Greatly excited and fearful of designs against them, the
South Carolina commissioners held two conferences with the President
on the 27th and 28th of December. They believed that he had broken his
word, and they told him so. Deeply agitated and refusing to admit
that he had committed himself at the earlier conference, he said that
Anderson had acted on his own responsibility, but he refused to order
him back to the now ruined Fort Moultrie. One remark which he let fall
has been remembered as evidence of his querulous state of mind: "You
are pressing me too importunately" exclaimed the unhappy President;
"you don't give me time to consider; you don't give me time to say my
prayers; I always say my prayers when required to act upon any great
state affair." One remembers Hampden "seeking the Lord" about ship
money, and one realizes that the same act may have a vastly different
significance in different temperaments.

Buchanan, however, was virtually ready to give way to the demand of the
commissioners. He drew up a paper to that effect and showed it to the
Cabinet. Then the turning-point came. In a painful interview, Black,
long one of his most trusted friends, told him of his intention to
resign, and that Stanton would go with him and probably also the
Postmaster-General, Holt. The idea of losing the support of these strong
personalities terrified Buchanan, who immediately fell into a panic.
Han