Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE CIVIL PRELIMINARIES IN 1861. The rebellious conspiracy in Virginia was so ripe for co-operation with the Cotton States by the opening of the year 1861, and so entirely in control of the executive and legislative State machinery, that the General Assembly was called by Gov. Letcher to meet in extraordinary session January 7th. Despite the false pretenses put forward in his message as reasons for this astonishing proceeding, the sole object was to commit Virginia to the Southern revolution, already in full tide and only waiting for Virginia to embark; and from the day the legislature met, events moved toward that end with a swiftness and precision which showed how completely the programme for Virginia had been prepared. Disregarding precedents requiring consent of the voters before a convention could be called, the Assembly on the 14th of January ordered an election for delegates to a convention to meet February 13th. The second day after the Legislature met, they voted a declaration that they were "unalterably opposed" to any attempt by the Government to "coerce into reunion or submission" any State attempting to withdraw from the Union. A week later they adopted another declaration that if the differences between the North and the South failed of adjustment, "then, in the opinion of the General Assembly, every consideration of honor and interest" demanded Virginia should ally herself with the " slaveholding States of the South." Thus did the legislative body undertake to stake out for the sovereign body about to be assembled a road which led straight to Mongomery. The Legislature of Virginia had no constitutional authority to call a convention, nor to deal itself with national questions. This rested only in the voters of the State. The most the Assembly had the right ...