and continued to hope against hope, and work against fate.  This circumstance produced a deplorable result in the South.  Under the shadow of impending defeat the Democrats of the Cotton States made the final months of the canvass quite as much a threat against Lincoln as a plea for Breckinridge.  This preaching of secession seemed to shallow minds harmless election buncombe; but when the contingency finally arrived, and the choice of Lincoln became a real event, they found themselves already in a measure pledged to resistance.  They had vowed they would never submit; and now, with many, the mere pride of consistency moved them to adhere to an ill-considered declaration.  The sting of defeat intensified their resentment, and in this irritated frame of mind the secession demagogues among them lured them on skillfully into the rising tide of revolution.

In proportion to her numbers, the State of South Carolina furnished the largest contingent to the faction of active conspirators; and to her, by a common consent, were accorded the dangers and honors of leadership.  Since conspiracies work in secret, only fragmentary proofs of their efforts ever come to light.  Though probably only one of the many early agencies in organizing the rebellion, the following circular reveals in a startling light what labor and system were employed to “fire the Southern heart” after the November election: 

[Illustration:  GENERAL HENRY A. WISE.]

  [Sidenote] O.J.  Victor, “History of the Southern Rebellion.”  Vol.  I.,
  p. 203.

    CHARLESTON, Nov. 19, 1860. 
    EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, “The 1860 Association.”

In September last, several gentlemen of Charleston met to confer in reference to the position of the South in the event of the accession of Mr. Lincoln and the Republican party to power.  This informal meeting was the origin of the organization known in this community as “The 1860 Association.”

    The objects of the Association are: 

    First.  To conduct a correspondence with leading men in the South
    and by an interchange of information and views prepare the
    slave-States to meet the impending crisis.

Second.  To prepare, print, and distribute in the slave States, tracts, pamphlets, etc., designed to awaken them to a conviction of their danger, and to urge the necessity of resisting Northern and Federal aggression.

    Third.  To inquire into the defenses of the State, and to collect
    and arrange information which may aid the Legislature to establish
    promptly an effective military organization.