Charleston Kanawha Valley Star, April 23, 1861

In utter disregard and contempt of every overture and prayer of Virginia, for peace, and without any authority of Congress, Mr. Lincoln and his advisers have declared war against the South. He has issued his proclamation for seventy-five thousand militiamen, and has had the audacity to call upon the border Slave States for a portion of them, designating three regiments as Virginia's quota. The various governors of the slave States have each responded promptly to the call, that they would furnish no men or money for any purpose so wicked in its ends and so unconstitutional in its means as the proposed subjugation of the South. The free States have all offered their sinews of war and powers of destruction with eagerness and alacrity. The Virginia Convention has passed the ordinance of secession. Four hundred federal troops, stationed at Harper's Ferry, Va., after destroying ten thousand rifles and firing the public buildings, fled before the Virginians made their appearance. No doubt some of the gallant four hundred were familiar with John Brown's by-paths across the neighboring hills, and others of them may also have retained a vivid recollection of the latter end of the martyr. At any rate they decided and so acted that discretion was the better part of valor. The Virginians soon thereafter arrived, extinguished the flames and secured about four thousand rifles.

The Northern cities, in keeping with their usual fanaticism, are perfectly furious; any one who refuses to advocate coercion is in danger of losing his life. Federal soldiers are flocking into Washington city by thousands; negroes are in the ranks with white men. Civil war is commenced, and it behooves every man who loves his species now calmly to consider how can it be stopped. We have heretofore urged with all our little might, that prompt, decided and unanimous action by all the border slave States was the only possible means of preventing bloodshed and civil strife. For that, many men denounced us as traitors. We hope we may be pardoned for presenting once more with renewed energy and infinitely increased weight the same argument as applicable to our present disturbed condition. The immediate and unanimous voice of all the slave States in defense of themselves and the South, may yet cause the North to reflect before they rush headlong into this internecine strife. We are fain to believe that those in authority at Washington have made the issue simply to satisfy their party whether or not the Union is permanently divided. The Black Republican horde cried that the rebels must be demolished. In order to preserve his party organization at the North, Mr. Lincoln was forced to terminate the dreadful and doubtful inaction of his administration. The suspense caused by the delay and deliberation policy paralyzed every energy of the country as effectually as actual war would have done: it afforded no satisfactory response to those who persisted in reiterating the question "have we a government?" Mr. Lincoln drafted just about the same number of men from each of the slave States as he had votes last fall, respectively in them. If those States had sustained him, then his plan would have been to have subjugated the seven seceded states.

If the border States are not lost to every sentiment of honor and all knowledge of interest, if their people are not divided among themselves, Mr. Lincoln and his party will soon be convinced of the advantages of peace, and will speedily acknowledge our separate existence as a government. We are satisfied that the revolution is now a complete success; and no matter to what extremity the contest be pushed, we have no doubt of the ultimate and complete triumph of the South. We hope there will be no disertion or difference of opinion amongst our own community in regard to the great question before us. We are willing to forget all of the past that is unpleasant to any loyal citizen. Let each and all of us stand firm for Virginia, as a unit in this her greatest trial. Let no seditious one whisper any purpose of dividing the State. Virginia expects every man to do his duty.