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| Confederate Vice-President Alexander
Stephens of Georgia |
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| Virginia
Governor John Letcher |
Convention between
the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Confederate States of America
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After
the Baltimore riots of April 19, it was obvious that some sort of armed
conflict was quite possible. While Virginia's secession process
had been initiated, it was not yet complete, and there was the added
possibility of getting Maryland to join the Confederacy, thus isolating
Washington from the rest of the United States. Accordingly, there
was interest in quickly getting Virginia's state militia under
Confederate control, thus this "convention" was quickly agreed
upon. The presentation here is a bit edited from that appearing
in the newspaper, but only insofar as the appearance of the signatures
is concerned.
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The Commonwealth of Virginia, looking
to a speedy union of said Commonwealth and the other slave States with the Confederate
States of America, according to the provisions of the Constitution for the Provisional
Government of said States, enters into the following temporary convention and
agreement with said States, for the purpose of meeting pressing exigencies affecting
the common rights, interests and safety of said Commonwealth and said Confederacy. 1st. Until the union of said Commonwealth with said
Confederacy shall be perfected, and said Commonwealth shall become a member of said
Confederacy according to the Constitutions of both powers, the whole military
force and military operations, offensive and defensive, of said Commonwealth, in
the impending conflict with the United States shall be under the chief control and
direction of the President of said Confederate States, upon the same
principles, basis, and footing as if said Commonwealth were now, and during the
interval, a member of said Confederacy. 2nd. The Commonwealth of Virginia
will, after the consummation of the Union contemplated in this Convention, and her
adoption of the Constitution for a permanent Government of the said Confederate
States and she shall become a member of said Confederacy under said permanent Constitution,
if the same occur, turn over to the said Confederate States all the public
property, naval stores, and munitions of war, &c. she may then be in possession
of, acquired from the United States, on the same terms and in like manner as the
other States of said Confederacy have done in like cases. 3d. Whatever expenditures of
money, if any, said Commonwealth of Virginia shall make before the Union, under
the Provisional Government as above contemplated, shall be consummated, shall be
met and provided for by said Confederate States. This Convention entered into and
agreed to, in the city of Richmond, Virginia, on the twenty-fourth day of
April, 1861, by Alexander H. Stephens, the duly authorized Commissioner to act in
the matter for the said Confederate States, and John Tyler, Wm. Ballard
Preston, Sam’l McD. Moore, James P. Holcomhe, James C. Bruce, and Lewis K. Harvie,
parties duly authorized to act in like manner for said Commonwealth of Virginia—the
whole subject to the approval and ratification of the proper authorities of
both Governments respectively. In testimony whereof, the parties aforesaid Alexander H. Stephens. Commissioner for Confederate
States.
Commissioners for Virginia: JOHN TYLER, WM. BALLARD PRESTON, S. McD. MOORE, JAMES P. HOLCOMBE, JAMES C. BRUCE, LEWIS B. HARVIE. Approved and ratified by the Convention of Virginia, on the
25th of April, 1861. JOHN JANNEY, President. JOHN L. EUBANK,
Sec’y. |
Back to Civil War Chronologies (Main page) Back to Chronology of the Fort Sumter Crisis Source: Published in the Richmond Dispatch, April 26, 1861, page 2. Date added to website: January 15, 2025. |
