Both sides in the national dispute [the secession of the American South in what would soon become the Civil War] used [George] Washington’s birthday to pay homage to the great man. They celebrated in Montgomery and Savannah, Philadelphia and Richmond, Boston and New Haven. In Charleston the cadets at The Citadel fired a salute of thirteen guns for the original thirteen states, followed by seven more for the seven states of the Confederacy. The cannon’s roar could be heard out over Fort Sumter.
There, following Anderson’s orders, the garrison fired a salute of precisely thirty-four. The shots came thirty seconds apart, giving interested South Carolinians a chance to listen, and count. According to Anderson’s mathematics, there were thirty-four states – including South Carolina and the new state of Kansas.
At least one Carolinian was not amused, calling Anderson’s actions “impudence.”
Author’s Note:
It should be noted that Texas had not officially joined the Confederacy, which still only consisted of six states. Also, Kansas had entered the Union on January 30, and Anderson had carefully incorporated this fact in his counting.
Source:
Detzer, David. “Hostages.” Allegiance: Fort Sumter, Charleston, and the Beginning of the Civil War. New York: Harcourt, 2002. 187. Print.
Original Source(s) Listed:
Crawford to brother, February 24, 1861, SWC.
Courier, February 23, 1861.
Samuel Wells Leland, journal, February 22, 1861, SCL.
Further Reading:
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