Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-04-15

e sa,nr.ixv. and regret 10 observe
ca ~ H. tnInh of his zeal for his cher, az o Er,
% throw the responsibility "i lhe H. fcers of the
King with inadequate supp'es'N NV mos, men have
ouat'esh.ae r., ~ bear the burden u 'heit Wv" WI
errors. / lind it so least, ahu wv ,h additional
Siios, 80, ,;,.. broad enough 10 ora. .tI ,:d
ders are NOT qn''e nsprctur kindly disposed
weight wnl,n , But let him speak for h'mse".
ua q Tic General directed HIS tnarch '1"% ~.
Fort King He had taken Ten Gays sa.o Of WAS
III ooson to suppose that large supply OF stores W."
"' King The Quarernias:cr having shown MN a'
. ac;,j letter from the Quar,erniaser-Generai, aat's
inr him that l20 600 ratons had been ordered " o
post :" and in a subsequent paragraph nc says; !
General, contrary to his reas"nab e cSprc'a!!:nS w.
no sufficient supply Of stores oil any KIM c.n..
maxim in war; as old US the science itself, t'at "
ra should never separate himself from nS surph h,,
without taking care to secure 's nv aIs ~ Jisprnse
il is the high attribute o: genius ~ oc aTe y. f
with those rules which necessary t"f 'he
of ordinary morials. The commanass' nnWe'', ""
disresatds llleul rcspons'oi'ty WIN"
short OF complete success can JuSu'y' reas ~ -"
for surprising that supplies would be i9nhd al OH hs
NAV paia,e but cannot justify movement contraeylo
rule. which resulted in failure, Us tins DID
RI, let US examine the grounds for the supposltton OF
the General Capt Shannon, the senior Quartermasrr
in Florida had been advised in letter ot the 18th ct
January from the Quarternaster Generals office, that
srge supply Of provisions had been ordered from Nc,r
York t, Fort King The following is an extract from
that letter of all that relates 10 the subject: Largc sup
Fort King BY comparing this extract with Captain
Hitchcock letter il will BE- that he has omitted the
material fact that the supplies ordered from Aer
York. Now, he must pardon me- if not satisfied with the
precise quantum Of truth which he has chosen 10 te
claim for the Department the benefit Of the whoie ru
General Gaines, are told, moved from Tampa Bay
on the 18th February, just twenty days subsequent
to the date of the letter 10 Capt. Shannon; tn.e not
sufficient 10 have placed the supplies in depot Fort
King in the favorable of tho year and
with the land communication entirely free rom the iu-
terruptlons Of the enemy. Besides, General Gaines
must have known that all the settlements in Florida,
from near Saint Augustine to Fort King, had been bro.
ken up were kept in constant alarm by the enemy,
and that the whole line Of the Ocklawha well the
roads from Palaka and Pico!aa liable to he seized
and held by him. it must also have been known that
General Scott in the field and the least reelection
must have led any one TO perceive that he would hard
y allow his supplies TO 60 without protection in advance
of his force The date Of the letter, the place @lnce
the supplies were necessarily drawn the state OF the
roads in Florida the condition Of that couauy, and
the position of General Scott should all have been
considered Viewing these circumstances together,
what grounds were there to justify the SUPERSTITION that
supplies would be found at Fort King; What reason
able expectation of the General could have been aisaP
pointed unless indeed he supposed Genera! Clnch had
obtained supplies before General Scott arrived III Tie
country? But he, the head Of thousand men, was
obliged 10 enrench himself the Wthlacoochce, and
was neither able 10 open the communication with his
own depot ut Tampa Bay, to keep open that with
Fort King how could lie expect General Clincl, with
less than half that force, If the supplies had arrv
cd at Picoata to keep open the connaa,caton and fur
nisl protection for them the ROUTE wtea every bri
gade of wagons pack horses required ul.,ufy
cort?
The fact is, there just ground for the s4pposi.
tion if it ever entertained, that supplies would be
found at Fort King than sufficient for It's garrison
Tampa Bay was the proper deput for Gen GaiDr. divi
SION When he left that post tor Fort King, the supplies
abundant; if he chose leave them there al
low the enemy to cut him of from them he doubt
had reasons sufficient ia a!s opinion to justify the
measure; but the responsibility, well the honor,
oil his own. must be excused from sharing either.
THOMAS 5. JESCP.