Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1837-02-04

which may be transmitted to yoa by the Executive o
Flmida.'
Colonel Gadsden's first Lr position adds, in continual
ton Of this history 6 1t appears, however, from ihior'
rIalicn received from ore OF the Gen who was IN ,e
block .hause, that the detachment DID no. reacn "e
mouth Of tile Wythlacoochee until meJJD,@ un ~" ,n ~
Anrii, leo Gaps after ii had becn ordered 10 9uf a., ano
when General Scott had reached the rlclnity OF 'a"'
pa Bay. Notwithstanding, however. It's fearless com
mandtr and on his own responsibility, Pehelfateo '"e
river established Il block .huuse, aad iell IL garrisoneui
u,;,h q urnnis- 10 return aud relieve it in eight or ten
days. Unfortunately, hnwerer, as he tnte.'o me gu
vance, he was a:s.ilrd with e lever, aud tell z Victim IL
its effects"
whose ,,,1inlic zeal. pashrd a little too FAR, has brought
upon me. uniuleulivr lily, know not what anipunto Of re.
neral odiun. This have long borne IN silence; but,
sir, the star of Truth approaches The zenith, and MS II
SHEDS lis light over this Court and lanc, lie deep SHADES
Of calumny are made 10 disappear.
In relation TO the Florida campaign, Mr.. President, /
have one point more To notice, and shall have done.
Among the p~1odigious mass OF documents turned over
by the different Offices Of the War Department TO be read
br the Judge Advocate in evidence against me, as u 10
crush by their physical weight, if they could not other
wise effect their purpose, there is from The Hon. J. NJ.
White. the Florida delegate in Congress, a letter dated
nj Waslin !ton, MAJ IS, to the President Of The United
States, with an endorsement in Tie hand ol The latter,
which directs ~ copy If this letter to be Sentt 10 General
Scott, ciM an ordcr 10 nithdrao from the command s'
FTUriIn. Il
o. this endorsement had no knowledge until the
original was read III this Court. What were The feel
ings which it excited | may not, | will not say: but the
associations recalled 10 my mind may be inferred from
the following iacls:
To my elaborate report Of what ] had done, and of the
oreratiuHs projected, Le AZ u,anl- General, May The 9th
replied: -, =, ,
the operations Of TIE Army in Florida under your com.
n..nd, since your departure from Fort Dranc and y"ur
arrival at Tampa Bay, has been submitted to the frssi'
dent, ard this day 10 the Secretary OF War. / AIN happy
TO inform You that the President approves Of your IN
tended plan of operations" NC. 81 an desired by The
Secretary OF War TO say, that, from, the tenor OF your
report, as 1ceH rs by tie communicative re has Jest re-
ceiUed from tie Gofern0r Of f29rtda, IL is probable that
owing to The approaching season OF The year, the cam
paign iii the field Cannot be much i0nger vigorously push
ed. In this event, you will make Il ~judiclnus selection
Of The posts necessary 10 be occupied by the troops dur
iny the interval Of scli : operatious, which may be bes'
calculated 10 protect the lr"nlIe (: inhabitants, a!}a prevent
Indian depredalIons OF any kind. For this purpose ."
the regular troops, including the 4tI Infantry, must be
kept On duty IN Fl0ylG1.'
As | had lntinaled in lay letter of April II would lie
done, all this had been attended TO before Tie receipt Of
tie Adiu;ant-G Generals communication, and which Is
here cited principally to show thai, certainly as lac a:
the 5uh Of May, no diyp!casurc had been officially ex.
pressed against Inc at Washington.
But in my report of the llth Of May, anilnaarcrung
upon Major Read, and whic: according to II nn'r on the
original, (now in eViuencr,) was received st Washing.
Ton the 2isl: seven days before Whites letter To The Pre-
side; / OF the United olaleS, there Is lhlS Paragraph:
" feel and know the risk incur by tie USE Of thi!
language. Major Read is the favOritc of Gnrcrnor Call
and his EXcellency support may well tmn the table:
against ne ut Washington"
SIR, / had seen, among the papeIs which accompanied
the instr actions given ME for the Seminole WAT, { letter
lin evidence with that docuWeni.) from General Gail Il
the President of the u. States, dated January Q, lS3G, il
which the writer says:
- should BIZ highly g~ratiied to command the army
and believe that l could spun bring The war TO a elise
fear huwP yer. This cannot do WIibuut Injustice Il
General Clinch. He is a brave and good man: but lea'
he is too slow in his movements 10 conduct IL war agains
the lndlans.'
With al oficia! copy of this letter in my possession
it may he supposed thai knew my danger. But, sir,
DO not complain that, s"on after my animadrrIsors OF
Major Read. he was appointed 4 Brigadirr General il
tie militia .: fiorida; that u L!eutenunt Cu!nnri of the
army, whom reported in my letter Of March 20lh a:
having left for dnty elsewhere, but went eli to Wash
ingtrn, was, in u little time, rewarded by a Cplonelcy
mol by seniority nor that the Presidents endorsement
on MIR. White s letter was soon followed by Gov. Call
being ';gIa!Ihcd with the direction OF the war in Flo
ridn. But, sir, | have, III deirncr, a right to advert &c
Hose extraordinary facts 10 show, that If, iii my opera
lions To The South, had the enemy to conquer III my
front. was al the same time, not 4 little Insecure in
my rear. The effect If snch position every soldier vii
readily comprehend: and respectfully sGhn!! the poin'
10 the consideration OF this Court. a yet more extra.
ordinary fact, OF the sanlr general character, will be de
vrioped in Tie sequel. But, at present, will return
10 Mr.. Whites letter 10 tn" President Of the United
StHIrs.
think, sir, that | have shown that his letter did no
do me all the injury That was intended al the lime. Blu
why, sir, is il brou ght here, with It's endorsement, in nc
cusatinn against me: MIR. White, in a letter to the Pre-
siirnt of Ibis Court, dated December 18Th, lS36. says
"lh!s places mo in an attitude that H." not choose L
occupy" = " "Sincr The publication OF that letter IL
the President OF the United Statesl | lave, III The Ma
tinnal lntelligencrT, over my own raHic, as an act U
Justice to General Scott, corrected, upon better lnioTEia
ton. Tia. complaints which | deemed ii lnJ duty. Us IN
TrpIesenis!ive Of lhs lsHylc, Of El",'I., a. m,"T I t. iMn
before the Court without the second; and, as have NJ
copy of il with NE at present, l take this occasion 10 sal
that am satisfied, upon a full and impartial review o
the facts aud Circumstances connected with the Florida
campaign, and upon evidence not then before me tia
the failure is not II be attributed to hlajor-Grn. Scott
nor to causes which il vas in his power 10 control. or Il
remove"
This voluntary and unsolicited retraclion is manli
and noble. In my Judgment: and feelings, II shows The
correspondent of the Court to be worthy IF being callrt
The IOnoraWe Mr.. White, by a higher claim than that q
mere courtesy. II Is True, sir, that, in his rccdntatiOn
lie excerpts what lie had originally said Of my order No
-, on the suijrct Of panics. | know not that this re
serrn!i"n ought 10 break squares between that gentleman
and myself. The CIDER, although there were many apo
logies for the inhabitants, was Funded on information al
Once full and precise and, as | said Of j. in my letter
10 lhe Secretary Of War, dated June 2ls;: - Besides,
was advised. by respectable citizens of Florida, to CONT
out with an order in that spirit, as likely to rally the in
hablianis, and ! have reason to know that the order die
good II good resulted, am content with The enmities
! brought upon myself by the act: for, sir, since the
war began to rage III That quarter, there has not been
moment, up to this time, when ! would not have made
any sacrifice Of person TO have stopped lis Iavagcs.
deeply mourn over the many Affections the good people
OF that drsulalcd Territory have experienced and
freely forgive, as | pray that God may forgive, The in
justice of laying those evils, in part, 10 my account.
(T0 be continued IN our nat
Esvesafy-aosdrtai GoslgreSs--2d Scss.