The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-30

less settle all controversy as to the conviction of Commo-
doIe Stewart with regard to the nature of Mr.. Jeferson's
purpose. by the act of Congress, February 20, 1903
fifteen gun boats were ordered 10 be built by act of
March 2, 1905, twenty-five boats were ordered by act
Of April I'll, 1906, fifty boats were ordered and by act
Of December Is, 1907, one hundred and eighty eight
boats We're ordered making in all two hundred und
seyenty-eight boats
wnLAnps' HorEL,
Washington, ID. c., Feb. 20, 1859.
In reading the speeches and comments made in reia
ton 10 the acquisition of Cuba, 4 have been struck with
the fact that no mention is made of the intention of MI.
Jefferson to make a descent upon that island before the
wal of 1872, and fol this purpose had caused to be built
n large number of g~un-boats, afterwards 80 much ridi-
culcd as useless. Nor do l now rccollect ever having
heard the true object which Mr.. Jefferson had in view in
his gun-boat system, except from yourself, if my mem
DRY serves me.
My object in writing at this time is to elicit from you
a statement of your knowledge Of the purpose of Mr.. JEFF
ferson in building those boats, as disclosed to you at that
time, 10y the President himself and in order to be GER
tain that I did not misunderstood you, | will endeavor to
recall a subject of conversation we had some eight OF
nine years ago at the National Hotel, in this city.
You will remember that in the year 1907, shortly
after the affair of the Chesapeake and Leopard frigates,
many young men sought to obtain midshipmen's war
rants in the navy. Among the rest, your humble SER
want received one, and while expecting to be sent to sea
in pursuit of an enemy, and in defence of the flag, SO
dear to every American boy, l was employed ON board
gun boats in New York harbor, not in guarding the
shores of my native land, but exclusively engaged in the
performance of a kind of police duty under the nor-in-
tercourse and embargo acts, in bringing to- and search
ing vessels Of my own countrymen, while shutting the
door of commerce in the face of England.
| well remember the rebukes this sort of service
brought upon the gun-boat navy, and those engaged in
it, and the epithets used in derision were in no wise
choice that assailed, personally, us in those DAYS.
/ always thought that | had more than my share of
that kind of duty imposed upon me, and that / had not
a fair chance for distinction in the earlier years of my ma
val life: s
On the occasion to which / allude, at the National
Hotel, while in conversation with you, | was complain
ing Of what / considered the. unjust treatment that j
had encountered in being kept SO long on duty in
those g%un-boats, at once irksome TO me, and distasteful
to the people and the officers and men on board said
boats and | was c~ondemning the whole gun boat sys-
tenn from stem to stern as insufficient and almost useless
as a coast guard, or for offensive operations against an
enemy, and was lamenting what i conceived to have
been a total waste of the best years of my life in the
navy.
Now, my dear Commodore, it was on that occasion
you told me the ~gun-boats were not intended as a coast
guard nor fn" the usual purposes of naval warfare, but
really intended for a descent on the island of Cuba, with
o view TO its occupation or annexation to the United
States and at the same time you recalled to my mind a
fact that there were then some hundred and sixty or
eighty g~un-boats in all built. and stationed along the
coast from Maine to Georgia, apparently as a coast guard,
and that they were so stationed really with a view TO de-
ccive foreign powers as to the purpose for which they
were intended that they were gradually brought to our
southern coast, until there were several fotillas in those
waters preparatory to the intended attack upon Cuba, so
that but for the t%ranspiring of some event, possibly the
approach of hostilities with England, growing out of the
orders In council, and impressinent of our own seamen
upon the high seas, and the chesapeake affair, . the
scheme of Mr. Jefferson for the acquisition of Cuba would
have been carried out, and Cuba have been ours.
In concluding this long communication to one whose
heart ever go.... tG the honoE and interests If q ,qountry.
he has so long, so ably, and SO successfully served, no
apology is necessary. l but submit ii, asking permission
to make public such facts as you may think of any inn
portance Ito history in your reply.
lam, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
l.. kEARNY.
To CHARLES STEWART, Esq, Commodore.
BoRDESrowN, On. J,) March 8, 1889.
DEAR SIR i have Just received your telegraph OF yes
terday, preceded by one from Mr.. Crabbe and Capt. En-
gle on the same subject. / have not received your letter
of Friday last, but presume it is on the way. You prob
ably allude TO a letter you wrote me dated Feb, 22d ult.,
making inquiry in relation to President Jefferson and his
gun-boats. To this letter 1 could not Immediately reply
from disability of my right arm from a boil. / am now
able TO use it again, and ] answer you, my old and ster-
ling friend, as to our ''little navy, thus What you say
you heard me relate on that subject is correct, and the
history of the thing is this In our attack on Iripoli in
1904, under Commodore Preble, we had the use of six
gun boats, loaned to our service by the King Of the Two
Sicilies, their construction, however, being designed only
for the defence of Naples bay, and the islands therein
they were clumsy, inactive vessels, bad to sail, bad to
row, and bad for our small vessels to tow in a high wind
and rough sea, but, when once got under their batteries
for action, they proved most efficient and powerful auxili-
ailtS uBItllSt peliuditUb WOTkS II OppoSlUOn, N DcinB
small themselves as an object to fire at. At the point
blank range of a "a FOUNDER they were hard to hit at a
little shorter or longer distance, all firing at them became
random firing. Now, for tho attack Of ships under q
breeze In bottomloss places, or where n ship could get an
chorage and springs on her cable, they were almost use
less but where a ship became a fixed object, by Gains or
grounding, they were then most efficient for cutting them
20 pieces and compelling a surrender.
Commodore Prcblc wrote strongly to the government
of the United States to send him a dozen of them, of
such construction as would enable them to navigate the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean sea in safety, and capable
Of being moved with facility, with wind or oars this
was done, and the frst twelve were constructed and sent
out. Ono only was lost out Of that number, and they
would have proved all that could be wished, had they
been used at Thpoh.
The appropriations for the gunboats built afterwards
WIS obtained from Congress under the pretext of harbor
dcfonces mt that time 1s06) $50 boats were built and
building. have scen since, Ia Mr.. Jcfcrson's first pub
lshcd letters, that, as war was at that time almost inevi-
table with Spain, he had intended them especially for an
attack on the island Of Cuba, as the most efficient means
o. blockading all their outports, and for the attack of
their projecting batteries. l presumed at that time the
intended war against spain grew out OF our extensive
claims on that oonntry ior our deprivation OF the right
sf deposit ~ New Orleans, granted by Spain In 1875 in
p~ergetri'y 60 the interior commerce Of the United States.
I well rccpiicct u4at IN consequence OF MIR. Jeffersons
having In his message 10 Congress, at the session
81 December. 1905, recommended something like a
Wal on spain, which he at the same time counter
acted through "a baok-door message las Mr.. Ran
dolph termed ~ and which caused Mr.. Randolph's
aeseftinx him, and making a violent opposition speech,
against him and his d0ublc policy. Randolph was then,
4 think. chairman % thc COMMITTEES Of Finance In the
then Congress Tho letter l refer 10 | may have seen
amongst ths correspondents Mr.. Jefferson had with MIR.
Mofzra Il Ianh0rn, who put into my hands all the let