New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-03-02
= FROM TIE SOUTHERN FORTS.
LETTER FROM LIEUT.. A. J. sLEMMER.

FoRr PIcKRSs, Fla, Feb. ~, 1861.
DEAR BROTHER: As a speenl messenger will leay
here for Washington tomorrow, i will AJAX him {
carry come private letters with his public ones and
let YOU know some little about Fort Pickens and tn
inhabitants thereof. only wish 1t were not 40 much
Of one tided arrangement AS we need letters down
here more than you fortunate people mp North can.
TIE papers through sometimes, but letters never
1t quite surprises to my name figuring extern
sivtly ia the newspapert.. b have simply done my
DUTY; bat suppose the doing II, under such pressure
Of opposition, makes il appear crediable The troops
are leaving the opposition shore, disgused at playing
soldior, / suppose They say there are only about
three hundred remaining, aud these are regulars
having enlisted for one year MY messenger to the
lack them now. We could do go and get possession
again Of everything in an hour II we were only permit
ted to take such a course. ] have now mounted
nearly all the guns-hai is all that really
nv to enable this work be defended by force of 800
men, We have worked Ike horses to accomplish this,
but great things be done by small means when one
knows how This small command has done more than
Chase LomaX could have done with Their 0OJ men,
and they know il. Having guns 60 up 70
rauidly they swear we have had reinforeements In
fact the papers cay, nothing else could be expected
that have smueglsd in men from the vessels. IL Is
true we could have done so, and they be none the
wiser; but not man has been added TO this command
from them. In fact, particular are we, that not
even an officer has ashore with the exception of
Capt Vodges and he only once when the vessels lrst
came. .... . ..
These Southern papers are publishing all sorts Of
false reports about One Ia that was heard tosay
that il they had attacked the fort any time during the
fret fifteen DAYS would have surrendered it without
firing gun. On course this is not true. Ny men
stood at the guns every Of those days and if they
had come they would have learned the definition OF
kind Of grape.
The people on the opposite shore think we are in
much more defsnsible condition than when they first
came. The moral effect Of the guns on top is great.
When the move was first made worked most where
they could not me- and they thought but little was
poipe; but when my men were put 10 work on the
barbstte guns, and they saw them go up almost like
magic as they thought they could scarcely move their
own Quns they began to think troublous times were
coming. There are only as sad before, about four
hundred men at the barracks, Fort Barrancas and old
McCrea-only enough 10 garrison them. They
very much afraid that some fine morning they will find
the ships in the harbor with the intelligence to them
that they leave within two hours, unless they pre-
fer TO BIO food for powder.
Col Chase and Capt. Rannolph are both In Mont
eonery, leaving Col Forney in command.
He Il u West Point graduate, and was engaged in
putting up the batteries before that WORK stopped
Colonel Chase was putting up battery near the
lighthouse, and mounting eight inch columbds on 1t.
This battery would have raked our front, as wrote
protesting against its continuance at present. and also
against the erection Of all batteries bearing on tho
fort Colonel Chase told the Secretary of War that if
he would not land the troops In the Brooklyn, he
lis part would not attack the fort, and would imme-
diatey discontinue all preparations for doing OF
course this battery building violating the agree
ment and they have admitted u by not going on.
They think have no right to mount any more guns
either but that il all they know about il. There was
no aInisiee on my side at all except about the landing
of the troops, and that was the Secretarys. am at
perfect liberty 10 mount every gun In the fort IL i
choose and to make such other defensees can in
vent or copy, A. j. SLEaMER,
Fist Lieut., frs: Artillery, Commanding Fort
Pickens. #. WIZ .h|.