, 1861-03-14
%z.=|@! ..
5s;:RohE SUMTER. =
Can Major Andernon be Relieved

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:=:FoA9 SUMTER. -.
Can Major Anderaon be Relieveds
:: Correspondence ot the N T: Trtbnne:]
:: C11ARtEsrox, March 9Th, 1861.
learn from New York paper that has fall
en- into my hands, that plan has been matur-
ed By Gen. Scott for reinforcing Fort SUMTER,
and that 3 distinguished officer Of the navy has
volunteered-to conduct the enterprise; and
furthermore, that no doubt iB entertained TINT
troops will be safely landed at the wharf OF the
fort. suppose that if Gen. Scott has matur-
cd any such or other plan, It has been done
with a full knowledge Of the situation Of the
febe] batteries TINT line the harbor, their num-
Der, capacity, &c. I see by Secretary Aolt,s
late letter, in which he commits positive hom-
icile on the traitor Secretary Thompson, thHt
when the Star Of the West WIS ordered here,
Government had no knowledge Of the Llgns-
hcuse Battery which sent her back, or Of 9th
er batteries tnat could interfere with her mis-
sion, I could hardly believe this, did not the
late Secretary Of War make the statement dis
tinctly. / consequently. fear that Government
is yet in ignorance Of many things ofthe high
est importance as bearing on the contemplated
the single Lighthouse Battery, which proved
sufIicient to drive back the Star Of the West,
there are now, l. cannot sey. precisely how
many, but at least halfa dozen other batteries
bearing directly on any channel that ships
Of Light or heavy draft could take TO reach tie
fort. -. =
But suppose that by the greatest good luck
steamer, with men and provisions aboard,
should succeed in passiEg all these batteries
without receiving single fatal shot from their
twenty-five or fifty guns, most ofWhich would
bear directly on her for the distance Of from
three to five miles, when she has done 50, she
will only have approached the point Of still
greater peril; for She will laye escaped these
into the jaws Of Fort Mouitrie, aud two mortar
bat cries adjacent on Sulliyan's Island, and
Cummings Point battery, and q nearby NOR
tar battery on Morris Island all Of which would
play upon her at distances ranging from three
quarters Of d mile to one and thtee:quarters,
tue guns Of Fort Moultrle being OF the greater
distance. It will be recolleeted TINT Capt. Nc
Gowan stated that the reason he turned the
Star OF the West even after he had passed the
point Of dnnger from the LightrH House Battery,
Was because he perceived that to proceed
would be to encounter the destructive fire Of
Fort Moultrie, which he would have done
within the next five minutes. Now that peril,
even supposing the steamer to hare escaped
thus far, has been increased in an untold meas
ure BY the addition Of the mortar batteries re-
ferred to, and Cummings Point battery. Bnt
go further, and atldw the steamer to escape al
1f them, and finally reach Sumters wharf,
which I do not think the depth water would
allow her to do, she would then lie directly
: under the guns Of Forts johnson and Cum
ming's Point. a stationary target. The en-
trance to the Fort has been walled up, SO as to
permit but one man to enter at 4 time; and
will leave others to ealcu1ate what probability
there Is Of dll or majority Of the reinforce.
ments gaining entrance under the lire Of shot
and shell to which they would be subjected,
passing in Indian file " and huddled together
In craft that could offer NO protection, await
ing their turn to enter the fort,
I Iconclude that the plan spoken of, whether
matured by Gen. Scott or anybody else, is
wholly impfactitable. do not believe that if
any plan at all has been matuEed, it is anything
like it.
The idea Of throwing troops into Fort Sum-
worthy Of attention. On just the right sort Of
night, with everything favorable, there would
be tair chance Of success. Within the last
month there have been at last dozen Of such
nights, as / can testify, foggy, thick, little
misty, WHEN Lights could be distinguished but
short distance, and when, if ever, the guard
boats which nightly patrol the moqth Of the
of the guards has been much increased, aud at
least, under the most favorable circumstances,
the enterprise would be attended with the
greatest hazards. These guard boats contain
each from forty to sixty soldiers, and one OF
tPo Of them have pieces Of artillery aboard
also. They pass and repass continually during
the entire night, leaving but short distances
or gaps through which fow boats could hope
| to pass. Signals Of warning have been ar-
| Hanged by which the Whole range OF batteries
can be aronssssa Ii Ii avery short time. Tie dis.
| I$nce from tile bar, in the aeighborhood Of
| which tho Iodts cruise, to Fort Sumter, is
about six miles In going that distance it
would require great good management to keep
ont of the way of the guards: + discovered,
| 1t would be extraordinary luck if they reached
the fort. Still it is the most practicable meth
cd Of reinforcing Fort Sumter, unless you
mike an open stand.up fight, destroy the bat
teries BY ships in front, aud attacking parties
in the rear.
Especial Dispatch to the N. +. Hersldl
:, WAsuHGros, March 10, 1851.
| It appears that the aetua. co4dition Of Fori
| Sumter is Eueh worse than was represented
1y the recent administration. The question
discussed and to be settled by Mr.. Lincoln and
his advisers is whether Sumter can be rein
forced, and if 50, what it will cost, and thirdly
what value will it be to the service after it il
reinforced. These Queries are met thus: Al
tie time South Carolina passed her secession
ordinance, Fort Sumter could aud should have
been reinforced. 11r. Buchanan neglected tt
do SO; secondly, to supply Fort Sumter Will
|
thousand men at least, and more naval ship:
than can be brought into immedinte requisi
ton, a large expenditure Of treasure, Erea
sacrifice Of lie, and the Initiation Of civil war
thirdly, would the administration be justified
il making such reinforcement at such price il
view Of the fact that such q terrible condition
Of at1airs at Sumter is only an entailmcnt 0
the Buchanan administration upon the presen
and not produced by any oct OF the party nov
in power, but against its well known policy
especially inasmuch as Sumter would be Of ri
. value whatever to the government in the pres
ent condition Of affairs If it was reinforced.
| The present Administration has had III
quarrel with South Carolina, and is not in
clined to assume Or engage In any compiica
tons that the Buchanan Administration ma.
have become entangle1 in. 1t will pursue
policy Of its own, aud not follow that Of 1t
Predecessor. It Is clear, from the eyidene
now before the President, that Major Andei
son must have supplies Of once, or be ordere
to salute the United States 1ag and eyacuat
the place. To reinforce him under oil the Gil
cumstances would only be viewed as an Al
tempt to humiliate the people Of South Care
| lima, with no good resulting to the Fedcrz
Government BY it. The act would also
, considered as aggressive and Elfully coerciTt
because the fort would be useless If the Sout
cs5 became the conquerors, as they eTentua
: / II would Mr. Liucoln's Administration is nc
r Inclined to be pat in this false position, md
believe that the present complicated state
: affairs has been produced by designing men
. entrap the new powers that be- Major Ande
son and his men have done well; their serv
ces are needed elsewhere; they can be orde
ed to- another post now by Mr.. Lincoln, b
cause he has not been the guilty party to the
| prc:ent condition. He eau remove them u
, Influenced by menace or threat. They cannt
be reinforced short Of incurring the e1peut
: named above, and starvation would overtas
= them hefore provisions could reach them III
). | der any circumstances. Humanity, then, q
| manas their removal. I am sure these co
/ siderations, briefly stated, are the main poin
now under discussion by the President OF
Clbinet; and have no doubt the result vi
l be tue removal from Charleston hatbor OF .
causes for future quarrel in that direction,
1ar as tue Federal Government is conceFnc
II it must be done, it will be done quickl
:, probably tomorrow. So much for the Cat
= net meeting last night
1 Public Sw1nd1lnss at the san dxr1.
Islands.
r The United States sloop- Of war Lcvnnt, Ca
c tain Hunt, bound direct from the Sandwich
G lands to Panama, q voyage Of say fifty days, h
\ now been out since September 16, ard scarf
: II the fain.est hope can be indulgcd OF b
C sate'y. Capt. Hunt went to the 1slfnds und
c instructions from the Department to ms .it1l
h inquiries into frauds said to have been peri
:, tinted upon the Governmf Mt in The Consu1at
and US. Hospitals OF Honolulu and Lahaina
; collected . vast amount of Information beari
it upon this matter, In which the charges Of gra
"a corrupt1oh In the public service aTe tnlly &C
{3-roo }fta& gf1n1ro +fY,x-uJ In