East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-08-08
NUMBER 2

whenever required by proper authority.
| approved OF placing in Fort Adams
volunteers for the protection OF the hsr-
Dor and town OF Newport by Governor
Sprague, of Rhode Island.
In order to ascertain if my services in
connection with the Union Defense Com.
mttee met the appreciation of the Gen.
eral-in-C Chief as we'll as the Secretary OF
War, 1 reported to Lieutenant General
Scott on the 23d and 25th of April, what
l had done aud was doing On the Goth
| also wrote to the Secretary OF War,
when | informed him that l had trans
uiitted to Lieutenant General Scott sew
eral Dispatches of what l was doing,
without receiving any reply, and l con-
cluded my letter by saying: 81 am ex-
ceedingly anxious to know the views OF
the Administration and what it desires; /
am running without rudder or compass
BY this expression, intended to be un.
derstood that | was executing high and
important functions without orders, bus
which the emergency required-the cap.
ital of the Union being in imminent peril
of being captured by Southern rebels.
Receiving no acknowledgment, and
anxious to know how my conduct was
viewed by the authorities in Washing
ton, l sent special messenger, Col.
Schuyler, volunteer aid.do-camp, to call
upon Lieutenant General Scott, the Sec
retary of War and the President, and IN
form each and all of the part was per-
forming, and to obtain their replies. He
was unsuccessful, and returned, after
much trouble and delay on the road, on
the morning of the 1st of May, and re.
ported to me that he had been unable to
obtain any information on the subject OF
his mission.
To all which it may not be iuappropri.
ate to add that whilst receiving, by 70.
quest, passing review Of Col. Ellsworth's
regiment of Zouaves, on the route to en-
bark for Washington, Msjor-General
Sanford, with one of his staff, in hur'
ried and excited manner, presented me
with an order from Gov. Morgan, forbid
ing the embarkation of the regiment un-
less reduced to the number prescribed
seventy-seven to company-and urged
me to order the whole to embark; as no
part of the regiment would go unless all
were included. The order of the Gov
ernor produced intense excitement.
replied to the General that l would NOS
be the first to check the noble and patri.
otic enthusiasm of the citizens OF New
! York. The regiment as it was should
! embark. This announcement caused the
. most enthusiastic cheering OF the regi-
ment, the firemen and the tens Of thous.
} ands of spectators, which continued long
after the imposing spectacle had passed
in review.
l have thus detailed the most essen.
tial part of the services which perform.
) ed in conjunction with the Union Defense
Committee from the 23d of April to the
; lst of May, inclusive, when, late in the
+! evening OF the latter day, l received
= communication from Lieutenant-Genera
, Scott, through his Assistant Adjutant
. General, L. ID. Townsend, in which he
5 recommended that should "return TO
l Troy to conduct the ordinary routine
: duties of my department and for the re.
d covery Of my health, known to be feeble,
n when at the time my health was perfect,
d as it has been ever since. No sick or
: feeble person could have performed the
/ services demanded by the universal up
d rising of the people of the free States
l. north ofthe border States, in consequences
G Of the threatened danger of the federal
r capital by rebels from Virginia and Mary.
9 land. -a raL -
II The loss of the capital would have led
> to the breaking up permanently OF the
:. Union and to the immediate and willing
l recognition of the Southern Confederacy
: by every European Power. 1t was this
}. that caused an excitement that could not
t be restrained. The people rose in their
L majesty, determined, no matter what
/ might be the sacrifice, to save the capital
> and with it the Union. Believing, what
4 every person believed, that the capital
! was in danger, and without being able
n to communicate with the authorities at
Q Washington, assumed the responsibility
q of carrying out, not only the views and
d wishes of the Union Defense COMMITTEES,
but those of the whole people Of the
: North, which embraced no less the federal
capital than the whole Union.
i On the 7th May, after l had left
: New York for my headquarters, as requir-
r ed by Lieutenant- General Scoot, / re-
o ceived from the Secretary of War, tho
6 following letter--not, however, in reply
{ to any letter from myself:
L WAN DEPARTMENT, wAsHrSeros, Mar 6. 1861
: To MAJon- GENERAL JoHs L. Wool, Troy, ~;
+ Ny DEAR sIR--Appreciateing, as l do,
= your long, able and faithful services and
!, loyalty to the cause of the country, l
= write merely to request that no rsquisi-
: ton for troops or orders for their rsmov-
al be hereafter issued without frst CON-
7 municating with this department.
You will, my dear sir, not consider this
!. as any reflection on anything yen may
!, have heretofore done, but merely 10 svsid
any conflict of orders, or confusion OF ar'
- rangements, and that the department may
a at all times know the number Of troops
!, called out, and how they may be made
!. available at the shortest notice, without
, interfering with any previous orders.
With sentiments OF the highest person
: nj regard and the strongest appreciation
=