, 1861-02-26

"a H. LIZ
.olfna, Forwarded his resignation from on board
the Wyoming, at Panama, datel December l,
1850. It did not reach the Department until
tbs 18th Of the Game month, and, without In
quisy Into hia conduct, his purpose In resiea-
Ing, hio loyalty, or any circumstance connect
ed with SO unusual q proceeding at such
q time, his resignation WIS accepted the same.
Caroline, issned .. letter -add1essed to all the
officers il the nary from Southern States, urg-
ing them to resign and join a hostile force
against tbs: government; and that those Of
them In commission should bring their ves-
sels into Southern ports, and surrender them
commissions: under their authority, aud then
turning their guns upon their own fEag.- Such
conduct Is nothing less than treason, and hns
no parallel since fhe attempt Of Benedict Ar
mold to deliver important military posts to tho
enemies Of his country: !. Had the Secretary
declined to accept the resignation thus ten
dered, this mnn would have been subject to
according to the rules which govern the ser
vice, and would have met the fate Of traitor.
This extraordinary letter Was published
throughout the United States: After Its cir
culation in tbs public prints In Washington,
V.M Randolph, Q captain In tho navy, : citi-
zen Of Alabama, who had been excnsed from
active service for -tWo or three years, becauFe
Of altered iii health, on the 10th Of January,
1861, forwarded from Montgomery, Ala, bis
resignation to the Secretary: Before. twelve
o'clock ut noon Of the 12th, and before
his resignation had reached Washington,
aud while he was still u captain In the Navy,
he appeared at the gntes OF the Pensacola Navy
Yard, in Florida, at the head Of an insurgent
force, and demanded its surrender The yard,
with whatever of force it had, and the United
States stores. and other property to vast
amount therein, Was Internationally surTen-
dered to him, and he ia now its commandant,
occupying the quarters Of the late command
ant, aud granting paroles Of honor to such Of
his prisoners Of War is have desired to depart,
snd not serve under him. The dispatch from
the Iate commandant, then q prisoner Of war,
Informing the Secretary Of this ignominfoas
the evening Of the 18th Of Janunry. And the
resignation Of Captain Randolph, who on the
18th was the leader Of the insurgents, did not
reach the Secretary until the 14th, when, with
ont inquiry or delay, it was Immediately ae-
eepted., E. Farrand, commander in the NAVY,
aud also citizen Of Alabama, was the second
in command at the Pensacola Navy Yard, the
executive officer Of the yard. Wien the at
tack was made upon the yard, Farrand
met the assai1ants at the gates by previous
understanding, admitted them to the yard,
and conducted their leader to the COM
manding officer; participated in the formal
capltnlatlon, and immediately engaged in ser
vice under the new commandant Of the yard
This was done while be stiIl held in his po-
session his commission "a n ncon,mander in fhe
navy. IN the 13th or 18th of January fthe
Department does not know which) Farrand
forwarded his resignation to the Secretary;
but it did not reach him until tho 21st OF the
same month, seven days after official notice Of
meut. Yet his resienatlon was immediate]y.
and without jnouirT. accented. + r. Rem,
shaw. d lientenant ii the navv. and citizen Of
Ftoriiia. was the First-LieutenaDt of tho yard
and actively enraced in securing it's surranler'
down amid the ieers and shouts of a drunken
rnhh1a He i1nmediafe1r rnrnllc5 himself
nader tbe leader of t3,e ;1snroenta snd nrasant
rommnndant IF thc var1 mi frnm the DIV of
it, snrrender Los continnc1 noi3er h;m~-.hss
continued to discharge the duty Of First-Lieu.
tenant no before 1,nder tha ITnitod States.
VT he cnnt;nued to ho}i his cnrnmiss,on ~ a
and his resicnat;on did not reach the Sec.
the others, 1t WIS, without inquiry or de-
law. accente1. The conduct al these offi-
GERS plainly comes within the constitu-
tional definition Of treason against the
United States, viz: "Levying war against
them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving
designations were unaccepted by the Secretary
they could be tried and punished as traitors
By court martial From this they have been
relieved By the Secretary himself. To have
done this with knowledge Of their acts
would have been to have involved himself in
their crime-wonld have been to have com
mitted treason himself To have done it
without inquiry and without reason to know
that they have Committed no offence. shows 4
want of that solicitule for tile honor and eff
Cheney Of the service which is Indispensable to
its just administration. Yet the resignations
Of Farrand and Rcnshaw, and also those Of tl.c
other oIlicers resiuninr ii the PeusacoIa Nayy
Yard, were all received and accepted otter the
Secretary 11ad already been officially informed
that they had surrendered to d layles5 band OF
and he had detached them to await
orlers. laving aneither approyed nor dieou.
proved Of their conduct. aid moi; promising f,
do so without full information tduchin,- the;r
after. having been thus warned. md hayins,
taken this position, the Secretary did not Wai1
for this infor1nation. tie commitfes cannot
understand.
RESERVATIONS AccEpTEn WITT rNvEcre-
SARY HASTE.
sever,1 other res;vratio,s If ot1,cpr. WIN In
nnt a,,,,e.r ra't ~ av eaT .,ssd ~ T.; W. az
apa,ne1 1ha II ,,;}sl Sta'a Sten III .sa W.
sa.s sns ~ -, LUZ
1910 ~ 1r;ts, NJ a.ep.Ia ~ ;ns
q, ~ T., ,,, 80 w.. HastI! "n.sn uIt
tnut lno a9d ~ sns not LUG
we're evsn accenta3 h Nv ia1.nr,, 11ssu " = t1 w..
ncrf,ctiy nnnarent fhat tie 2.,;ect of rss;ynn,5
was to relieve themselves rs ssrly as 1ossihI,,
from embarrassment aud the obljsation of he
oath Of oilice. auil sumInary trial md 1,nish-
Inent by n court.martia1. i,reyions fo ioi,iner
forces arninst the Constituted nj,
tEnrifirs 1T ti,air cnnntrv Thasa re.;rnot;ons
thus uccepted. have been followed hy immedi.
,te eurarement in service hostile f. tI,a rny.
eminent. One man. holding tha office of Evil
engineer in the Pensacola Navy Yard at the
Time OF It's surrender, forwarded bis resisna-
non 1 on that day 10 the Secretary, enclosed IN
! letter 70 senator Mallory, IN which he eS-
ptessly states inc reason OF hls resignation
70 ne because nc Is prevented tfom acting
asalnst the government, oy tue obligatlon Of
nls A commission. me letter oi resignation, and
me one enclosing 1t, stating thls feason. were
9oln lalu oetore toe secretary on Inc 24th OF
January, yet lhe secretary lot only accepted
;ne fesisnatlon al once and thus re-
1eFed him from the obligation on him
pot 70 act against the government, but
?aAsea the acceptance 10 take elect from
ne l2th OF January, the day Of the surrender |
j. the yrrd, ;" Twelve days anterior to the time
u ltS gate Inc reason given for thus max
n9 Inls acceptance retroaetlTe IN ITS effect,
1amely-to stop ms pay from that tIme-did
lot appear, 1nder inc eStraoralnaIy clrcun-
by "htch T Was surrounded, At all sat
St9gto!y ,TSo % 70 tle e9mmlttee. 1ee Fes'ezation
u u me queer IN charge OF the Marine Hospi-
md he was thereby enabled to t:.;a upon him.
eE sle same position under tile insurgent |
cree without any interruption. And that Of |
lieut. r, T. Chapman, dated Gil board |
he Brooklyn, when ahaGt to sail under Or
[ers, was likewise accepted By telegraph, and |
|e was thus relieved Of any Inconvenience he /
you'd otherwise have experienced in being ]
arFied to sea against li5 WiShcs-