Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-08-14
Prom he Esv York Tina, July %.

| ThE DkSIhUCrloN AT GO5PORF NAVY YARD.
In compliance with resolution OF the House Of R,p.
rssentafives Of July 49, Hon Gideon wees Secretary
Of The Navy, has transmitted to that body the CORES.
pondencs relative 10 the destruction of United States
vessels acd other property at the Navy Yard at Ports
mouth. Va. II has been printed aud copy lies before
US. Weave sorry TO find that the view taken Of the loss
OF public vessels and properly by the Times the time
Of m Occurrences, fully sustained by This correspon.
dence. The transaction must remain Stamped o. thu
p,ge Of American history the most disgr.ceul that
bsel Navy and the mos. dsas rous that
ever happened 10 the Government The blame o. the
aff will chehI rest psrbaps on Commodore HcCuley.
whose Conduct is wholly Inc Iolicable but seems to be
compound Of inbeciliiy, drunkenness aud treason.
The corrspondence Is too volpminous for entire 70.
publication bat the leading points ia the history Of tho
loss Of the vessels and property at the Navy Yard
follows: On the lob, and again on the 18Th day Of
April last Mr.. Secretary Weles TO Compod O.
e. McCsuey commandant Navy Yard at Portsmouth,
Va warning hin Of mpsndiug danger to thl property
IN bis keeping directing that the herrimack {, splendid
steam man-oi-w1 Of 80 guDs) should be got ready i'm
msdaely and sent out Of the hsrbor advising especial
attention to shipping and In the Yard land suz.
restipg that Il soud be best to order Of the ship
ping to - or 10 other sstions." Mr. Wsies in his
latter Of the lah orders the Nerrimack the Pesd,
phIs Navy Yard and informs Commodore AcC,ulsy
that be bs ssnt Mr. b. u Isherwood Eoginesr.u-chrf,
TO Norfolk to eIpsdie her sailing And directing the
Commodore 70 have Mr. l,hsr~00ds Suggestions " that
end promptly carried out"
On the 18Th Of April Commodore AcCauley informs
Mr. Secretary Welles that the htrrimaek may "nop 10
taken and used for temporary service" On the IS Of
April Mr. Usher wood writes Mr. Secretary W.lys that
be bad reached Norfolk on Saturday, Is h April re.
ported to Commodore McCaulsy on Sunday, IA \ us
directed BY Commodore acCsuly to proeerd with bis
duty In preparing this HerriuAck sail. he began
Monday morning (lo:b) putting every avaliolc man In
the Yard to work, ard worked day and ngh. dill Wed
nesday afternoon C7h) when he called, in company
IL ~ M hu nNn.u
and reported the mschoery ready for stsam !" that
''fory four fremen and coa!-hesyers eng and
ready TO 60 on board" and asking him u he should
6re up ct oncs Tho Commodore replied, mos that
afternoon" but added that "if had steam ovuexs
morning (lsth) It would be time enough" Er: Ishor.
wood accordingly kept gular eugioe-room watch aud
"had the fires started at dsybresk" AZ A n, b.
called on Commodore hcCauley, and reported the
vessel ready for leaving all rbe engineers FIR
aud coalheavers were aboard and the fire No." Tho
only thing wanted his orier to loosA aDaso
Commodore McCiuley replied that he had yet de-
cided TO send the vessel" but would let Mr. klbw "iu
the course Of few hours' Mr. called the Commodorss
attention TO the fact that the orders for the vessel q,
we're "peremptory," adding that II abe waited much
longer she "could not sail till next day. ard at light
"obs ructious might be placed In the channel" Tbs
Commodore replied before that re would determine
IA the course Of the day" About p. n Mr. sgsIa
called on the Commodore when be wss Informed BY him
that he bad determined to retain the vessel" and a.
rscted Mr.. I. TO "draw the fires" Mr. once more
urged Commodore AcCauleys attention that the crdeIs
OF the Department we're peremptory and expressed
conviction that The vessel could be taken with perfect
safety, "e4rnesy volunteering hi, advice tha. the at
tempt should be made, With the rGentown "a soop-of
Of forty guns, completely equipped for sea 10 tow"
Commodore AcCaulsy replied, retersng his preyl Us
declaration, that be .hould ret,in the vessel"
Commodore Paulding here takes up the story. He
had been ordered on the ls.h of April to Norfolk o
take command Of all the Naval forces then "a at md do
all in bis power TO protect and place beyond dan.
ger the vessels and property bolor ri TO Uted
States" he embarked on the steamer Pawnec. srWash
ington, the l9h, OH the evening of t6e 20i bed
Fortress Monroe, ard took on board Gel. Wsd M,
day, was at the Gosport Navy Yard. BE found here
fl, Dat the s.eam..Iizste Merrmsek 30 guns sloo Of
war Germsntown 40 guns; sloop Plymouth, 80 gns,
brig Dolphin 20 guns He also fou there three tb
sand pieces Of ordnance Of all cal bre shout 2Uo beirg
latest aterns Of Dlhgren guns and there fec
tusl mode Of rendering these guns unserviceabe CON-
modore Pauldng says:
"Iu carrying out the orders Of the Department. Il
vas my intention have placed the vessels named 10 toe
channel 10 protect IL from further obstruction ard At
my convenience take them under tie gus Of Fortress
Monroe, send them to sea- as might be most exped.
snt Greatly 10 nv regret however, fouad that hese
vessels had all been scutted about three hours
before my arrival and were sinking fact that they
could not be saved"
Commodore Pauding thereupon took measures to
burn and destroy what property be could, and left the
harbor towing away with him the man Of war Cuuber
land which vas easily passed over the distractions psced
below Gy the rebels. Commodore PAulding ssJi that
coon ate; be reach the Navy Yard ~ OF truce
came from General Flaierro Virginia General ttere
abous proposing 10 permit hm Com P-alt 81 70 take
cut the Cumberland. II he you'd "sop the dee yustion
OF public properly" Shica message was DEF
Osps. Wilkes, OF the steamer PaSnee, makes of.
cia report to Commodore Pulling OF bis part in the
transaction, which is much the ,amo in su1s.Ance as
Commodore Pauldrgs report 70 the Navy Department.
But it develops little of Commodore hsCsuleys cor.
duct about these times. Alter found thas the
sells sinking aud tia. the properly the Yard
would have to be destroyed ali Efforts were turreG
this end. Mines were liked and trains laid. AZ IL
O'Clock In the morning all ready aud every soul but
the few that to fire the trars ordered leave
the Yard and come board. The troops aud msnnea
were rapidly embarked says Captain Wilkes, "Wben I.
HeCsulsy, tears streaming down his cheeks, that hs
father refused 10 vscate bis pos: I'm tie Ysro) aud de-
cned oil indrcemeIt 10 Go 90. Commander Alden vas
selected BY you 10 mako the endesvor 70 indues him 70
YIELD and 70 stats shat Is vas ysur ntsrdon speedily to
nrs the buildings, and his Hfs nwst b lost Ta itst
effort succeeded and he was induced with great r,ue.
lance, to remove to the Cumberland"
Tts ends the story OF the loss, told by sherwood
Pauldng and Wilkes. On the as-.l Of April Commo.
dore hcCsuey, having reached Washington, males bis
report Of the Lranslcioo which Is published ia this cor.
respohdence The points these Tn Thursday lone
d,y after he had refused 10 let the Asrrnse sail he
AcCsulsy) heard that Obsructops had been placed IN
thu channel below the barber On Iliday he "under.
stood that yrginia State troops arriving ct Ports.
mouth and Norfolk In numbers, from Richmond Pst.n-
burg and the neghborhood, and "not having means at
my disposal TO get the Merrimack Germantown and Ply
mouth place Of safety" lei fsse for the ru ack
wss ready to sail "Wednesday II b. As PROVED b. Ar.
i determined on destroying them" ba'R,
sinking them, that they might be sied sgaiD Hav.
Ing discovered about this time that the Virginia wire
beginning to tsroz up batteries immediately 10 front Of
the Yard" Commodore AcC.uley "sent w,rd 10 General
Taliaferro that II they continued such menace be
would Gre upon them General Taiaferro promptly
them, il is presumed they never ex ed
TO- menace the Navy Yard After having scualedths
ahrs and destroyed whitever property he could Com
modore hcCarley says, and when IL cutie DIRK, all
bis ocere having deserted him." be determped on ire
firing on board Of the Cumberland, and In the morning
lct IS circumstances might require" We have just read
what difficulty Commodore P.pldog had 10 getting hin
out Of The Navy Yard and 10 the Cumberland The
hour Of II o'clock In the morning. IL oaly then
done BY threatening his Life, In the general work Of &C.
structo1.
Toe ~aivs remark Of Commodore McCsuley In rhroat-
slins lis embarkment GU the Cumberland, (which he
asssr rede In the manner be stsies) viii arrest Ito
nations attention. It Is the sentence Of copds mu.on
deep and irreyersble this terrible shame and crime
could have destroyed Norfolk and Portsmouth,; aud had
batteries opened upon The ship, these cities would have
been .. my mercy"
With this record before them, viii MOI ss,onsh tie
country to know that Commodore NcOsuley has never
received either punishment Or 90 far know, Geo
sure from the Government II 10 not clear from biz
showing that he failed 10 his duty In every pariiculi
saved nothing that he might have saved destroyed E.
lions Of dollars worth Of property that be had ample
means of defending and 10 the last hour Of bis stay al