Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1861-10-04
The Reason Fort EPickens was
not Taken.
We find the following deeply interesting
correspondence published in the Pensacols
PENSACOLA. Sept. ls, 1891

OOserUor.
PSssAcoEA. Sept. lG, 1891.
To Messrs Mitchell, Rushing aud Others:
GENTLEMEN The undersigned observe
in the public press Of this city, that as your
immediate representatives as they are call.
ed upon to give such Information as they
may possess touching IN .armisticep enter
edinto between Florida and james Bachan.
an, late President, eet., ect
Acknowledging the right Of the eonsti-
tutent at all times to demand of his repre-.
sentative any information of acts of a high
public nature, affecting the rights of the
citizen, and touching the honor and inter
est of the State, and supposing, from the
public manner in which you have m ade the
demand that you desire that our reply
should be equally so, for your information,
we beg leave to state that that on our arri
val at Tallahassee, in November last We
waited on the Governor of the State, rep
resented to him the vast importance which
the possession of our Notifications at this
point would be to the State, and their then
defenseless condition; and that our fellow
citizens were anxious to take possession of
all the forts in this harbor, requesting sim
ply his permission to do so, assuming to
themselves any responsibility resulting
from the act, though it should be treason
(this State then not having seceded) The
Governor thanked us for this offer, and
remarked that the subject should receive
his attention.
On the reassembling of the Legislature
in January, and anterior to secession of
the State, we again tender the services of
our llow-citizens with the additional as
surance, that during the session of Legis-
lature, the plan had been 80 perfected that
the enterprise would certainly prove sue
cessful, and urging its immediate execu-
tion-to all Of which We received in sub
stance the same reply made upon the pre-
vious tender. We subsequently, learned
from the Governor that Major Chase had
been commissioned and ordered to "take
Pickens without waiting for secessio n, and
when Capt. A. III. Bright, of the Pensacola
Guards, rendered the services Of his com /.
psny, asking, "shall we take the forti6ca-
tions-Aimportant2" he received orders to
eco Operate with Chase and Perry"
The events which transpired at this point
at that time, you are familiar with.
The Governor being unable to obtain
correct information of the proceedings here
and perceiving no good reason why his
orders were not executed, dispatched the
undersigned, Mr.. Abercrombie to this
place, with full instructions relativs,to mat
ters here. Mr.. Abercrombe failing to
make the views of the Governor to be
carried out, or his orders to be obeyed,
returned to Tallahassee.
A short time after this, it was with the
utmost astonishment, that the authorities
of Florida received copy of the follow
ing agreement, entered into, not between
Florida and is. Buchanan, but between
Hon. s. p. Mallory and James Buchanan,
(Which was afterward confirmed by Dir.
Mallory and Col. Chase,) touching the oc-
cupaucy of Fort Pickens, which fully ex-
plained the mystery which overhung this
whole affair, and accounted for the non
capture of this fort.