Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-03-04
bruary 90 1861.

February 20, 1861.
DEAR BRoTHER: a special messenger
will leave here for Washington tomorrow,
will ask him to carry sone private letters,
with bis public ones, and let you know some
lutte about Fort Pickens and the inhabitants
thereof only wish it we're not so much7oi
a one-sided arrangement, as we need letters
down here more than You fortunate people
up North can. The papers come through
sometimes, but letters never. It quite sur
prises me to see my name figuring so exte1-
sively in the newspapers. | have simply
done my duty; but suppose the doing it,
under such pressure of opposition, makes it
appear screditable. The troops are leaving
the opposite shore, DISCUS ed at playing SOL
dier, l suppose. They say there are only
about three hundred remaining, and these
are regulars, having enlisted for one year..
Ny messenger to the yard, this morning,
said they were afraid we would attack them
now. We could do so, and get possession
again Of everything in an hour, if we were
or Y permitted to take shch a course. have
now mounted nearly all the guns-thst is,
all that are really necessary to enable this
work TO be defended By a force of Eve hun
dred men. We have worked like horses TO
accomplish this, but great things can be done
by small means when one knows how. This
small command has done more than Chase or
Lomax could have done with their two thou
sand men, and they know it. Having seen
our guns 90 up so rapidly, they swear we
have had reinforcements In fact the papers
say nothing else could have been expected
that we have smuggled in men from the YES
un1a II iu frrra h.
they be none the wiser; but not man has
been added to this command from them. In
fact, so particular are we, that not even an
officer has come ashore, with the exception
ofCaptaiu Vogdes, and be only once, when
the vessels first came.
f. These Southern papers are publishing all
sorts Of false reports about me. One is, that
] was beard to say that if they had attacked
the fort any time during the first fifteen days
] would have surrendered It without firing a
gun. OF course this is not true Ny men
stood at the guns every one of those days,
aud if they bad come they would have learn
cd the definition of one kind Of grape.
The people on The opposite shore think we
are in a much more defensible condition than
when they first came. The moral effect Of
the guns on top is great When the move
was first made, ] worked most where. they
could not see me, aud they thought hut little
was doing; but when my men were. .put to
work on the barbette guns, and they saw
them 90 up almost like mHgic, as they
thought (they could scarcely move their own
guns) they began to think troublous times
were coming. There are only, as ] said be-
fore, about four hundred men at the barracks,
Fort BarFancas and old McCrea---oh enough
to garrison them. They are very much afraid
that some ine morning they will find the
ships in the harbor with the intelligence to
them that they can leave in two hours, unless
they. prefer to be food for powder.
Decisive AetIon OF Lieutennni sIemmer.
BE demands the discontinuanee Of the work
Of erecting batteries and is obeyed. A cores
tondent writes to the Columbus CGeorgia)
Tines from ''Fort Barancas," Pensacola har-
Dor on the 18th instant, as follows:
Soon after the arrival Of the BROOKLYN. of
which / told you in my last the other vessels
belonging t1 the Gulf Squadron came in
sight, and since have been cruising outside the
bar, never getting entirely from view Sun
day another bearer Of dispatches for Fort
Pickers arrived and was passed to the fort.
His mission must have been peaceful one,
for since matters have somewhat CHANGED.
The work Of mounting guns on Pickers is
stopped, and also the work going on al the
Navy Yard. Lieutenant Slemmers sent & note
to Colonel Forney, who has succeeded Colonel
Lonlax in command, demanding that no more
guns should be mounted upon the battery
which bears upon bis fort
As the demand was made in conformity to
the armistice, which is understood on both
si,,>s, it was regarded as right and the work
upon the battery was suspended One heavy
ten-inch Columbiad was already upon its car
riage another just ready to mount, so It win
be but little labor now, should occasion re-
quire, to place i in working order. Near
night the WyandOt ran up to the harbor and
sent boat ashore 10 inspect the work. No
/ opposition was offered, and they returned.
satisfied probably that the battery was good
one, even il built BY volunteers. learn, also
that, for two weeks past, several men have
been busily employed in mounting sea-codst
howitzers AtFort MeRea, and ia other prep
araticns for defence. This, too, is now stop
ped 80 ~ 58I 'aF e-F
4THAf DIsGUIsE--The TribuReis Washing
ingsoh correspondent says; lam able to say,
authoritaiiysly, that it is not true that Mr.
Lincoln came from Harrisburg 70 this city in
disguise. On the contrary, he came in his
usual citizens dtess, unaccompanisd by any
one except Col. LamOn, who Is ore Of his
suite. a.a3 -
On Saturday a fine large specimen Of the
horned-owl sat perched for honrs on one Ofthe
pinnacles Of the spire of The st. Andrew s
church, Beaver Hall. Montreal.