Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-03-22
Reply Of MIR. Thompson to Mr.. Holt.
oxroED, Miss, March II, 1861.


OxroED, Miss, March II, 1851.
10 the Editors of The National blisligencer.
1 In your issue of March the 9TH find letter o
| Hen. Joseph Holt, dated March 9th, which va
read by me with some surprise. as have heretofor
/ regarded him 81 sn honorable man.
On the Sd and 4sh Of January ultimo, in reply Il
| interrogstories from Judge Lorgstreet of Soutl
| Carolins, devoted christian and man of peace
! teiegraphed to him no rsnfo-eements had beer
] ordered TO Fort Sumter, and, in my opinion nont
would be sent il the authorities Of that State would
i refrain from sn sttack en- the fort. Judge Long
| street thereupon addressed written appeal to the
/ Governor and those officially associated with him
| bssing his argument on this information to with
hold the first blow 1t had its effect; attack wal
( made. On the morning Of the 9Th the Constiutioz
| newspaper contained telegraphc dispatch from
New York that the Star of the West had sailed from
/ that port with z50 soldiers on board, bound for
| Fort Sumter. This was the very frst intimAtien
| hsd received from any quarter that additional
troops had been ordered or sent. This information
| 10 not ofhcial; it wss feet conveyed with
electric speed to every part of the Confederscy,
known to be true by every well-infoFmed in the
| city Of Washington as known by me.
While engaged in writing my resignation In the
presence Of Judge Black, then Secretary Of State,
| dispatch was received from Judge Longstreet
making inquiry as to the sailing Of the Star Of the
to myself and Judge Lodgsree. required Of me the
reply made, that the Star Of the West had sailed
with reinforcements, and ought then to be in
Charleston. rN
make this statement for the reader, not for Mr..
Holt because Mr.. Holt knew, when he asserted
that /, sWhile yet member Of the Cabinet. dis
closed to those in open rebellion a5aast the United
States information which / had derived from ny
official position, and which held under the seals
of confidence that from the beginning Of his
tory as nation, had not been violated, he uttered
. vile fasehoOd and calumny.
But Mr. Holt inserts in his communication my
letter of resignation and the Presidents reply-the
very point in issue in which was that this expedi
tion of the Star Of the West was fitted out without
my knowledge, in violation Of an express under
standing. But when the President admitted, in his
reply, that he expected my resignation when his
decision was made-snd as / did not resign Of couree
I did not understand him as he thought he had ex-
pressed himself-and as | we'll knew the acting
Secretary Of War, in his eagerness to crush out
those whom he considered sin open rebellion" was
ready to seize upon eny losse expression Of the
President to justify himself in adopting any sugges
t;on of Gen. Scott which he supposed vsuld effect
that end, did not choose to push q controversy
with the President involving question of veracity
But if Mr. Holt intends TO be understood by quoting
this correspondence, that this order, which the
President claims to have made, was the 81 official
information held by me under the seals of conf
dence, and which / communicated pronounce
him dishonorable and unqualified fslsiher
All my correspondence With the President has
never been published and append copy Of that
portien which has not yet been printed, and hope
you will insert it in your paper as part Of this
letter.
On Wednesday, I'd of January, the question Of
seudirg reinforoements to Fort Sumter was formal
ly discussed in Cabinet. The letters Of Major Az
dsrson we're read and as the inferences drawn from
them were different by the several members, the
President decided thai special messenger should
be sent to Msjor Anderson to learn his true csndi
ton, and suggested TO Mr. Holt several interroga-
tories to be propounded to him. Tnis conclusion
was reached as admitted by every member Of the
Cabinet As soon as this question was disposed Of
the reply Of the South Carolina Commissioners was
taken up read, and retnrned. After that the con-
versaton vas desultery, and if the President used
the expression that ''reinforoements must now be
sent" it is certain that neither Judge Black, Gov.
Thomas, or myself heard the remark. These are
the only two members of the Cabinet with whom
have had special conversation on this particular
subject It is certain, however. the then Acting
Secretary of War, moved upon by Gen. Scott, did
inaggurste this expedition Of the Star Of the
West with the belief that he could throw two hum
dred and fifty soldiers into Fort Sumter by stealth.
1t is also certain that the President ordered the send
ing Of the troops 10 be arrested, and entrusted the
carrying out of this countermand to Mr., Holt. 1t
is also certain this order of the President made
in full time to have arrested the expedition if all
parties had promptly discharged their duty. 1t is
certain that it did so happen that the Star Of the
West set sail without receiving the order CT COM
mand, and it is certain that after her return to New
York It was evident 10 all that the sending of her
was a great mistake deal with the facts, not the
reasoning involved in the transaction, 1t is fur
ther certain that history will not record this expe-
dition as Of those brilliant strategic movements
which will mark the military career Of the Lieuten-
he sustained
BY the Acting Secretary Of War.
Mr. Holt concludes his remarkable enunciation
by an appeal to to the sympathy OF the Union men
Of the South. He has forfeited all claim to their
consideration, and they will net extend to him their
confidence. he has wsxed fat on their kindness
snd patronage it is true but they will reject his
approaches with disdain when he informs them that
in sdhering to their respective States they sin
open rebellion" They hold this is a government
Of consent, and cannot be kept together by bis
sovereign remedy of powder ard ball. They hold the
States are separate and independent parties to the
compact which formed the General Government; that
each State has the right to assert her independence
whepeYer the safety of her people require it. and in
doshg 50 neither commits rebellion treason, az
she owes no allegiance to the General Government
as her sovereign and that therefore the citizen, IA
sdhering to his State and yielding obedience TO her
commands, is neither rebel or traitor. We sll
know that if military force is used to subjugate the
Seeded States the question of African slavery IS
at once subordsined to the higher and greater one
Of making slaves of white men.
Mr.. Holt further says he is denounced throughout
the South simply and solely because while in otncs
'.he refused to blacken his soul With perjury Now
If this be true, the South is wrong; but what will
they think Of him when on the very day he became
private citiSen be consented 10 strike ct the best
friend he ever had in perfect disregard Of Gods
high command sthat thou shalt not besr false wit
ness sgsinst thy neighbour j. THOMPSON
WAsHIsGros, January 10, 1861.
His ErceEency James Buchanan, President United
States:
DEAR SIR: In your reply to ny note Of the sEh
instant, accepting my resignation. you are right
when you say that "you (I) had been 80 emphatic
in opposing these reinforcements thatQlyo thought
you al would resign in consequences Of my (your)
decision"
came TO the Cabinet on Wednesday, January Cd,
with the full expectation ] would resign my COM
mission before left the Council Board, and know
you do not doubt that my action would have been
promptly taken had understood on that day that
you had decided that "reinforeements must nov be
ssnt.n For more than forty days have regarded
the display Of military force in Charleston or
slong the Southern coast by the United States as
taniamount to war. OF this opinion you end all
my colleagues Of the Cabinet have been frankly sd
vised. Believing such would be the construction OF
a. order fer additional troops, have been anxious
snd have used all legitimate means 70 save you and
and yonr Administrator from precipitsting the
country into an inevitable conflict, the end Of which
no human being could foresee. Ny counsels have