The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-01-05
w cHaRIrsrox FORTS.


TIE following letter Is from source that
eusisle. its statements to implicit credit, and
aassds information in regard TO the char
sc.er and condition Of ina Government fer
.ifsa.ioDs il Charleston barber no. before
made public.
WASHINGTON, Dec. p, lS5a.
A, much auxis,y is felt BY the public IN
relation 10 The defence. and public property
IN Charleston harkor. propose to give you
= statement ths. may be relied upon as an
ones siorshiy cogrect.
Fort Moal.rie and Sampler are situated
On opposite sides Of tie entrance to thariss-
ton harbor. and completeiy cover and CON-
maus il. Fer. Msalsrie is on or a-Iaeeu. 70
the land. and dwelling houses and ciher
buildings are erected close up to the walls
Of ths Fort. Il covers 40 large surface
that Il caaaot be sucees sfu.iy defended at all
pojuts hy a garrison OF less thaa ta.es hun
dred men.
TIE prescn. force in command az the
Mace ean consists Of two cofnpanies OF iutan-
t-y which have net been recruited Tor three
Years, and have been reduced By death aud
exuirs,ion Of terms OF service, 30 si1ty-three
men besides the band, who are not armed.
They are under the command OF Aalor
Anderson. a gallant and loyal ofheer, VINO
yiEis,cubtiess make the best defence OF which
the ri1cs is capable.
TIE adjacent buildings will furnish con-
ccalnens and protection for an atsaeking
force us,iIi they arrive az the walls ef the
Fort.
Experienced military men, well acqnaint-
ed with the position, say that force Of two
hundred aud fifty men, by an attack, skill
fully planned and executed, can take the
place With the present garrison, with loss
Of from three TO five men Oh the side OF the
assaiians, and perhaps double that number
Of the garrison.
Ba. this is no. the worstview Of the ease.
Fort Sumpter is built in the water, one
thousand yards FROM the land. 1t can only
be attacked, therefore, from water craft
X is lust finished, and is one Of the strong
es. work in Christeniom; mounted With
thirty-.wo pound cannon, and supplied with
enc hundred rounds of ammunition for each
gun. Il is covered, bomb proof, and can
only be entered by the embrasures, which
an attacking force must crawl through, one
man at time, and hence two men at one Of
these could defend i, against five hundred.
With garrison of one hundred and fifty
men, il could only be SUCCESSFULLY attacked
By siege batteries and heavy ordinance, and
then il could withstand siege Of weeks, or
perhaps, months.
The guns of this fort command Fort Moul-
tris, and could reduce il TO heap OF ruins
in twenty-four hours. And, yet, IN this
place, their is not 4 single bayonet or sin
gle soldier. .-........
1t is in the custody Of an Engineer, with
a few ,aborers, who have been engaged in
mounting the artillery.
"wentY FIVE men can take Fert Sampler,
turn its batteries on Fort Moultrie, and drive
GU. the garrison without the loss OF 4 single
maa on the part of the attacking force.
The Charleston Arsenal contains fifteen
thousand old muskets that have been rifed
and provided with percussion locks, and
two thousand rifles.
This has been surrendered to the State
authorities, and is now in the possession
and under the control of the sovereign and
independent State OF South Carolina, which
is now in rebellion against the United
States.
Whether this extraordinary state of things
is the result of imbecility or treason, the
people must determine. And there seems
to be no remedy for this state of things that
is not worse than the disease. Ii it be said
that the President ought to be impeached,
th answer is, that If the House should pre-
sent articles of impeachment against him.
the tendency Of them would not deprive
him of power whilst he was on trial before
the Senate.
Aud if the Senate, as it is now eonstita-
ted, should ultimately convict him, it is
certain that the proceedings would extend
beyond the expiration of his term Of Office.
And it is certain that the tendency of such
q proceeding would greatly increase the
present excitement, and bring about COLI
sions and bloodshed, which might otherwise
be avoided.
Theirs is, therefore, probably no remedy
for the existing condition of things but pa
thence, under suiferlpgs and outrages such
as have rarely been inflicted upon free
people, until time shall rid US Of the in
cumbrance. Yours, &C.,