Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1861-02-28
The Naval Officers and Secession.
A Black-Hearted Villain Scored.

4ue naval OAACGlS anu SECESSION.
A Black-Hearted Villain scored.
i repIy 10 d. H. IIamdtoa, late Ljcatsn-
ant IN the Nary Of the Laitcd States
UNITED STATES SHIP ST MAaY's.
PANAMA BAY, \, c., Feb. 3, 1861
SIR-I have read your reasonable ap-
peal published in various papers Of the Uni
ted States, and addressed to your late asso-
( ciates in the Navy. So far as | am inter
ested, | will here state that [ was born in
New Orleans, III the State OF Louisiana
but educated aud domiciiated in Pennsyl
yania, and that during those times that !
was not performing my duties as a navy
| officer, ! was generally a resident Of either
Virginia or the District Of Columbia l.
therefore, may be considered a Southern
man, having twice married at the South
1t affords me pleasure to say that I have
been in the navy Of the -nitcd States thir-
ty-eight years, and am a descendant Of a
gallant officer, who in these very seas bat
tied for his country under the stars and
stripes, and under the present constitution;
and among my early lessons ] was taught
to love the Union, and the stars and stripes
You, sir, have called upon your brother
officers, not only to become traitors to their
country, but to hetray The sacred trust and
deliver up the ships under their commend.
This Infamous appeal would. in ordinary
times, be treated with the contempt it dcs-
erves. But I feel it duty | owe to my
self and brother officers with whom | am
associated to reply, and state that all under
my command arc true and loyal to the stars
and stripes and to the constitution BY
duty IS plain before me The constitution
al government Of the uitcd States has en-
trusted me with the command Of this beau
tlful ship, and before | will permit any
other flag to fly at her peak than the stars
and stripes, | will fire pistol in her maya
zine and blow her up. This is my answer
to your infamous letter. You were one Of
those men who we're retained on the active
list by the late 'detesta5Ic Retiring Beard
In doing this yon were endorsed as one
mentally, physically and morally fit to oc-
cuPy the station you hold as an officer in
| the navy. And you ave one Of the first to
prove the decision Of that Board was er-
roncous in your case as it was in mine, who
they retired from the navy ! was then
in the deepest trouble, and never dreamed
| OF becoming a traitor to nay country and
/ now my country has recalled me to active
service and entrusted ne with an important
/ command. | will not bctray their trust
The constitution of the United States de-
fines treason to be bearing arms against
the United States. Iou have frequently
heard this read on the quarter deck Of these
vessels Of the navy, and yet you would per-
suade the gallant men of the navy to place
themselves alongside the traitor Arnold
and 'yoursef,' 1t has ever been the boast
OF the navy that she has never had one
traitor within her corpa. You, sir are the
first to destroy the proud boast. Future
history will place you alongside Of Arnold,
and you will be the first to blot the page
Of naval history, Illuminated by the exam
| pie OF Decatur, Porter, Hull, Bainbridge,
! Jones, Caldwell, and other gallant and pa
/ triotic officers.
I You also boast Of the Star Of the West
having been driven back by the rebels Of
| South Carolina, and relief prevented that
| gallant officer Col Anderson.
There are in the employment of the gov
ernment, sons of gallant officer, late of
/ the navy, who carried on the seas the stars
and stripes with honor to himself and glory
to his country, and the third within call,
and had either of them commanded the
Star of the West the gallant Colonel would
have been relieved, and at any time the
! government wants this done it will only be
necessary to send one Of these officers
You, sir, have not much to boast of in
driving off an unarmed steamer, command
ed by merchant captain
Whatever right the Southern people had
under the constitution, those States that
have chosen rebellion have forfeited their
rights, and the only means for them to OBJ
tain justice will be to return to their allie
! glance. No one for moment who has
been born and brought up on Southern soil
can approve of the course of the Northern
fanatics But, on the other hand, true
patriot will not approve of dismembering
his country merely because few fanatics
on the other side have been guilty of wrong,
which can be righted by legislation To
fly to revolution is to seek the very worst
of evils, and the people of the United