Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1862-10-30

tue SelHuTe OF mat lori Dy the nUlllnefS, an
second, to enforce the execution of the revt
@ nue. laws. General Scott himself arrived {
! Charleston the day after the passage of til
4 ordinance Of notification, and many of th
Q additional companies were then en- route f.
S the same destination.
:, President jackson Familiarity said at tn
) time that, by the assembage of those force.
, for lawful PURPOSES he was not making wa
upon South Carolina, but that if South Car
DINA attacked them; it would be South Car
olina that made war upon the United States
Gen. s., who received his FIRST instruction
toral) from the President In the Temporal,
absence Of the Secretary Of War, tGeu. Cass,
remembers those expressions well.
Saturday night, December is, 1860"
December 2S.-Again, after Major A nder
son had CALAMITY and wisely thrown hi
handful Of men from Fort Moultrie into For
Sumter-learning that. en- demand of South
Carolina, there was great danger he might bt
ordered by the Secretary back to the less ten.
able work, or out of the harbor-I wrote this
note:
Lieut.. Gen. Scott (who has had bad
night, and can scarcely hold up his head this
morningl begs to express the hope to the Sec
rotary of War, l. That orders may not be
given for the evacuation OF Fort Sumter 2.
That one hundred and fifty recruits may be
instantly sent from Governors Island to re-
inforce that garrison, with ample supplies of
ammunition and subsistence, including fresh
vegetables, as potatoes, onions, turnips; and
| 8. That one or two armed vessels be sent to
support the said fort.
Lieut.. Gen. S. avails himself of this op-
porthnity also to express the hope that the
recommendations heretofore made by Kim to
the Sscretary of War respecting Forts Jack
son, st. Philip, Morgan, and Pulaski, and
particularly in respect to Forts l'ckens and
McRas and the Pensacola navy-yatd in con-
nection with the two last named works, may
be reconsidered by the Secretary.
Lieut.. Gen. S. will further ask The atten-
ton of the Secretary to Forts Jefferson and
Taylor, which are wholly national. being of
far greater value even to the most distant
points Of the Atlantic coast and the people
on the upper waters of the Missouri, Mssis-
sippi, aud Ohio rivers, than to the State Of
Florida. There Is only feeble company at
Key West for the defense of Fort Taylor,
and not soldier in Fort Jefferson to resist a
handful of iiibusters or a row-boat Of pi-
rates; and the Gulf, soon after the beginning
Of secession or revolutionary troubles in the
adjacent States, will swarm with such nuts.
ances."
December sO.-I addressed the President
again, as follows:
"Lient. Cen Scott begs the President Of
the United States to pardon the irregularity
Of this communication. It is Sunday, the
weather is bad, and General S. is not well
enough TO go to church.
s." But matters Of the highest national i'm
portance seem to forbid moments delay,
and, if nisled by Zeal he hopos for the Pres
ident's forgiveness.
"Will the President permit Gen. s., with
out reference to the War Department, and
otherwise as secretly as possible, to send two
hundred and fifty recruits from New York
harbor to reinforce Fort Sumter, together
with some extra muskets or rifles, ammuni-
tion. and subsistence
:" 1t is hoped that sloop Of war and cut
ter may be ordered for the same purpose as
early as Tomorrow,
Gen. 8. will walt upon the President at
any moment he may be called for"
The South Carolina commissioners had al
ready been many days in Washington, and
no movement of defense on tho part of the
Upted States WAS permitted.
l will here close my notice Of Fort Sumter
by quoting from some of my previous reports.
1t would have been easy td reinforce this
Yorktown to about the 18th of February. In
this long delay Fort Moultrie had been re-
armed ADD greatly strengthened in every way
by the rebels. Many powerful new land bat
teries (besidc a formidable raf) have been
constructed. llulks. too. have been sunk in
the principal channel so as to render access
to Fort Sumter from tho sea impracticablc
without first carrying all the lower batteries
OF the secessionists. The difficulty Of rein
orcing has thus been increased ten or twelve
fold. First, the late President refused to al
ow any attempt to DO made because he was
lolding negotiations with the South Carolina
Afterwards Secretary Holt and myself en-
leayore,l, IN vain, to obtain ship of war for
he purpose, and were finally obliged to en-
,loy tie passen ger steamer Star Of the West.
That vessel, but for the hesitation of the mas
err might, as is generally believed have de-
ivered at the fort the men and subsistence on
BOARD. This attempt at succsr failing, |
,ext, verbally, submitted to the late Cabinet
ther that succsr be sert by ships Of war,
lighting their way by the batteries, tincrea,-
nS III suCuStu u"iiJ y Vt tnaL MAJOR HUtUT-
on should be left to ameliorate bis condition
" the muzzles of his guns--that is, snforc-
ng supplies by bombal'ln,ant and by bring
ng to merchant vessels, helping himself, (.iv-
lg orders for payment or, finally, be al
owed to eyacuate the fort, which, in that
ase, would be inevitable.
But, before any resolution was taken, tho
ate Secretary of the Navy making difficult
les about the want of suitable war vessels,
mother commissioner from South Carolina
.rrived, causing further delay. When this
lad passed away Secretaries Holt and Tou-
;ey, Captain Ward, of the Navy, and myself
With the knowledge of the President, Buch-
man, settled upon the employment under the
,aptain, who Was eager for the expedition, of
hree or four small steamers belonging to the
coast Survey. y, At that time, late in January,
have but little doubt Captain Ward would
rave reached, Fort Sumter, with all his ves-
els. But lie was kept back BY something
ike truce or armistics, (made here,) embra-
ling Charleston and Pensacola harburs, agreed
,pon between the late President and certain
principal scceders Of South Carolina, Florida,
Louisiana, &c. ,.and this truce lasted to the
md of that Administration.
That plan and all others, without squad
on of war ships and considerable army
to take and hold tho many formi-