Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-10-30
s.seu.snan.-ernerel sessr. 0piniona.

/ wrote two papers containing MS views, pIOlea
SIGNAL and political or the crisis, and the right
and duties which devolved on the government
( in he momentCus coIioncture These two pa
/ peTs were subsequently lent to many friends T.
Tesd, and one OF them has recently been pub
/ iisked without the writer's consent, evidently
! for 2 party purpose As the illustrious old war
{ rior processes 10 belong 10 no party other thar
3 that Of the Nstionsl Union, he has deemed j
proper to give t. the public himself the second
Of ihs papers referred to, lest It also might hnc
! It's unauthorized way into print He has there
! fore. forwarded it to US for insertion in the Ma
ii0HaL TrgsitigenooT, having added to It a few ex
/ piauatoTy notes which the lapse OF tlmt
seemed 10 render proper.
The paper now submitted 20 the public by
/ General Scott throws food Of light on the his
tory Of tine rebellion in its incipient stages, aud
viii inspire every reader with deep interest. II
establishes in the first place, the patriotic anx
iety Of the wise and watchful general-in-cbief tc
prepare for the coming storm, and his earnest
sud repeated efforts to prevail on the govern
m5Dt 10 garrison and secure the Southern fogt5
against every possible attack; aud it disclosesi
il the second place, the causes Of his failure,
which, it is now evident, resulted from the inde-
cision Of the Executive, misied, doubtless, by
treachery in tie Secretary of War, if not in other
members If tae Cabinet, in whom the head OF
tae government reposed misplaced and abused
confidence. Pais paper, we may add, must have
the effect, with every candid mind, of vindicstng
she character Of the illUstTioU5 veteran general
himself from inputatiOns with which he has
been rece entiy esssiled by presses whose standard
or meEit is regulated only by party tests.
Communicated TO The Editors for publicatiop.l
SOUTHERN FoRTs-A SUMMARY, ETC.
Oc.ebsr 30, 1860 enphatically called the
attention Of tho President TO the necessity Of
strong gsrgis0ns ia all the forts below the pTin-
cipa. comm arcial cities Of the Southern States,
Including, by name, the forts in Pensacola har-
Dor. October 81, suggested to the Secretary
Of War that a circular should be sent at oncs to
sueh Of those forts as had gGrTisons, to be on
Ere alert against surprises aad sudden assaults.
(5ss my d" Tte;rs,' slRcs printed
A.lr- long coaHnalnent to BY bed in New
York, came to this city (WAshington) De
ceresT y Next day personally urged upon
Che Secretary Of War the same views, namely {:
strong glrfis0Hs IN the Southern fgrts-those OF
ClsTe5t1n su5 Psnssc)l ha,b0rs, at once ;
,hls5 on MObie bay and the Mississippi, below
Nv Orleans, next, ETC. etc. l sgain pointed
ont tl.- orE-, izsd companies and the recruits at
-ns principal daDots svasba for the purpose.
The ssurejsrv did not concur in any of my views,
Nhen 1 begged BIN 10 procure for me an early
interview with the President that might nske
ore tf5-t. mere 90 save the fsrts and the Union.
BY appointments, the secve5sry accompanied
ma TO lae President, December 10, whea the
5ams topics, sece5sioaism, etc were pretty fully
discussed There being at the moment (in the
opinion OF the President, 10 danger Of al early
secession, beyond South Carolina, the President,
in reply % my arguments tor Immediately rein
flCGu Fort M3uitue, and sending a garrison 20
FJst Sumter, said:
e. Inc Hme has not arrived for doing so; that
be should wsiE the sc.ion Of the convention Of
South Carolina, il the expectation thai q com
mission wOuid be appointed, and sent to nego-
Ji-te VIII him aud Congress respecting the
SECESSION Of the Safe, ami the property Of the
Umted States held within its limits; and that if
Cong -res- should decide against the secession.
then Hs would send Z reinforcement, ana tele-
graph the omuaudiDg officer (MajJr Auds-sou)
% Sort Mgui,Iie TO hold The forts MUUliTe and
S-mtrr) agiust atack."
Aud t1a Secretary, with animation, added
5ss have a vessel of wac (Ihe Br0okiyu)
hsll I'M readiness at Norfolk and he would then
seud tL.Ce hun1Tod men in her from Fortress
Aurge to Charleston.
To which I Iegiiei-Frst, that 50 many men
could not be Withdrawn frcm that garrison, but
could be taken from Naw York. Next, that ii
would hen DO too late, AS the South Carolina
commissioners would have the game in their
t4to- using cA44 tAuAA 4tt4tle AAAS f'Att'
tIar IS there was uOUs soldier in FlTt Sumter,
ans handful Of armed seces5iOuists might SEIZE
AID occupy it, etc, etc.
Here tie remark may be permitted, that if the
Secra,ary's three huudrednen had then, or some
time llter, been sent TO Forts MoulTis and
Sumter both would now have been in possession
OF the u tied States, and not q battery below
them could have been erected by the secession
lists cons, qJenty, ths access to these forts
fr1m th5 sea would now (the end Of March, be
unobsuuCted and free
The same day, December 10, I wrote the fol-
lowing note:
d" Lieutsnaat-Gsneral Scott begs the President
70 pa-don him for supplying, IN this nese, what
he Omitted to say this morning st the interview
with which he Yves h0noTed by the President:
d" Long prior 10 the force bill (MsTca 2, 1888 }
prior % tue issue of MS proclamation, and IN
part prior % tbs passage of the ordinance Of
Iulifcarign, President Jackson, under the act
OF March 3, 1897, authorizing the employment
of the land and naval forces, caused reintOrce-
msut5 to be sent TO Fort M0ultrie, and a sOOp
Of war the Natchez) with two TeveRue enters,
30 bs aeu5 to Charleston hsIbor, in order lst, to
prevent the seizure OF that tort by the nuilfi-rs,
aud y, 20 enforce the execution of the revenue
laws. General Scott himself arrived at Charles
ton the day alter the passage of the ordinance
of nUliEcati0n, and many OF the additional
companies were then en- route for the destination.
President Jackson familisrly said at the tina
'that by tbs sssemb.age Of these forces, for law
ful purposes, he was not making war upon South
Carolina; but that If South Carolina attacked
them, it would be South Carolina that made
war upon the UuTed States.
% General S who received his hJst instTuc.
hons (oraD from the President, in the temporary
absence cfthe Secretary of War, General CAss)
remembers these expressions well
@Ssurday night d 4cember 10, 1867
DECFMBEg . -Agsin, ter Major Anderson
hs5 gasutly aud wisely thrown his handful Of
mal nom F0It A1alirie into Fort SumpteT-
lesrrinr thas on demand Of South Carolina
fh-re was great danger he might be ordered by
tho Secretary bsck TO the less tansble work
I'll cut Of the hsrbor l wrote this note:
" IfauteBaut-Gsneral Scott (who bss he'd a
. bad might, aud can scarcely hold up his hesd
( this moluing) begs 70 express the hope to the
Secretary OF War-l That orders may not be
/ rir-n foI the cvscus50n Of Fort Sumter. 3. Thsi
one hundred aud fifty recruits may instantly be
sent from Governors Island to reinforce tha
garrison, wish ample supplies Of ammunition anC
( sabs once, includmg fresh vegetables, such a
pats.oes, onions, turnip3i and That one o.
! lro AIMED vessels 5e seat 10 support the SAID
/ for-
I " Lisu.enanLG ,nerAI Scott avails himself o
Ibis opportunity also to express the hope shat th'
/ rrconm5 tai0us heretofore made by him to tn,
( Sscsat2ry Of Wax respecting Forts Jackson, st
Pailip, Morgan aud Pulaski, sud particularly il
Fss1.e, 70 Forts Pichens aud McRas and tn
/ Pensacola navy yard, in connection with tn
two last named works, may bs 1ecoDsi3ered by
The secretary.
''L.sutsDsEt G neral s will further ssk tn
attention Of me Secretary TO Forts Jefferson an
iay.o,, which are wholly nat;onal-bsing 0
.ac gsester value even to the most distant point
IF Tie Atlantic coast and the people on the or
DaI waters Of the Missouri, Mississippi and OH
rivers taaa to the Safe of Fl@rida. There
only feeble company at Key West ior the d'
Eelsa of Fort Taylor, aud not c soldier IN Fo
J iTerson 10 Tesis. d handful Of fllibusleys, or
row-b5ss Of pirates; aud the Gulf, soon siter Il
The plan invented by General Scott to stop seee