Weekly Trinity journal., 1862-11-22


John Van Buren read notp from Grn. Scott to
Secretary Seward, dated March Sd, 1861, rela
tive TO the condition Of the country. In this note
The General said The new Admniston had three
ways open 10 deal with treason-cal Conven.
'ion OF all The States, and give the rebels what
they want or will take--whip them into suijec
tion--let them go. This letter having been pub
llshed without his cons, nj, and it having been
intimated that Gen. Scott was opposed to "co
ercion,' he wrote to the National InteLiigeacsT,
at Washington, sending certain memoranda OF
conversations h,ld with President Buchanan in
the Fall OF 1860 and Spring of 1861 and also
copies of notes addressed to the " Old Public
Funciionary."
This disclosure furnishes fine field for the his
torian, and binds to the ex President as firmly as
the shirt of Nessus the great aud condemning
fact that he refused 10 do anything or let any
thing b. done, while in oficc, against rebellion.
This expose of Gen. Scott cOnsigns the imbecile
Buchanan to eternal iniamy The public was
well Satisfied of his treason. his submission TO
treason from the uon-acti0n OF his Administra
tiOn, bnt these facts brand indeIby upon his
brow The terrible stigma. Floyd, the great gun
stealer was then Secretary OF War, and Oh Octo'
Der 80. 1860 Gen. Scott called the Presidents
attention to the necessity Of garrlsonpg all the
Southern forts.
On October 3lst, be told the Secretary of War
that circulars should he sent to al! the Southern
prises.
On December 18th he again urged upon tho
Secretary TO garrison the forts, but that ofllcal
did not, of course, concur. He would not do 1t.
On December 18th he saw the President on the
same subject but the President said there was
no danger of an early secession beyond South
Carolina-that the time for action had not ar
rived-he would wait to hear from the South
Carolina Convention, IN the expectation that it
would send a commission to negotiate for the
secession of the State and that if Congress dis
agreed TO the proposal he would then reinforce
Moultrie and Sumter. And to this the Secretary
OF War, who was present. replied that he could
send the Brooklyn in the case the President
named, with three hundred men from Fortress
Monroe, to Charleston, (thus throwing that fort
into the hands of the rebels hut Gen. Scott re-
piled that it would then be too late, as the com
missioners could use the wires and then cut them.
On the same day, and after the interview, the
General sent note to the President showing now
General Jackson acted with South Carolina in
1885, and that in a similar case be had sent
forces there.
On December 2Sth, when Major Anderson had
abandoned Moultrie and taken his force TO Sum
ter, he wrote the President asking that the Major
might not be ordered to abandon SUMTER 1.-The
rebels asked the President to send him back TO
Moultre, where they could capture him j that
Sumter might be reinforced with one hundred
aid, and that the other forts on the southern
coast be also reinforced Immediately.
On December 3Oth be again wrote, asking the
President to allow him to send secretly, and
without the knowledge of the War Department,
$50 men to Fort Sumter ; but the President
would neither move himself against the traitors
not permit others to do so. The General says 1t
would have been easy to reinforce Sumter down
to the 18th of February, 1861, but the President
refused TO allow any attempt to so be made Il
Secretary Holt and the General subsequently en-
deavored to get ship of war to reinforce Sumter
lThls was, we presume, against the desire OF the
Pr"sldent.] They could not get one. ard had TO
send the passenger steamer Star Of the West
which. but for the fears OF her captain, might
have delivered her provisions and men at the
Fort. Then Gen. Scott proposed to the Cabinet
that succor be sent by shipsof war, which shonld
fight their way, or that Major Anderson be allow
ed to use his guns to procure provisions by bring
ing vessee to taking what he wanted, and Civ
ing a" erde" on tb" nation for payment nut 9nt
Secretary OF War said he had no war vessels
He had sent them all abroad on purpose. Then
Gen. Scott, Secretaries Holt and Toucey and
Capt. Ward, agreed TO employ, late in January,
1861, four small steamers, of Coast Survey, to
provision the heleagured fort, and the General
has no doubt that in this way the fort could then
have been reached but the expedition was pre-
vented by the President, who had entered into an
OF his term. Ii was not until January, 3, 1861,
that the permission he had solicited October 81,
1860, to admonish commanders of Southern forts
concerning surprises was grauted. And so soon
AS permission was granted he did it. When in
January he renewed his solicitations to be allow
ed TO reinforce Fort Pickins, the President
thought if no movement is made by the United
States, Fort McRea will probably not be occupied
nor Fort Pickens attacked. In case OF move
ments by tie United States, which will doubtless
be made known by the wires, there will be cor
responding local movements, and the attempt to
reinforce will be useless" Gen. Scott had 800
men ready to send to Pckens. but the President
at last allowed him to send 80 and no more bu t
at the same time instructed the commanders OF
the war vessels and forts not to commit any act
of hostility bus as soon as the new Adminlstra-
tion took its seat Gen Scott ordered the rein
forcement of Fort Pickens, aud all other forts
that the nation yet possessed - Sacramento Bee.