New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-11-04
rru. RUCmANAN's DEFENsE.

public. This is throughout an undisguisad cenS1er
of nv conduct during the last months Of the admins
tration in regard to the seven Cotton States now 10
rebellion. From cur past rolatone was gFe""!
surprised at the appearance Of such paper III one
aspect, however It was highly graiiJ ing' " i"'
justified me, nay, i, has rendered it absolutely n'ce
sary that should no longer remain silent IN Iesi'o
10 charges which have been long vag'eIy ci''''',
iue but are now inlorssd by the eponsioe name o.
Gen. Scott.
!. Toe fIs. and most prominent among 'Nes'
charges is my refusal immediately 10 garrison n.no
enumerated foriifcaions, scattered over SIN % .''
Sou,hsrn States, according to tie r''chn'ch'4tl'u
of Gen. Scott in his views .dHresssa 70 'i'e ""' /
Dsnsr,,peut on the seth and 3)lh Of October, 1901
And II has even been alleged that II this iaa oeeh
done Il might have prevented tle civil war;
This refusal is attributed, without the least cause
90 ,be {, euence Of Gov. Floyd. All my Cabinet
,nu.t bear mo wines that was the President my
,su responsible for al, he acts Of TIE Admms'Ta'
tjon and certain it 10 that during lie last sN months
rrev;ous TO tie Goth December, 1850, tie day on
Which he resigned, al.er my request, he exercised
less influence on tie Administration than any olLsf
member of the Cabinet. MT. Holt was Immediately
thereafter transferred from The Pcsi-t nee DcPm. r.
Che 9TH OF March, Ls6l which vat by Tar tue mos'
impor,aut period Of the Admins ia ION. he per-
formed tie duties Of Secretary OF War 10 Iny en'lso
satisfaction.
But why did moi Immediately garrison these nine
Notifications in such mauucr, 10 Use the language
of Gen. Scott, as TO make any attempt 20 u &C taS
one OF them by surprise coup dc main lolculouS'
There ia ore answer oO,h cary ana conclusive sNsu
Il other valid Telsons did lot eAisl. ere were 10
available troops within reach which could be Sent 20
these fortifC atiOis. To have attempted military
operaton on a scale so excessive by ANY means W ~
in tie President power would nav" peeh snnliI
sbsurd, OF this Gen. Scott himself seems 10 nave
been convinced Tor on the day alter tAo cafe OF LIS
first views he aadlessed ION the dtth Otto9eTj
supplemental views TO the War - WTlnouI, il
which be states: There Is one lregu ar company
In Boston one here tat the Narrowed one az tit's
burgh, one at Augusta lOa one al % Oh isoiso -
In All five companies only within reNon 10 SarIls j.
or reinforce tie forts mentioned III lie we've
Five compauies-iour hnudred Men-to occupy
and re-snorce nine Publications IN SIX
6outhern SAFES! The force " NliAm Hach Was
so entirely iiadeQuCte that nothing more could ie
said on the subect. To have ATTEMPTED icl miil-
terry operation with feeble force, anu tie fieei'
Dental election impending, would have been IN IN
yitatiOp 10 collision aud secession. lnCetu, II lh'
whole American army, consisting then OF only ak
teen thousand men, had been "wlttln roach, they
would have been scarcely sufficient Tor this purpose
Sach was our want Of troops That, athoheh zen
Scott believing IL opposition TO The oQ'iOn OF Tue
Committee raised ia Tie House Of Representative,
tina; the inauguration Of Mr.. Lincoln might oe IN
terupted 10y military force, was only ALE 10 Assem-,
bic at Washington GO late as the zih Aarcn, ovd
men, rank and 6le, OF the army; and, to make ul
this number even the sappeis ana h4AeTS were
brought from West Point.
But why was there no greater force within reach
The question could be better ANSWERED by General
Scott himself than by any other pelson. Our small
regular army, with Tie exception OF a few hundred
men, were Oat of reach On our remote frontiers,
Where il had been continuously stationed Tor year,,
TO protect the Inhabitants and the elgrauis on Their
way thither against lie attacks Of hostile Indians.
All were insufficient, and both Gen. Scott and N.Y.
self had endeayoTed in vain TO prevail upon Congress
20 raise several additional Glmsnts for tbs ug-
pose. Ia recommending tbs augmentation o. tie
army the General siateG IN lis report 10 the War
Department, Of November, 1871, that " :. olld EOt
moro than furnish tbs Ie.eu. OrcemCntg now gIea;k
needed in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, California,
Oregon, Washington Territory, Kansas, Nebraska,
Minnesota, leaving not com any lO- Utah. An1
egaia, in his report Of Noven0eE lSJ9, lie says:-
THIS wan, Of troops give reasonable seslriy 90 eff
in dss-. se.tleusnu ino.ua ne tligiaass 80
sid TIA, as oii-a a. lsys bSsn c5ss,l TO w,.drs
troops from frontier "a order to eaoho hf
weskened point. have been instantly attacked o. fe-ted
TLesa "yisws" of Coz eeett e.'iitis - ,i"dg
nou-1s ticu plevaiirg even among Intelligent and
patriotic men, on tho a. jet o. Sete .i-n. In TO
Irsi sentence, the GeLl-i. While asf1g tLa' " 20
gave time the right Of see ioa my " conceded
yet Immediately says, ills is i.tt,aly balauc ly
ihe correlGtiye night on tic par O. The Fleial Gov
ernment gaiDst interior STATE ~ tss, % -.
establish by force, II necessary IL On ruby
Of territory" tFor Ills he c.tes "Ie. FLORAL
and Political Philosophy last chapter" j. 10y he
there, but have been una l. 70 find - VIE s.
is'djiicult to ascertain bis precise Icatiug 40 is
passage, be renders what be did MT no.a gain,
clear in lis supplementary 'Yiews." Il tleao Sc
says: Il viii b. seen that the views or! aVi.}
to a case of secession that makes gap IN IT, r
ent Union" The falling on, 10y OF Texas, or o. ali
the AtlsDtic States, from tie Potomac south Vte
very ysse which has occurred, was not within re
SCOPE OF Gen. Sc provisional remedies" thai il
tnulty of territory. In his Twelve" ic states
as follows: "But break tits glorious Uui,n
by whatever line or ines that political
madness may coniIiye, and there would
he no hope Of recrui.ing the fragments ex-
cept by the lsceraiion and Gesp0iism OF tie sword
To effect such result the intestine wars Of our
Mexican neighbors would, IL comparison with OaIs,
sink into mere clilo's play" In the Generals
would be TO allow the fragnents Of the great Re-
public TO form O emselvcs into new Conedefaces,
probably four" lie then points out whit ought
to be the boundaries between the new Unions;
and at the end Of each goes so isr as even
10 indicate tie cities which ought he the capitals
OF the three first on this side OF the Rocky Noun.
tains, TO wit: Columbia South Carolina,
Alton, or Quincy linois," and " Albany, New
York" excluding Washington City altogether.
This indication Of capitals contained ID the original
low in my possession, is curiously omitted IN the
version published IN Tie National IntcHgenccr.
lie desgnates capital for Tie fourth Union on tho
Pacific. The reader win judge what encouragement
these views, proceeding from 20 CIstins unhed a
source must have afforded to the Seceszi Jnis.s Of
the Cotton States.
trust have said enough, and more thar enough
a. convince every mind why did uot, with a force
III hye companies, attempt 10 re-eniOrce Forts Jack
son ana 81. Pulp, tue MisAiss phi; Fort Nor
gan, below Motilei Forts Pickeus aud hcRae, in /
PENSACOLA harbor; tort Pulaski, below Savannahi