Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1862-12-17

ter inviting recruits to take that most i'm
pOrtant work.
Now, l have nowhere said that either
OF those forts, even with the reinforcement
indicated, would have had ,rdr garrison.
Certainly not. My proposition was to
put each in condition, as I expressly
said, to guard against surprise or coup
de-nndu1, ian off-hand attack, one without
full preparation.)
That these movements of small detach-
ments might easily have been made in
November and December, 1860, and
some of them as late as the following
month, cannot be doubted. But the ex-
President snecrs at my :, weak device"
for saving the forts. He forgets that the
gallant Anderson did, with handful Of
men, in Fort Sumpter, and leaves out of
the account what he might have done
with a like handful in Fort Moultrie,
even without further augmentation of men
to divide between the garrisons Twin
forts; on the opposite sides of 4 channel,
not only give Il crOss-tire on the head of
an attack. but the strength of each is
more than doubled by the fanking fire of
the other. The same remarks apply TO
the gallant Lieut. Slcmncr, with his
/ handful of brave men, in Fort Pickcns.
! With what contempt might he not have
| looked upon Chase or Bragg, in front of
| him, with varying masses of from two
| thousand TO six thousand men, if Fort
| Pickens and its twin Fort McRae had
between them only two hundred mr:,
! have thus shown that small ".,r1isons
would have 4: FIRST have suiiiced for the
other twins, Fort jackson AMI ST hilip,
also. My ohjec; was TO save to the
Union, by any means nj hand, I'LL those
works, until Congress could have time TO
authorize n call for volunteers-1 call
which the President, for s.ich p,,Tose
might no doubt, have made, without any
special legislation, with the full approba-
ton of every loyal man in the Union.
, The cx-Pre~ideut almost hoses his
amiabili;y in having his neglect of the
forts - attributed, - he saws = without
the least cause. to the influence of Gov
crnor Floyd" and. he adds. ali my Cab
met must bear me witness that ! was
the President myself, responsible for all
the acts OF the Administration"
Now, notwithstanding this broad as
sumption OF responsibility, l should be
sorry to believe that Mr.. BuchanaH spe-
ciailv consented to the removal, b. See
retary Floyd, Of llj. 900 extra musNets
and rifles, with all their implements and
ammunition, from Northern repositories to
Southern arScnals 50 that, on the break
ing out OF the maturing rebellion, they
might be found without cost, except TO
the | nitcd States. III the most convenient
positions for distribution among the in
surgcnts. So, too, OF the one hundred
and twenty or one hundred and forty
pieces of artillery which the same Secre-
tary ordered from Pittsburg to Ship
Island, in Lake Borgne and Galveston,
Texas, for forts not yet erected.-Acci-
dentaly learning, early in March, that,
under this rost.imn,ous order, the shipment
of these guns had commenced, | commu-
nicated the fact 10 Secretary Holt acting
; for Secretary Cameronl just in time &c
defeat the robbery
But on this point, we may hear eX-Sec'
retary Floyd himself At Richmond, he
expressly claimed the honor of defeating
!; all NV plans and solicitations respecting
the forts, and received his reward; i
being there universally admitted that bu
: | for that victory over me there could have
= been no rebellion.
q 8 Mr.. Buchanan complains that
: published without permission, Januar.
! IS, 1861. nv views addressed to hin
:, and the Secretary of War, October 2!
. and so. 1860 But that act was caused
as explained to him at the time, by tn
misrepresentations of the rTetrs in one Q
% the earlier speeches of the same ex-Sec
y retary after his return to Virginia
< One of my statements complainln
!; of the joint countcrmand sent through tn
W Secretaries of War and Navy to prever
ID the landing at Fort Pickens of CaPtal
L, Vodges company, mieSs the fort should
ne attacked, is cited by the ex-President
n prove :. singular want of memory" o
as nv part and n note from Secretary Hol
j. is adduced to show that / had entlrei
X approved of the joint countermand II
nd day TJanuary 291 that it was prcpare'
,o Few persons are as little liable TO make
Is misstatcment by accident as Mr.. Hol
,r and no one more incapable of making ol
g. bv design; yet. | have not the sil9h
So est reccolIection of any interview WI
no him ON this subject. [ do remembe
oh however. that Mr.. Holt, on some matt
er. of business approaching my bedsi
I'D about that time when l was sufferil
no greatly from an access of pain. VI
in buchanan, Mr.. Holt, and myself We
,c- J all Iapdsn,sr. and could know bat hit