Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-11-12
ddrass9d tho following inquiry 70 tha Presi

g. 6QuISss5Q the following inquiry 70 the I resi-
/ dent:
:. wiz the President permit General Sc 1T
Q without reference to the War Department, anC
t otherwise as secretly as possible, to send TIVE
: hundred and fifty recruits from New York har
: Dor 10 reinforce Fort Sumter, together with som'
# extra mUskets or rifles, ammunition and subsist
j eRcs Il is hoped that a sloop-of-war and cutsei
c may be ordered for the ssme purpose to-mOr
row I"
s The general seems not TO have then known
that Mr.. Floyd was cut Of Office.
! Never did request meet more prompt CON-
pliance Il was received GA Sunday evening
December 30th. On Monday morning L gave
=. instructions SO the W6T and Navy Departments,
and, on Monday evening, General Scott came to
congratulate ms that the Sscretsries had issued
the necessary orders to the srRy and navy
officers, and that they were in his possession.
The Brooklyn, with troops, military stores and
provisions, was to sail forthwith from Fortress
Monroe to Fort sumter. L an, therefore, utterly
] st loss 20 imagine why the general, IN his
statement, shoUld have asserted that the South
Carolina commissioners mad already been many
days IN Washington, and no movement Of de-
tense Con the part Of the United Ssates) was
permitted These commissioners arrived IN
Washington on the 27th of December; General
Sc0tFs request was made to the President on the
30ih. Il was complied with on the 3lst snd q
single day is al that represents the many
days of the general
Again, Gen. Scott ssssr5s IN the face ef these
facts, that the President refused to allow eny
attempt to be made--tO reinforce Fort Sumotsr
because he was holding negotiations with
South Carolina commissioners. And still again
that g afterwsrd Secretary Holt and myself en-
deaVOred, in vain, to obtain ship of war for the
purpose, and were finally obliged to employ the
| passenger steamer Star of the West" VIII il
be believed that the substitution Of toe Star Of
the West for the powerful war steamer Brook
| lyn, CT which be now complains, was by the
advice of Gen. Scott himself [ have never
heard this doubted until read the statement
at the interview already refarrei to between
the general and myself, GU the evening of the
3lst of Dscember, suggested to hin that,
although / had not received the South Caroli8a
! commissioners IN their official capacity but
merely as priyate gentleman, yet it might be
considered an improper act 70 send the Brooklyn
with reinforcements to Fort Sumpler until | had
! received su answer from them TO my letter of
! the preceding day that delay could not CON
| tinue more than forty eight hours. lie promptly
| concurred in this suggestion as gentlemaaly and
proper and the orders were not transmitted 70
the Brooklyn on that evening. Ny snticipa-
tiOss were correct, f5r or the morning Of the %
of January received their insOlent note, aad
sent it bach to them.
| Ia the meantime, however, the general become
convinced, by tie representations Of a gentleman
whom torbear to name, that the better plan, as
| the Secretaries Of War and the Navy informed
me, to secure secresy and success, and reach the
| for, would be TO send fast side-Wheel mercan-
tile steamer from New York with the reinforce
ments. Accordingly the Star of the West was
| selected for this duty The substitution of this
mercantile steamer for toe Brooklyn, which
would have been able 20 defend herself in case
| OF stack, was reluctantly yielded to by me to
| the high military judgment of Gsneral Scott.
| The change OF programme required brief
! space of tms but tho Star Of the West left
| New York for Charleston en- the evening of the
! 9TH Of January. On the very day however
/ when this Inflated steamer left New YoEk, a tel
! egrsgn was dispatched By GeneIal Scott 10 Col
| Scott TO couniermaDd her departure but It did
not reseh its destination uatl sftsr she had gone
| to sea. The reason foE tnis coUnteImsnd snail
/ be stated IN the language of Secretary Holt TO
| be found in letter addressed by hIm to Mr.
Thompson, the late Secretary Of tue Interior, on
| the 5!h Of March, 1861, and published in the
| National iHtettlgeHeer. Mr. Ho!t says:
The countermsnd spoken Of (by Mr. Thomp-
SOM was not more cordially sanctioned by the
/ President than il was by General Scott ard my
self; not because Of any dissent from the order
on the part OF the President, but because of
letter received that day from Major Anderson,
stating, Ia effect, that be regarded himself secure
in his position; aud yet lnors from intelligence
which late on Saturday evening (5th January
! lSGI) reached tho Department, that a heavy bat
| terry had been erected smong the Sand hills, ut
! the entrance to Charleston HsrbOr, which wouid
4 probably destroy any unarr1ed vessel land such
was the Star of the West) which might attempt
to make lis way TO Fort Sumter This import
ant information satisfied the government that
there was no present necessity for sending rein
| fJTcements, 8nd that when sent they should 90,
not in a vessel of commerce, but Of war Hence
| the eOuntsrmand was dispatched by telegraph,
to New YOlk but the vessel had sailed short
time before il Tesehed the officer Colonel Seott)
to whom il was addressed" "
| A statement of thrse fac's. established bv
dates, proves eOncusiVely that the President
was not only willing, but anxious in the briefest
| period to rsinfsrcs Fort Sumter.
| On the 4th of January, the day before the de-
psrture Of the Star Of the West from New York,
as Gen. Scott in bis statement admits, succor
was sent TO Fort Taylor Key West, and to Fort
| Jefferson, ToTtugss Islsnd, which reached these
points in time for their security. Hs ne7erthe-
less speculates on the consequences which might
have followed had she reinfoTeeuents not reached
| their destination in due time; and even ex-
presses the extraordinary opinion that, with the
possession OF these forts +" the rebels might have
purchased an early recognition"
/ l shall next advert to the statement that the
expedition under Capt Ward, +" Of three or four
small steamers belonging to the coast service,
was kept back by something like truce or ar
mistice made here embracing Charleston and
Pensacoa harbors, agreed upon between the late
EPretident and certain principal seceders cf
South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, etc. Aud
this truce lasted to the end of the administration
Things altogether distinct ia their nature are
often so blended in this statement that It is diff
. Il Al
case in connecting the facts relative to Charles
ton with P nascola.
Having already treated of The charge of
having Kept back reiuforcements from Pense-
cola. shall now say something of the charge of
having also kept them back from Charleston.
Neitter q truce, nor quasi truce, nor any thing
like it, YVES ever concluded between the Presi-
dent and sny humsn authority concerning
Charleston On the contrary, the South Caro-
lins commissioners, FIRST and last, and all the
time, were informed that She President could
never surrender Fort Sumter, nor deprive him
self of the most entire lbsrty to send reinforce
ments TO it whenever it was believed TO be in
danger, or requested by Major Anderson. 1t is
strange that General Scott was not apprised Of
| the Tell.knoWn fact Il was then, with some
astouishment, that learned from the statement
of the general that he had on the I2sh of Msrcb,
! 1861, advised that Msjor Anderson should be in
structed to evseuste the fort as soon as suitable
| transportation could be procured to carry HIM
self and his command 70 New York. A military
necessity for a eapitulstion may have existed in
case there shoud be en- attack upon the fort, OF
demand for its surrender, bat surely none such'
could have existed for its voluntary surrend T
| sHd abandonment.
Probably that to .ahicS the general means to
refer was not the qpasi but the actual, truce Of
arms concluded a. Charleston, op the 1lth Of
| Jsnusry 1861 between Governor Piekens and
Major Anderson, without the knowledge Of THE |
President. L was on the 9 b Of January that
the Star Of the West, under the American flag, |
was fred upon in the harbor Of Charleston, BY |