Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-11-12

| the Union into fragments. From the great re
/ speet which ] then entertained for the general
| passed it over 10 silence.
Il is worthy Of remark that soon after tbs
Presidential election representations Of wha
these views" contained, Of more or less cor
rectness, were unfortunately circulated. espe
cislly throughout the South The editors o
the NatioRQt Tatettigeaesr, in assigning reason
tor their publication, state that both in public
prints and in public speeches, illusions hac
been msde to them, and some misrepresentation
Of their character had got abroad.
II and III Con. Ssots states shst he arrived
in Washington on the I2sh, and accompanied
BY the Secretary of War bed conversation
with the President on the 18th Of December
Whist ] have no recollection wbatsVer of this
conversation, hs doubtless ssstes correctly that
did refuse TO send three hundred men 30 rein
force Mpi Anderson AZ Fort Moultrie, who had
not then removed to Fort Sumter. The reason
for this refusal is msnifest 20 all who reeolleet
the history Of the time Bat twelve dsys befJrs.
in the annual message Of the Sd Of December,
had urged upon Congress the adoption Of
amendments 10 the Constitution Of the same
character with those subsequently proposed by
Mr.. Crittehdsn, called the +" Cristenden Com
promise" Al that time high hopes we're enter
tanned throughout the country, that these would
be adopted Besides, ! bslieVed, and this cor
lNGtlf - tllc oNcub DlONcls tllat Auuulbou
was then IN no danger of attack. Iudeed, he
and his command wers then treated with
marked kindness by the authorities and people
Of Chsreston. Under these circumstances, to
have sent sach force there would have bsen
only to impair the hope of compromise, 20 pro-
voke collision, and disappoins the country.
6 There are some details of this conversation in
regard to which Ghe geHeral 9 memory must be
detective. At present l shall specify only one.
/ could not hsve stated that on future eontin-
gent occasion l would telegraph MEjor ARder-
son, Cf Fort MoultTie 70 hold the forts (Moultrie
and Sumter) against attack I" beeause, with
prudent esuti0n, this had already bsen done sew
oral days before, through special messenger
1ent TO Major Anderson for this very purpose.
l refer to MsioT Buell., of the army.
Tae genersfs supplementary notes of the
same day. representing to me General Jackson's
conduct in 1888 during the period of nullihca-
ton, as an example, requires no special notice.
Even if the cases were not entirely different,
had previously detsrmined upon policy of ny
own 90 will sppsAr from my snnual message.
This war, st every hazard, to collect the customs
81 Charleston, and outside of the port, if need
De, in = vessel of war. Mr.. Colcoek, the exist
ing collector, as had anticipated, resigned his
ofics about tho end Of December, and imme-
distaly thereafter / nominated 10 the Senate, as
his successor, suitable person. prepared, at
any personal risk, to do his duty. That body,
however, throughout its entiEe session, declined
70 sct on this nomination. Thus, without q
collector, il was rendered impossible to collect
the revenue.
". Gsa. Seotts statement alleges that "the
Bsookiyu, with Capt Vogdes' compsny alOns,
left toe Chesapeakasfor Fort Pickens about Jan
uary 22l, and on the 29sh President Buchanan,
having entered into quasi armistice with GER
tain leading seceders at Pensacola and else
where, caused Secretaries Holt and TOucsy TO
instruct, in q JOINT note, the commander of the
war vessels off Pensacola, and Lieut. Slemmer
of Fort Piekens, to commit no act
Of hostility, aud not to land Cspt. VOg1e CON-
Dsny unless the Fort should be attacked" He
, ,tterwa1ds states. within brackets, That Joint
note j never saw, but suppose the armistice was
upoa the meeting of tho peace con
ysnEion a. W Sshington and was understood to
iarminate with it."
These statements beiray = singular want Of
memory on the part of Gen. Scott. 1t is scsrce-
" CREDIBLE that this very joint note, presented
n such odious colors, .wss submitsed to General
Scots on the day il was prepared, Gosh Jan
1sry,) and met his entire Gpprobation l would
not venture 10 make this assertion if did not
possess conclusive evidence to prove il. On
that day Secretary Holt addressed me q note
from which the following is an extract II have
The satisfaction of saying shAt on submitting the
paper to Gen. Scott ne expressed himself sstis-
ied with il, saving that there could be no objec-
lion to che arrangement in a military point of
view OF otherwise" This requires no comment
That the general had svery reason to be satisfied
with the arrangement will appear from the fol-
loving statement;
A revolutionary outbreak had occurred in
Florida tins troops Of the United States had
been expelled from Pensacola and the adjacent
navy-yard; and Lieutenant Slemmer, Of the
artillery, with his brave little command, had
been forced to take refuge in Port Pieksns,
where ne was in imminent danger every moment
OF being captured by vastly superior force
0 wing 10 the interruption Of regular eommuni-
cations, Secretary Holt did not receive infoYmA-
ton of these events until several days after their
occurrence, and then through letter addressed
to third person. He instantly informsd the
President Of tho fact, and reinforcements,
provisions aud military stores were dispatched
by ths Brooklyn to Port Pickens without = mo
menbs unnecessary delay. She left Fortress
Monroe on the Oath of January.
Well-founded apprshensions were, however,
entertained at tbs time Of her departure that the
reinfOrcemenls, with the vessels Of war ct no
great distance from Fort Plckens, could not ar
rive in tins to defend il against the impending
attack. In this stats of suspense and while
Lieutenant Slemmsr was in extrems peril, Sena-
tors S6dell, Hunter and BigleF, rsesived tale
graphic dispatch from Senator Mallory, Of Flor
ida, dated at Pensacola, on the 28th January,
With the urgent request that they should lay it
before the Presidents. This dispatch expressed
an earnest desire to maintain the peace, as well
as the most positive assurances that no attack
would be made on Fort Pickens If the present
status should be preserved.
Thit proposal was carefully considered, both
witt a view 10 the safety of tbs fort and TO the
unhappy effect which an Actusl collision, either
at that or any other point, might produces on the
Peace Convention, then about 20 assemble At
Washington The result was that joint dis
patch was carefully prepared BY the Secretaries
Of War and Navy accepting the proposal, with
important notifications, which was transmitted
bv telegraph on the 26th January to Lisatsnsnt
Slem mer, and 20 the nsvtl commanders near
TIRE ststi0n. u is too long for transcription;
sufice it to say It was carefully guarded st
every point for the security Of the fort and its
free communication With Washington.
The result was highly fortunate The Brook
lyn had a long passage. Although she left
Fortress Monroe on the 24sb January, sbs did
not arrive al Pensacola until the 9th Of Febru-
afy. Ia The mean tins Fort Pickens, with
Lieutenant Semmef whose eO1duet deserves
high eommsndatiOn) and bis brave little band,
were placed, by virtue of this arrangement, in
perfect security uutil an adequate force had ar
rived to defend il against any attack The fort
IS still in our possession Well might General
Scott have expressed his satisfaction with this
arrangement. Tie General was correct in the
BnppostiOn tbst this arrangement was to expire
on Inc termination Of tho Peace Convention.
v. Bot we now come to an important period
when dates viii be essentially necessary to dis
eutaBgle the statement Of General Scott The
South Carolina commissioners wsre appointed
on the 22d December, and arrived in Washing
ton or the 27th Decsmher. The day sitter the
arrival it was announced that Major Anderson
hsdTemoved from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter.
This rendered them furious. 0n the same day
they addressed an angry letter to the President
6emsnding the suTrshdsr of Fort Sumter. The
President answered this letter, on the 30.h Ds
q u l.