Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1862-11-19

officers and that they were In his posses
| sion The Brooklyn, with troops mill
tary stores, and provisions, was to sail
forthwith from Fortress Monroe for Fort
! Sumter. l am, therefore, utterly ut Il
loss TO imagine why the Gernal, in his
statement, should have asserted THAT the
/ South Carolina Commissioners had already
been many days at Washington, and no
movement of defence Ton the part of the
/ l nlted States) was permitted. These
/ Commissioners arrived in Washington,
on the 9th December: Gen. SCOTS re
quest was made to the President on the
/ Both 1t was complied with on the 3Ist,
and Il single day is all that represents the
''many DAYS of the General.
Again, General Scott asserts, in the
face Of these facts, that the President
refused TO allow any attempt TO reinforce
/ Fort Sumter-because he was holding
negotiations with the South Carolina
Commissioners. And still again, that
- afterwards Secretary Holt and myself
/ endeavored, III vain, TO obtain a ship-Ot-
war for the purpose, and were finally obi
| ged to employ the passenger steamer, Star
| of the West" VIII it be believed that
! the substitution of the - Star of the West ;"
! for the powerful war steamer Brooklyn,
J of which ne now complains, was 10y the
! advice of General Scott himself! | have
never heard this doubted until l read the
! statement.
/ At the interview already referred TO be-
tween the General and myself, on
the evening of Monday, the 3lst of Dec
cember. l suggested TO him that, although
| had not received the South Carolina
| Commissioners in their official capacity,
but merely as private gentlemen, yet 1t
might be considered an improper act to
send the Brooklyn with reinforcements
to Fort Sumter until L had received an
answer from them TO NV letter o. toe
preceding day; that the delay could not
continue more than forty eight hours
He promptly concured III this suggestion
as gentlemaniy and proper, and the orders
were not transmitted 10 the BROOKLYN on
that evening. My anticipations were
correct, for ON the morning of the Sd OF
January | received their insolent note,
and sent it back to them. In the mean
time however, the General had become
convinced, by the representations of Il
. gentlemen whom | furbear TO name, that
the better plan, as the Secretaries OF War
and tie Navy informed Inc, to secrecy
and success and reach the fort, would be
( TO send a fast side-wheel merchandise
steamer from New York with the rein
forcement. Accordingly the Star of the
West WAS selected for this duty. The
substitution of this merchantilc steamer
for the BROOKLYN, which would have been
able to defend herself in case of attack.
WAS reluctantly yielded to by me to the
high military judgement OF General Scott.
The change OF the programe required
a brief space of time ; but the Star of the
West left for Charleston on the evening OF
the forth of january. On the very day,
however. when this ill-fated steamer left
New York, telegram was dispatched by
Gen Scott TO Col. Scott TO countermand
her departure but it did not reach It's
destination until after she had gone 10
sea. The reason for this countermand
shall be stated in the language of Sccre-
tarv Holt. to be found in a letter address
ed by him to Mr.. Thompson, the late
Secretary of the Interior, on the 9TH OF
March. 1861, and published in the NcaioH-
al Iatellgence-. AIr. Holt says:
The countermand spoken off by Mr..
Thompson) was not more cordially sane
toned bv the President than it was by
Gen. Scott and myself: not because OF
anv dissent from the order on the part OF
the President. but because of letter re-
ccived that day from Major Anderson.
stating. III affect, that he regarded himself
secure in his position; and Yet more from
intelligence which late on Saturday evening
18th January. 1861 ) reached the Depart
ment. that a heavy battery had been erect
ed among the sand hills at the entrance &c
Charleston harbor. which would probably
DESTROY any unarmed vessel (and such
was the Star of the WesD which might
attempt TO make its way TO Fort Sumter
This important information satisfied the
Government that there was no present
necessity for sending reintorcements, anC
that when sent they should go, not IL
a vessel of commerce but of war. Hence
the countermand was despatched by tele.
oTanh TO New York, but the vessel haC
sailed short time before it reached the
officer TCol Scott to whoom it was ad
dressed
\ statement of these facts. established
, by dates. proves conclusively that tn,
: President was not only willing but anxou:
in the briefeSt period % reinforce For
Sumter.