Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-11-12
sN DOLLARS PER YEAR
Invariably In Advance

inteheeneer OF January IL, 1861, at the moat Inn.
porsant ana critical period of the Adminisira.
ton' Their publication, at that time, oouId do
no possible good, and might do much harm -
10 nave published them without the President's
knowledge and consent, was aa much In viola
tion OF the sacred confidence which ought 10 NJ q
vail between the commanding General Of tbe
army and tho Commander.in Chief as it would
nave been Tor the Secretary Of War to publish the
same documents without his authority, What
10 OK more importance, their publication was
calculated iDjuriously to affect the Compromise
measures then pending before Congress and The
country and to encourage the Secessionsts IN
sneir mao ana wicked attempt to shatter the
onion into fragments. From the great respect
Wnlcn then entertained for the General I
passed 1t over in silence ,
IL ie worthy OF remark that soon after the
Presidential election, representations of What
these "views" contained, of moro or lesa COR
rectness, were unfortunately circulated, especi.
ally throughout the South. The editors of the
Ndiiondt lMeLb9encer, in assigning reason for
their publication state that both in public prints
and In public speeches illusions had been made
TO them, and some nisapprehenaio5s as to their
character had got abroad. =
III. and Ill General Scott states that he ar.
rived In Washington on the 18Th, and accompa.
MED by the Secretary OF War, held conyersa-
tion with the President on the 18th December.
Whiie have no recollection whatever of this
conversation, he doubtless states correctly that
Old feiuse to send three hundred men to rein
lore MAJOR Anderson at Fort Moultrie, who had
nos tnen removed to Fort Sumter. The rea-
son of this refusal is manifest to ali VIM recoi.
leot the history of the time. But twelve days
Defore,lin the annual message of the Sd Decem.
Der, had urged upon Congress the sdoption of
amendments to the Constitution of the same
character with those subsequently proposed by
Mr. Crittenden, called the "Crittenden compro-
MISE" At that time high hopes we're enter
tained throughout the country that these wouId
be adopted. Besides, believed, and this cor.
reosiy, as the event proved, that Major Ander-
son was then in no danger of attack Indeed,
ne ana his command were then treated with
marked kindness BY the authorities and people
1l charleston. Under these circumstances, to
save sent such force there would have been
only to impair the hope of compromise, to pro.
woke collision, and disappoint the country.
There are some details Of this conversation
10 regard to which the Generals memory must
De defective. At present shall specify only
one. could not have stated that on future
contingent occasion, would telegraph "Maior
Anderson, of Fsrt Moultric, to hold the Forts
(moultrie and SUMTER against attack" be.
cause, with prudent precaution, this had already
Deen done several days before through special
messenger sent to Msjor Anderson for this
very purpose. refer TO Major Buell. of the
army.
Ihe Generals supplementary note of the
same day, presenting to me General Jackson's
conducs In 1883, during the period of nulliHca-
tIon' as an example, requires no special notice.
Even II the cases were not entirely different, |
mad previously determined upon Iolioy of my
III. m Il
Ihls was, at every hazard to collect the Gus
IONS at Charleston, and outside of the port, if
need be, In vessel Of war. Me- Colcock, the
existing collector, as had anticipated, resigned
his office about the end of December, and i'm
medlately thereafter, nominated to the Senae
az nls successor suitable person, prepared AT
any personal risk to do his duty. That body,
however, throughout Its entire session, declined
TO act on this nomination. Thus without COL
leotor 1t was rendered impossible to collect the
revenue.
Nv. Gen. Scotts statement alleges that "ths
Brookiyn with Captain Vodges's company alone,
lett the Chesapeake for Fort Pickens about
January 22t, and on the 29sh President Bu.
with certain leading Seceders.at Pensacola and
elsewhere, caused Secretaries Holt and Toucey
TO instruct in Joint note the commander Of
the war vessels of Pensacola, and Lieut.. Sem.
mer' commanding Fort Pickens, to commit no
act OF hostility, and not to land Captain
Voogese company unless the fort should be at
lacked" he afterward states, within brack.
ets, THAT joint note never saw, but suppose
the armistice was consequent upon the meeting
OF the Peace Convention at Washington, and
was understood to terminate with It,"
Ihese statements betrsy singular want of
memory on the part of General Scott. Il is
scarcely credible that this very joint note, pre-.
sented In such 0dious colors, was submitted 10
General Scott on the day It was prepared (29Ih
January, and met hia entire appreciation,
would not venture to make this assertion if
olo not possess conclusive evidence to prove it,.
on tnat day Secretary Holt addressed me O
note, from which the following is an attract:
~ haoe the satisfaction of saying hat on sub.
H.afing the paper to General Scott he erpYsssed
himsetf :atisfed toith ii, saying that there could
De no objection TO the arrangement in q military
point Of oisD or Othsr1ise." This requires no
comment. That the General had every reasoR
80 ne satisfied with the arrangement will appear
from the following statement:
A revolutionary outbreak had occurred in
Florida; the troops of the United States had
been expelled from Pensacola and the adjacent
navy yard, and Lieut. Slsmmer, OF the artlle.
~, with his brave little command, had been
forced to take refuge in Fort Pickens, where he
Was In imminent danger every moment of being
captured by vastly superior force. Owing to
the interruption of regular communications
Secretary Holt did not receive information of
these events until several days after their oc-
currence, and then through letter addressed
TO third person. He instantly informed the
President of the fact, and reinforcements, pro-
visions, and military stores were dispatched by
the Brooklyn 10 Fort Pickena without a mo
ment's unnecessary delay. She left Fortrees
Monroe on the 24th January, .
Well-founded apprehensions were, however,
entertained at the time of her departure that
the reinfOrcements, with the vessels of war at
no great distance from Fort Pickens, could not
arrive in time to defend it against the impend-
Ing attack, ln this state OF suspense, and
whilst Lieut.. Slemmer was In extreme peril,
Senators Slidell, Hunter and Bgler received a
telegraphic dispatch from Senator Mallory, Of
Florida, dated at Pensacola, on the 25th Janua.
~, with the urgent request that they should lay
II before the President. This dispatch express
cd an earnest desire to maintain the peace, az
we'll as the most positive assurance that no at
tack would be made on Fcrt Pickens II the
present status should be preserved. d O.
This proposal was carefully considered, both
with view to the safety of the fort and to the
unhappy effect which an actual collision, either
at that or any other point, might produce on
the Peace Convention then about to assemble
Of Washington. The result was that joint
dispatch wasscarefully prepared by the Secre-
taries OF War and Navy, accepting the propos.
al. with iWDOftant modi Hcatione. which WAS