Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1862-11-20

tv men. Fortress Monroe had alread Y
a garrison of some eight companies, one
or two of which might, in the. earlier Pc
rod of danger, have been spared unit
volunteers could have been obtained
notwithstanding prinAd hand bills were
everywhere posted in Eastern Virginia
by an eccentric character, inviting re.
cruits to take that most important work
Now, | have nowhere said that either
of those forts, even with the reinforce
ment indicated, would have had WAR
garrison. Certainly not. My PROPOSE
ton was to put each in condition, as 1
expressly said, to guard against sur
prise or coup. de-main, Can off-hand at
tack, 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 denied But the ex.
President sncers at my weak device for
saving the forts He forgets what the
gallant Anderson did, with handful of
men, in Fort Sumter, and leaves out of
account what he might have done with
! like handful in Fort Moultre, even with
| out further augmentation Of men to d.
vide between the garrisons. Twin forts,
on the opposite sides of a channel, not
only give a cross fire on the head Of an
attack, but the strength of each is more
than donbloi by the fanking fire Of the
other. The same remarks apply to the
gallant Lieutenant Slemmer, with his
handful of mep, in Fort Pick ms. With
what contempt might he not have looked
upon Chase or Bragg, in front of him,
with varying masses Of from two thous-
and to six thousand men, If Fort Pick
ems and its twin Fort McRea had had
between them only two hundred men.
have thus shown that small garri-
sons would at first have sufliced for the
other twins, Forts jackson and St. Phil
ip, also My object was to save to the
Union, by any means at hand, all those
works, until Congress could have time
to authorize a call for volunteers Il call
which the President, for such purpose,
might no doubt have made. without any
special legislation, with the full appro-
baton Of every loyal man in the Union
= The cx President almost loses his
amiability in having his neglect of the
forts "attl ibuted, as he says. without
tie least cause. to the iplIenc; Of Gov
cruor Fioy;' and, he adds, all my Cab
met must bear me witness that was the
President myself, responsible tor all the |
acts Of til Administration. -
Now, notwithstanding this hroal assump- +,
ton of responsibility. should he sorry
to believe that Mr.. Buchanan specially /
consented to the removal, by Secretary
Floyd, Of l15, eco Extra musktts and .
rifles, with all their mp heats and am
from Northern repositories to
southern arsenals, 50 that on the break
ing out of the maturing rebcliIn they
nigh; be found without cost, exccp. to
the United States. in the most convent
nnt positions for distribution among the
insurgents. So, too, OF the one hundred
and twenty or one hundred and forty
pieces Of heavy artillery, which til, sane
Secretary ordered from I'ittsburg to
Ship Island. in Lake Bprgne AMI Gal
'eston, Fe1as, for forts not yet crecte /
! ccidontally learning, carly in March,
hat, under this posthan,1as order, the
hipment of these guns had commenced,
communicated the fact to Secretary
lott (acting fIr Secretary Cameron
ust in time to defeat the robbery.
But on this point we may hear ex-
Secretary Floyd himself At Richmond
lie expressly claimed the honor of defeat
ng all my plans snl solicitations re-
pecting the forts, and received his re-
yard-it being there universally admit
ed but for that victory over M there
.orIi have been no rebellion ,
5. MIR. Buchanan complains that pub
lishcd, without permission. January is,
1861, my views, addressed to BIN and
he Secretary Of War, O.tob,r 20 and
80, 1860 But that act was caused, rs
explained to him at the time, by the
Misrepresentation ofthe cieus in one of
he earlier speeches of the same cx Sec
'ctary after his return to Virginia.
4. One of my statements complaining
# the joint countermanl, sent through
he Secretaries of War and Navy, to pre-
rent the landing at Fort Pirkeps of
Captain Vodges company, unless the
Nmt should be etached, is cited by the
he cxPresidcut to prove singular
want of memory on my part: and note
rom Secretary Holt is adduced to provo
hat had entirely approved of the joint
,ountcrmand the day (January 29) that
t was prepared. Few persons are as
title liable to make misstatcment by
Iccident as Mr.. Holt, anG no one more
Incapable of making one by design; yet
have not the slightest recollection of
my interview with him on this subject.
remember, however, that Mr. Holt, on
omc matter of business, approached my
bedside about that time when | was SUI
ering greatly from an access of pain
Mr.. Buchanan, and Mr.. Holt aud my
elf were all lands men and could know
'ut little of the impossibiity of landing
roops on an open seabeach, with high
Wind and surf Mr.. Toucey. Secretary
# the Navy, with officers about him Of
Intelligence and nautical experience,
,ught to have said plum ply that if Vod-