Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-10-30

"hh hcfc ciOSe NY nOtlce OF COrt OutD
ter by quoting from some ofmy previous
reports.
II would have been easy to re-enforce this
fort down to about the 18th of February.
In this long delay Fort Moultrie had been
re-armed and greatly strengthened in every
way by the Rebels. Many powerful new
land batteries (beside formidable raft)
have been constructed Hulks, too, have
been sank in the principal channel 80 as to
render access to Fort Sumter from the sea
impracticable without first carrying all the
lower batteries Of the Secessionists. The
difficulty OF re.enforcing has .hus been in
C cascd ten or twelve f,ld. First, the late
President refused to allow any attempt to
be made because he was holding negotia.
tions with South Carolina Commissioners.
Aftcrward Secretary Holt and myself en-.
deav0red, in vain, to obtain ship of war
tor the purpose, and were finally obliged to
employ the passenger-steamcr Star of the
West" That vessel, but for the hesitation
Of the master might, as is generally belived,
have delivered at the fort the men and sub
sis,ence on board. This attempt at succor
failing, ! next, verbally, submitted TO the
late Cabinet either that succor be sent by
ships of war, fighting their way by the bat
tcries increasing in strength daily, or that
Major Anderson should be left to ameloratc
his condition by the nuzzlcs OF his guns
that is, enforcing supplies by bombardmen
and BY bringing to merchant vessels, helping
himself (giving orders for payment), or
finally, pc allowed to evacuate the fort which
in thatease, would be inevitable
But, before any resolution was taken. the
late Secretary Of the Navy making Difficult
ties about the want of suitable war vessels
ap har l..
: arrived, causing further delay. When thi,
had passed away Secretaries Holt anc
, Toucey, Capt Ward of the Navy, and my
seli--with the knowledge of the Presiden
buchanan )--settled upon the employment
under the Captain (who was eager for the
expedition) Of three or four smi steamers
belonging to the Coast Survey. At that
: time (late in january have but it'll,
doubt Capt Ward would have reached Fort
Sumter, with all his vessels. But he wa.
kept back by something like a truce or arm
istice made here embracing Charleston
and Pensacola harb ,rs, ,greed upon between
the late President and certain principal sece
ders Of South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana
&c, and this truce lasted to the end of thai
! Administration.
/ That plan and all others, without squad
. ron OF war ships and a considerable army
! competent to take and hold the many for
midable batteries below Fort Sumter, aut
before the exhaustion of its subsistence
having been pronounced, from the chang,
Of circumstances, impracticable by Mai
Anderson, Capt. Foster (Chief Engineerj
and all the other officers of the fort, as wei
4 az by Brig. Gen. Totten, Chiefof the Corp
Of ofEngineers; and ,concurring in that opinion
, did not hesitate to advised March II
that Maj. Anderson be instructed TO evacu
ate he fort so long CALAMITY held by hin
, and his companions, Immediately on procur
/, ing suitable transportation to take them I,
: New York. His relative weakness ha,
) steadily increased in tie last eighteen days
1t was not till Jan. 3 (when the first Com
missioners from South Carolina Withdrew
that the permission had solicited Oct 3
{ was obtained to admonish commanders o
r the few Southern forts with garrison to b
0 on the alert against surprises and sudde.
, assaults. Maj. Anderson was not among
t the admonished, being already stIaitly be
leaguered)
9 January 3.-To Lieut.. Semmer, com
manding in Pensacola Harbor:
"1he Gencrn-n. Chief drccs that you ,akc nensrr.
TO do the utmost in your power to prevent the sezure
either OF the fods IL Pensacola Ilartor by surpris
assault consulting first with the Commander of Inc Nav
Yarl who will probably have received ins,rucuons
cooperate with you" rIhis order was signed by Ali
= de-Cnmp i.nyJ
+ 1t was Just before the surrender ofthe Pen
sacoa Navy Yard tJan. l2) that Lieut.
!, Slenmer, calling upon Com. Armstrong,ob
= tanned the aid of some so common sealmei
or lahorers lbut no marines), which, adtict
to his 46 soldiers, made up his numbers Il
!, 70 men, with whom this mertorious Office
has since held Fort Pickens, and performed
working night and day, All immense amour
! of labor in mounting guns keeping up
strong guard, &C., &c.
Early in January [ renewed, as has beer
seen, my solicitations to be allowed to re en
force Fort Pickens, but good deal of tim,
was lost in vacillations. First the Presi
dent Thought il no movement is made b,
the United States, Fort McRae will probabli
not DO occupied nor Fort Pickans attacked
, In case of movements by the United States
which will doubtless he made known by tn,
) wires, there will be corresponding loca
movements, and the attempt to re e.enforc,
will be useless" Quotation from not
male by Aid de. Camp Lay, about Jan. II
OF the Presidents reply to message from
me. Next it was doubted whether it woul,
. be safe to send re, endorsements in an unarm
\ cd steamer, and the want, as usual, of suit
/, able naval vessel-thc Brooklyn being Ions
held in reserve at Norfolk for some purpose
: unknown to me. Finally, after had kep
body of 800 recruits in New York Harbol
D ready for some time-and they would hav,
: been sufficient to re-enforce temporarily For
Pickens aud to occupy Fort McRae also
the President, about Jan Is, permitted that
u the s!oop-of-war Brooklyn should have 4
E single company, 90 men from Fort Monroe
, Hampton Roads, and re- enforce Lieut. ..Slem
mer in Fort Pickens, but without surplus
! man for the neighboring fort McRae.
The Brooklyn, with Capt. Vodges's com.
pany alone, left the heChesapeake for fort Pick
! ems about January %, and, on the 26th,
President Buchanan, having entered into q
quasi armistice with certain leading seceder,
at Pensacola and elswheIe, caused Secrcta
ries Holt and Touccy to instruct, in a joint
note, the commanders of the war vessels of
Pensacola, and Lieut. Slemmer, commanding
Fort Pickens, to commit no act of hostility,
and not to land Capt, Vodges's company
; unless that fort should be attackedt
l'ihai joint nole never saw uu March pa but sup
posed the nrinsce consequent upon The meeting
the Peace Convention at Washington, and was under
Stood to terminate with i'll
/ Hearing, however, Of the most active
preparations for hostilities on the part OF