The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-11-10
4 OAapsse IN the Mlstsry ef The War Reply
= james buchanan - tAs stnssmsnn Of
OQm o~oQ

-
&c. ossa.
James Buchanan, the "old pub. frac, - who pre'
sided over the late United s,a.cs has seen Genera,
scotts long explanation pubshed In the ..Yastoa ii
lnts'iseaor, and through the same paper publishes
reply. The first allegation Of sccs.--that Mr.
Buchanan refused to garrison Mae Of the forts in
six OF the Southern States because O! the in uence
OF Floyd in bis Cabinets repudiatsi. md be
reason FOR the non-reiasorcement IL sisted to have
been the fact that no only had 400 troops awi,l,,,
reach" He says:
This question could be better answered by General
Scott himself than by any other psvon Our srn all
regular army, with the exception OF few hundred
men were ont OF resch, on our remote frontiers,
wnere IL nAd beeu continuously stationed for years
70 protect tbs Inhabitants and the emisran,s on thair
way thther against the attacks OF hostile Indians
All were iueuffscient, snd both Gen Scott and nv.
sell had end avored in vein to prevail upon Con.
greas TO raise several additional regiments for This
purpose. In recommending this sugmenistio O:
tee army, the General states in his report to tis
War Department O. November, 1887 tha, sit vvonld
not more than furnish the renforcements now great
iy needed ip Foriia. Texas. Eew Mexico, Califor.
nta, Oregon, Washington, ct Kansas, Nebrasks.
Minnesota. leaving not 4 company for Utah" And
again In his report Of November, 1exa he says
This want Of troops 30 slvs res.onsSi. security
70 orr citizens In Distant set.lsmsnts, Including
eniSrsn's the plains oas scarcely be too sty,,r
ly ststsd; but <-iI only sdd that as of.n rs ws
have teen obliged 10 withdraw troops fror, one
frontier In order 70 reinforce another the weaken.
ed points have been instantly attacked CT threaten
cd with formidable ins ssiou.'
These views OF Gen. Scott eXlibit he crude
actions then prevailing even among In gast and
patriotic men on this subject Of secession Ia ths
drst sentence this General whist stating that 10
sAvs time the right of secession may be- conceded
by the correlAive righ: on the part " ths Federal
aovsrnmsnt against an interior State or Sta es to
70 sestaoliAh by force, if necessary iss former con
tinuity OF territory For this, he cites "Ps,oy's
NORA ana Political Philosophy chapter. It may
be thsrs. but have been unable to Hud It. Whilst
Is v dimoult to ASCERTAIN his precise meaning in
aha passage ne reuders what hs did not mean quite
clear IN his supplementary "views" In these he
ssys' IL VIII be ssen that the views only apply
70 a csss Of secession that makes gap in the pre-
sent Union"
The falling cn say OF Texas, or Of all the At
lantic States. from the Potomac South (tha yeYv
case Which has occurTed) was not within the scops
OF General SIS provisional remedies - that IL to
say, 70 establish by forse If Eetessary ths coati
nuity OF oar territory. In his .'visws'' he slso
states as follows: But break this glorious Union
by whatever liue OF lines that political msdcess
may oonnivs, and there would bs DO hope Of 70.
cr'iiing the fragments exeeps the se,ration snd
despotsn Of the sword To effect such resu,t
the intestine wars OF our Mexican neshbors would,
IN comparison with ours. sink into mere childs
play In the Senerafs opinion "a snaller evil
Chan these intestine wars would be to allow the frag.
nents OF the crest Republic to form them elves into
new Confederacies, probably four
tie fnen points out Whist ought to be the bounda
Ftes between the new Unions; and a. ths end of
each goes 20 far IS even to indicate the cities which
ought 10 be the capitals Of the three rst on this
side OF the Rocky Mountains to wit: Columbia,
south Carolina Alton or Quincy, Ill ;" sud Al
bany, New York, excluding WASHING tJn City Alto
es:hse This indication OF capitals Contained In
TIE original, now In my poase ssiou Ii curiourly
omitted in the version published In the National
!asl!SgeHsw. He designates no capital for the
fourth Union on the Pacific. The reader will! ;udcs
what encouragement these views proceeding from
50 distinguished source, must have afforded to the
Secess!Onists Of the cotton S.ates
trust have said enough, and more than enough.
70 convince every mind Why did not, with G foros
of I've companies attempt 20 reinforce Forts TACK
son and Ct Philip, on the Mississippi, Port Morgan
below Mobile; Ports fickens and McRea In Psnsa.
cola hsrbor: Fort Pulaski below Savannah: Forts
2oultrie and Sumter, Charleston harbor and FORT
Monroe. In virginia
These ''visws, both original and Supplene rtary.
were publRhed by Cen Scott In the Natieaa, Iutsl.
igenesr Of January 18Th, 1861, at the most import
ant and critical period OF tie Administrat;5n -
Thar publication at that time could do no possl;Ie
gooo, and might do much harm. TO have publsh.
ed than without tie President'a knowlsdrs snd
consent, was as much In violstion of the sssrsI
cunfdanoe which ought 10 prevail bstvsen taa
Commanding General Of the srnv and the Cou,.
mantier-in.Chief as ii would have been for the SEQ
retsry Of War to publish the ssme documents with
out his authority What IL Of more importance
thsir publication calculated iniuriousl7 to NJ
lect ths compromise Insasures then pending before
Congress and the country. and to encourage the
Sscaaaionists in their mad and wicked st.enlpt to
shattsr the Union into fragments From the great
respect which then entertained tor the Gsasral !
passed It over In silence
1t 10 worthy cf remark. that soon sftar the Presi
dontisi election. repces sntatons Of what these
'views' contained, OF more or less correctness.
were unfortunately circulated, especially through.
ont the South. TIE editors Of the National yn.sV
4saeeT, In assigning reason FOR their publication
statc thst both In public prints and In publIc snssr
es allusiors had been made to them and SOME mi.
spprehsnsions Of their character had set abroad
ii. and III Gen. Scott states that hs arrived In
Washington on the 18th, and, accompanied By thu
Secretary Of WAT, held q conversation with the
President on the 18th OF December Whilst Ihsva
no recollection Fhsevsr of this conversation ha
doub!lessly states correctly that l did res,sa -
send 800 men {, reinforce Msior Anderson AT gort
Moultris, who had not then removed % Fort el1ra.
ter The reRson FOR ths refusal Is manifest TO sil
who recol'ect the history OF the time BuFtve!ve
days befo in the annual message Of the Sd of ps
esmber, had urged upon Congress ths adoptiou Of
aHendu snta to the Constitution of the same ehsr
setsr with those subsequently proposed by NJ
Crittsnden, called tbs "Nristendsn cosaprorais. -
at that time high hopes yers enteItar 81 through
ont the country that thsSa would be adoptSd y,
sides 1 believed. and this correctly, a. The sy5nt
proved, that Esjor Anderson ss then In no danger
II attack. Indeed, ke sud his command were the,,
treated with marked Kindness by tie sutlorities
and psopis OF Chg;le.ton. Cnder th.se c,reun,
stances, to have snt such forcs there would have
bssn only TO impair the hope of compromise, 10
provoke collisioo, and disappoint the county
There are soma d. tails of this conversation In
regard TO which the General $ memory must be de.
fective. At present shall specify only one. !
could not have stated shs. or future eonting.,t
occasion l would telegraph Major Anderson. Of
Fort koultrie to hold the forts (Aoultrie and sum
teri against attack y because, with prudent pre
caution this had already bsen done several dsvs
before, through . special meae ngsr ssns to Msior
Anderson for this very purpose. refer to Major
Dus Of the army.
The Generals supplementary note of the same
day, presenting to me Gen JSckson's conduct in
1859, during the period OF nuidcation, a. exam.
pie. requires no special notice Even II the cases
were not entirely different, had previously deter
mined upon q policy of my own, ss Will appear
from my annual message. This was at every ha-
sad to collect the customs At Charleston, and ont
side Of the port, II need be- In a vessel Of war Mr.
Coloock, the existing collector, had antici-
pssed. resigned his Office about the end of Decem.
ber, and Immediately thereafter nomi stsd to th,
Senate - bis sue oessor, suitable psrson, prepared
At any personal risk to do his duty. That body,
however, throughout It's entire session. declined to
sct on this nomination Thus without collector
1t was rendered impossible to collect the revenue.
". General SCOTS statements sllecs that "the
Brooklyn, with Capt Vodgess company alone, left
the Chesapeake for Fort Picksns about January
Y9d and on the asth President Buchapan. having
entered into sussi armistioe with certain leading
geoedeys at Pensacola and elsewhere caused Sec.
retariss Holt and Touoey TO instruct In JOINT note.
the commander Of the war vessel CT Pensacola.
and Lieut. 6lemmer, commanding Fort Pckens, to
commit no act Of hostility, and not to lard Capt
Vodgees company unless the fort should be At
lacked" He afterwards stGtss, within brackets
.'Tha. Joint note never saw but suppose the ar.
nistice was consequent upon the meeting Of tbs