The Placer herald. [volume] (Auburn, Placer County, Calif.) 1855-1991, 1862-12-13

Moultrie to Fort Sumter. This rendered
them furious. On the same days they ad
dressed an angry letter to the President de-
manding the surrender of Fort Sumter. The
President anewsred this letter on the 3Oth
of December by peremptory refusual.-
This brought forth reply from the Com
missioners on the I'd January, 1861, of such
an insulting charsster that the President in
stanty returned it to them with the following
Endorsement: This paper, just presented to
the President, is Of no such n character that
he declines to receive It," From that time
forward all friendly, political and personal
intercourse finally ceased between the revol
utionary Senators and the President, and he
was severely attacked BY them in the Senate,
and especially by Mr.. Jefferson Davis. In
deed, their intercourse had previously been
of the coolest character ever since the Presi
dents antisecession message of the com
mencement of the session OF Congress.
Under these changed circumstances, Gen.
Scott, by note on 3O,h December, addressed
'he following inquiry to the President:
Will the President allow Gen. Scott, with
out reference to the War Department, and
otherwise as secretly as possible, to send $50
recruits from New York harbor to reinforce
Fort Sumter, together with some extra mus
kets or rifles, ammunition and subsistence? 1t
is hoped that sloop of war and cutter may
be ordered for the same purpose to NOR
row.
The General seems not to have then known
that Mr.. Floyd was out of office.
Never did a request meet more prompt
compliance. 1t WAS received on Sunday
evening, December 3O,h. On Monday
morning gave Instructions to the War and
Navy Depar tmens. and on Monday evening
Gen. Scott came to congratulate me that the
Secretaries had issued the necessary orders
to the army and navy officers, and tha: they
we're in his possession. The Brooklyn, with
troops, military stores and provisions, was
to sail forthwith from Fortress Monroe to
Fort Sumter. am. therefore, utterly at a
loss to imagine why the General in his state
ment, should have asserted that the South
Carolina Commissioners had already been
many days in Washington, and no move
ment of defense ION the part of the United
States) was permitted" These Commission
ers arrived in Washington on the 9Th De'
cember; Gen SCOTS request WAS made to
the President on the 3Oth, 1t was compiled
with on the 3lst, and single day is all tha:
represents the "many days" of the General.
Again, Gen. Scott asserts, in the face of
these facts, that the President refused to al
low any attempt to be made to reinforce
Fort Sumter, because he was holding nego
tiatons with the South Carolina Commission
ers. And still again, that, afterwards Sec
rotary Holt and myself endeavored, in vain
to obtain ship of war for the purpose, and
were finally Obliged to employ the passenger
steamer Star of the Vest" Will it be be
lieved that the substitution of the Star of
the West for the powerful war steamer
Brooklyn, of wbirh he now complains, was
by the advice Of Gen. Scott himself! have
never heard this doubted until | read the
statement.
At the interview already referred 20 be-
tween the General and myself, on the eve'
ming Of Monday, the 3lst of December, |
suggested to him that although | had not
received the South Carolina Commissioners
in their official capacity, but merely as pri
vate gentlemen, yet il might he considered
an improper act to send the Brooklyn with
reinforcements to Fort Sumter, until | had
received an answer from them to my letter
of the preceding day; that the delay could
not continue more than 48 hours. He
promptly concurred in this suggestion as
gentlemanly and proper. and the orders we're
not transmitted to the Brooklyn on that eve
ming. My anticipations were correct, for on
the morning of the I'd Of January received
their insolent note and sent it back to them,
In the meantime, however, the General had
become convinced by the representations of
gentleman whom torbear to name, that
the better plan, as the Secretaries of War and
Navy informed me. to secure secresy and
success and reach the fort, would be to send
fast side wheel mercantile steamer from
New York with the reinforcements. Accor.
dinghy the Star Of the West was selected for
this duty. The substitution of this mercan
tile steamer for the BrOoklyn which would
have been able to defend herself in case of
attack, was reluctantly yielded by me to the
high military judgment of Gen. Scott.
The change of programme required brief
space of time; but the Star of tile Vest left |
New York for Charleston on the evening of
the 5th January, On the very day, however,
WU0u lulS III'IdLbu stedtIIeT NoW OIk, u
telegram was despatched by Gen. Scott to
Col. Scott to countermand her departures;
but it did not reach its destination until after
she had gone to sea. The reason for this
countermand shall be sta ed in the language
of Secretary Holt, to be found in a letter "d'
dressed by him to Mr.. Thompson, the late
Secretary Of the interior, on the 5th March,
1861. and published in the National IntelH
gencer. Mr.. Holt says:
"The countermand spoken Of 10y Mr..
thompson was not more cordially sanction
ed by the President that it was by Gen.
Scott and myself; not because of any dissent
from the order on the part of the President,
but because of letter received that day from
Maj Anderson, stating, in effect, that be re-
garded himself secure in bis position; and
vet more from intelligence which late on