Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1862-11-20
ReIOinder OF Lieut.. 6eueral Sect!
10 EX.PfcSidenf Buchanan.

To tie Editors cfIhe National Latcli-
Jencer:
[ regret to fiud myself in controycr-
sy with tho venerable OK President
Buchanan.
Recently October 2D you published
my official report to President Lincoln,
dated March 30Jh, 1861, giving n sum
mary ofmy then recent conaexion with
our principal Southern forts, which,
am sorry to perceive. has given offence
to the cx-Prcsident, That result purely
incidental, did not cnter into my pur-
pose in drawing up the paper; bat on re
Election, suppose that, under the cir
cumstances, off.nce was unavoidable
Let it be remembered that the new
President had right to dc nnnd Of mo -
the immediate commander Of the army
how it had happened that the incipicnt
Rebels had been allowed to seize several
of those forts, and from the bud con.
dition of others were likely to gain po-
session Of them also Primarily the
blame rested exclusively on ne. Hence,
to vin1irate ny sworn allegiance to thc
Union and pro fessional ciuluct. the re-
port was submitted to President Lincoln
at an early day, Gin his administration, J
and recently to the world
To that shout paper ex-Prcsilcnt Buch-
anan publishes . reply of double the
length in tho lntclligenccr of the 1st
instant. My rejonder from necessity,
if not taste, will be short, for | hold the
pen in rheumatic hand, and am with
out aide dc-camp or amanucnsis, and
without printed document and my own
official papers.
Unable in my present condition. to
make an analysis of the ex,President's
Icing reply, avail myself Of a substitute
furnished by an accidental visitor, who
has kindly marked the few points which
he thinks may require some slight notice
at my hands.
l 10 account for not having garrisoncd
sufficiently the Southern forts named
against anticipated treason and rebellion,
"a, ording to my many accommodations
beginning October 20. 1860, repeated
the next day. and ,in more earnestly,
December l3. Is, aud 80, The ex Presi
dent says: There were no available
troops within r ach.'
Now, although it is true that, with or
without the Ex- Presidents appreciation,
the Secretary of War had nearly denud =
ed our whole eastern seaboard of troops
in order to augment our forces in Texas
and Utah, | nevertheless pointed out, at
several of the above dates, the six hun
dred recruits (about) which we had in
the harbor of New York aud at Carlisl
Barracks, Pennsylvania, nearly all or
gained into temporary companies, and
tolerably well drilled and disciplined
quite equal to the purpose in question -
besides the five companies of regulars
near at hand. making about one thous-
and men. These disposable troops would
hsse given (say) two hundred men to the
twin forts jackson and St. Philip, below
New Orleans; an equal number to Fort
Morgan. below Mobile; reinforcement
of one hundred men to Fort Pickens,
Pensacola harbor, and a garrison of the
like number to the twin fort, McRea; a
garrison of one hundred men to Fort JEFF
ferson, Tortugas Island. and the same
to Fort Pulaski, below Savannah, which
like Forts jackson, St Philip. Morgan,
and McRea, had not at the time SOL
dier-leaving about two hundred men