Delaware State journal and statesman., 1862-10-28
slrlnnnN yonrs-A sunMAnY. Ne.


regulated ouy by party tests.
slurHERN poRrs--A SUMMARY, SO.
October so. 1860, I emphaticaily called the
attention of the President to the necessity Of
strong garrsons in all the forts below the princi-
pal commercial cities of the Southern States in-
cludiug, by name, the forts iu Pensacola harbor
October 3 suggested to the Secretary of War
thai "A circular should be sent at once 10 such Of
those forts as had gnrrisOns to be on the alert
against surprises and sudden assaults. tSee my
"Niews, since printel.)
After II long confinement to my bed, in New
York, came to this city tWashiugtou) Decem-
ber IL Next day personally urged upon the
Secretary Of War the same Vews, viz: strong
gatrisons in the southern forts those cf Charles
toa aud Pensacola hltbuIs at once those on
Mobile Bay and the Mississippi, below New Oh
leans, ue4t. &C., &c. again pliuted out the
organized companies and the recruits At the
principal depots available for the purp,.e. The
Secretary DID not concur in any OF my views
when begged HIM to procure for me an early
interview with the President, that might make
one effort more to save the fors aud the Union,
By appointment, tue Secretary accompanied
me to the Prtsiuent, December 10, when the
same topics, Secessionism, &e. were again pret.
ty fully discussed. There being at tie moment
10 the opinion Of the President no danger Of
an cary Secession beyond South Carolina, the
President, in reply to my arguments tor imme.
diately rcuiorong Fort M1ultrie and zen ling "A
garrison T. Fort Sumter, sand
1.-THE time has not arrived for doing I'd Tint
he should wait the action of the Convent, ON
Of South Carolina. in the expectation that
commission would be appointed aud sent to ne
gotate with him aud Congress respecting the
Secession of the State aud the properly Of the
United States held within its limits and that if
Congress should decide against the Secession,
then he would send Il reinforcement, aud Iele-
graph the cOmmhndiug officer lNlajor Andersoul
of Fct Moulirie to hold the forts (Noultrie and
Sumpter) against attack "
Aud the Secretary, with animation, added.
ave have u vessel of war (the BroOklynl held
in reni'ness ut Norfolk, and lie would then send
tine hundred men in her from Fort Monroe 10
Charleston
To which replied, iiret, that so many men
could not he withlrawa from TINT garrison. but
could be taken from New York Next, that it
. oud thea be too late, as the South Curolina
commissioners would have the same in their
hands, by first using and then cutting the wires
that as there WAS not u soldier iu Fort Sumpter.
any handful of armed SteessiOnisis mirht s4ize
and 0ceupyit, &c
Here the remark may bC permitted, that if the
Seeretaty's three hundred men had then. or some
time later, been sent TO Forts Muulrie aud
Sumpler, both would now have been in the nos.
session Of the United States an,l not battery
below them couI have been erected by the ST.
cesSionisls; consequently the access TO those
forts from the sea would now (hr end Of Marchl
be unoh4tructed and free
The same day, December -, wrote the fol-
lowing note
Lieut. Gen Scott begs the President to par.
don him for supplying, in this note, what NE
omitted To say Ilis morning ut the interview with
which he was hOnorel by the President
Long fytor TO the .foycr dH March ,, 1891
P''oF to Tue issue of his proclamation aud in lart
PSur To the passage ol the ordinance Of nuliiica.
tlou, President jackson, under the act of March
y, 1907, uuthoriz ng the employment Of the land
aud naval forces, causel relntofepments To lie
sent TO Fort Moutrie. and sluQp- u. war. Obe
Natchtz,) with two revenue cutters. TO be sent
10 Charleston haihur, ia order, L. 10 prevent the
seizure Of that tort by the rulhder4, and . 10
ehtutce the execution OF the revenue law. Gene.
ral Scott himself arrived at Charleston the dny
after the passage g. the ordinance of nullieation
and many of the additional companies were the,,
enionte for the same destination
''Prrsilent jackson fanliliary said Mt the Tina
that by the ussemhlagr Of those forces lor law. |
tu purposes Ne was not making war upon South
Carolina but that II South Caroliun attacked
them, il would be South Carolina that made war
upon tie United Stats
"GenerAl y, whu received his first instruc-
tons ('ri) from the President in the tempo-
rary absence OF the Secretary of War (Geneml
Uasrl, remembers those expressions well
saturday Night, December 10, 1860"
DECEMBER IS Again, after Major Anlrrson
had CALAMITY and wisely thrown his hannful ot
men from Fort Muultrlc into Fott Sumpter-
learning thar, On demand of South Carolina.
there was great danger he might be ordered by
the Secretary back to the less tenabe work. or
out Of the harbor-I wrote this note:
"Lleutenant General Scott (who has had bal |
night, aud can scarcely hold up his hva! this
morning., begs TO express the hope to the Sccre |
iary ol war: ]. That orders may not be given
Tor the evacuation of Fort sunpicr .. That
one hundred and fifty recruits may instantly be
sent from Governors Island to reinforce That |
garrison, with ample supplies of ammunition nnd |
subsistence, including fresh vegetables, as pota
toes, onions, turnips and 3. That one or two
armed vessels be sent to support the said tort.
Lieut. Gen. S. avails himself Of this opportini. |
~ also to express the hope that tho ree0mmcu-
dltons heretofore made by him to tho Secretnrv
Of War, respecting Forts jackson, st. Philin
Morgan and Pulaski, and Particularly in respect |
to Forts Pickens mud M3ltae aud tho Pensacola
Navy Yard IN connection with the last two
named works. may be reconsilered by the Sec
retary.
"Litu Gen. s. will further ask the attention |
of the Secretary to Forts Jefferson and Tavlor
which are wholly Rdtioa0l being Of far greater
ya'ue even to the most distant points Of the AT.
hnilc coast aud tue people ON the upper waters
Of the Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio rivers
than to the State Of Florida. There is only a
feeble company ut Key West forithe defence Of
Fort Taylor, and not u soldier in Fort Jefferson
to resist II handful Of fbusters or "a on boat of
pirates and the Gulf soon after the beginning
of secession or revolutionary troubles ia the ad-
jncent States, will swarm with such nuisanccs. ~
DECEMBER 3O.-l ldressed the President
agln Ms follows;
'Lieut. Gen, Scott begs the President of the
United States 10 pardon the irregularity OF this
1t is Sunday the weather is
bad, and Gen, $. is not we'll enough to 70 to
church.
" But matters of the highest national impor-
tnnce seem to forbid moments delay, and if
misled by zeal, he hupes for the Presidents for
givencss.
"Will the President permit General s.. with
out reference to the War Department and other
aud fifty recruits from New York harbor to rein
force Fort Sumpter, together with some extra
muskets OF rifles, ammunition, aud subsistence
alt il hoped that Il sloop-O.war and cutter
may be ordered for tht came purpose as early ps
to morrow.
" General S. will wait upon the President at
any moment he may be called for"
The South Carolina commissioners had already
been many days in Washington, and no move.
ment Of defence ION the part of the Uuted Satesl
was permitted.
will here close my notice of Fort Sumpter by
quoting from some ol my previous reports.
1t would hnve been easy to reinforce this fort
down to about the 18th of February In this
dal. Fart hal /