, 1862-10-25
Important Document From
Gen. 6eott.
EARLY RIkT0kY OF TIE RE.
LION,
}MBEciliTT or BUCHANAN AND
1REAcnERY OF MIS- CABINET,

the secretary of war the same views, 1tz: |
strong strong gnnisons iu the Southern forts
these Of Charlest6n and Pensacola harbors, |
at once; those on Mobile Bay and the Mfssis-
sgsin pointed ont the organized companies |
ard recruits at the principal depots Available |
for the purpose The secretary did not con |
cur In any OF my views, when begged him |
to procure for me IN eall5 interview With the |
to save the forts and the Union.
BY appointment the secretary accompanied |
me to tho president, December Is, when the |
same TOPICS, aecessionism, &C., were again |
pretty 1uiiy discussed. There being at the
darger Of an curly sect ssion, beyond South |
Carolina, the president, in reply to my argu-
ments for Immediately reinforcing Fort Moul-
said:
"The time has not arrived for doing 90 that hs
would 10 sppointed md ssat 70 Negotiate ~i'h
p,opeste & u = hss sas
Ei,hn lie limits and that II Congress should d.
eaae sgatnst The secession. then be would send
Ger {hsJor Andeston) of Fort Monltrie to hold the
forts tsoulsrie and sumteE) against stack"
and the secretary, with animation, added:
j.. I'VE have veseel q war Che Brooklyn} held
500 men in her from Fort Monroe to Charleston"
To which replied, first, that 80 many men
could not be Withdrawn from that garrison,
but could be taken from New York. Next,
that i would then be too late, Is the South
Cafollna COMMITS toner's would have the game
IN THEIR hands, by first using and then cutting
tic wir s; that as there was not a soldier Ia
Fort Sumter, any handful of armed accession
ists might seize and occupy it, &c.
Here the remark may be permitted, that II
the secretarg's 500 men had then, OF soma
l4fp mi tn
10th would now have been in the possession
| OF the United States, and not battery below
them could have been erected by the stces-
sionlEts; consequently the access to those
forts from the sea would now (the end Of
| Ma1ch) be unobstFucted ard iree.x
The same day, December Is, wrote the
| following note:
"Lieut. Gen. Scott begs the President to par-
con him for enpply1ns, IN this NOTE what he omit
which he was honored By inc president.
| - Long prior to the force 1iH, {Ma1ch 2 1891
pfor to The issue Of his proclaim aud in part
ton President jackson, under the act Of March
8. 1901, authorizing The employment Of the land
and and naval forces, caused Feinforcements to be
Natehez,} with two revenue CUTTERS to be sent to
charleston M Mha.6or, In order. l: to prevent the
q y to
Scott himself arrived at Charleston the day aftc;
the passage of the ordinance Of nulltication. and
| HdHS luC dHI1llOl111 companies were then
route for the eame destination.
President jackson faml1iar1y said at the time
that. by the assemblage Of those forces, for law
fui purposes, he was not making war upou South
Carolina; hut that If South Carolila STACKED
Them. It wonld be South Carolina that made war
upon the United Siatss.'
serce Of the secretary of war (aen. Cass), reneua
bets those expreseions well.
| "SAtuId8y night. December Is, 1660.'
| nErF1ysEN 2G .-4pa1u oftur Af,for tr5nr
son had galiantly and wisely thrown his hand
full Of men from Fort Muultrie into Fort Sum
ter-1eaTring that, on demand Of South Caro-
liEa, there was great danger be- might be or
dvrea bJ the secretary back to the less tenable
work, or out OF the hsrb@r-l wrote this note
AID can Eca1ctly h0li up his head this no1nin5)
begs to express tie hope to the secretary Of war
/: That orders nay not be given for the eyacua-
startly be seat IRON GosernoEe Island to reinforce
that garrison, with ample supple. of ammunition
md knhsist, nee. including fe@h Vegetables as p
Lieut. Gen s. aTails h,naeff Of this ' oppos Ic,s
, tuIity also to exprese the hope tha. the recom-
meEdatons heretofore made by him to the secre.
tnry Of war rcspecting Forts jackson, St. Philip,
I'!san and Pulaski and particularly IN respect
1ary gard, connection with the last t.yo named
work., .nay be rsconsidsred @ By the secretary.
Lieut.. Gen. S. Viii further ask the attention
| Of the stcteta,y to Forts Jefferson and TAYLOR,
which are wholly nafional--helns Of far erearei
; yalue eyea to the most distant points Of the At
asF zs1s
pany ut Key West for the defense @ ii Fort Taylor
and Lct soldier in Fort Jefferson to resist a
handful Of fili1hustcrs or a row boat Of pirates
and the Guit snon after the beginning Of sec=s
: sion or revolu,!onsry troubles in the adjacen,
states. will swarm with ruch ruieances."
, DECEMBER SOL addressed tic president
, again, AZ follows:
: *.Lieutenant General Scott bess the Prca:den
of the United States to pardon the trrcGu!arily o
this communication. 1t Is Sunday, the weather II
+ I bat, aud General s. Ia not well enough to go t:
chu1ch.
But matters ot the highest national irnpor
2 tEnce scem 70 forbid moments delay. and, i
( mElca By zeal, he hopes for the presidents for
glSeWSgiijITt Tho nzcat,,tnt hermit en,,,, ,.tn,.
reference to the war department. and otherwts.
: az secretly possible, to send two hu:1+ed ant
, fifty recruits from New YORK hasbor to reiuforc
i For Sumter, together With some extra 1ausket
. o. rtfies. aurGnlfiun and subsistence:
; "1t ie hoped that slorp Of war and cate
may he ordered for the fame purpose ~ early u
tomorrow.
"9e1e:als $ will wait upon the president at an,
momt1s he may be called for.''
! Tbs South Carolina commissioners had al
: ready been many days in Nasaiagton, and al
! movement Of defense ION the par: of TIL
+ uEi'ed Sta7es) Was permitted.
& will Eere close my notice Of Fort Susnte
j., by Quoti7g from Eou.e cf my previous re
i ports.
:. It would have been easy to reinforce thi
S fort dow to about the II: OF February. L
II this long delay Fort Moultrie had been re
q armsd and greatly Strengthened in every va
IT by the rebels. Many powerful new la;:d ba:
$ teriss (oesides formidable raft) hare bee
$ constructed. Huiks, too, hare been sunk /
It the Pr!t cpas channel 60 as to render access
= FGrt Sumter from thu SEA iinpE .cilcable will
out first carry ing all the lower batteries Of til
= secessionists- The difficulty of thus rein:n.s
d ing has thus been increased ten ortwelye folc
It Fist, the late President refused to al1o* IL
:: attempt to be made because he was ho1ain
], ntgo: :lations with the South Carolina commits
u siuters.
IN Afterwards. Secretary Holt and myself ct
s. deayored, Ia vain. to obtain ship OF war fl
5, tie purpose, and were finally obliged to en-
., icy The passenger steamer "sia: Of th
ID West" That vessel, but tor the hesitation {
D. the m 'ete-. might, as is generally believed
| have delivered at the fort the men and s1.
slkttucc On board. This attempt at succc
/ failing, next, verbally, submitted to the Ia,
cabinet titaer It at >uccor he sent hy ships
war, dshIirg 1hetrr, way hy the batteries, III
re derscn should be left to ameliorlte his co,
{. di;ion 1y the muzz!es of his guas-taat i
er enforcing supplies bT bonbardmeut and b
D. bringing to merchant yesz.:s, hel7ing hi;ns=l
o. {glvIrg orders for paymer-,) er finally, oe
is lowed to eyacuate the fort, which, in th
re case, would be Inevitable.
se But, before any resolution WAS taken. th
y. Late secretary Of the navy r1:aE17g difficult,
i about the want of suitable var vrsE-fs. Al
t. other commissioner from Snu:n Caro1ina p
ae rived, causitg further delay. When this III
m passed away, secretaries Holt HI! Touce
ri Capt Ward of the navy, and mysc.s-vi.h :.
O. knowledge Of the PRECEDENT, (bncn .atI: s..
ac tied upon the employment, uaier the cspta,l
1t5 (who was eageT for the eX3tdi:ion) Of three
!: fonr small steamers belonging to the cos
I'd survey, At that time Uatc in Jsnu ar5l hay
ut but little doubt Capt. Ward would HI,
Is Eeachtd Fort Sumter, with all his vessel
oy But Ee was kept back By something 1isc
ei trut or arnls'iee. made here] embracIr
II Charleston and Peusaco!a harbors, a2rct
e. UPON between the late president and cert i
he principal seceders Of South Carolina, Florid
Louisiana &C.. and this truce lasted to Il
m ! trd Of the administration.
ye That plau ard all others, without slaa
.st ron Of E.r ships and 4 considerable army
be competent to take ard bold the many fnrnI
ay able batteries below Fort sumter, and bsto
~ the exhausticn ofita Observation-Disclosures bet
"a, pronounced, from the change oi circumstance
r. imnracticabie, hy Maj. Anderson, C1ps. F1
il; te-, {ca!ef engineer and slt the other OIL Il
On ! Of tie fort, as we'll is by Big Gen. Totte
ed | chief ot the corps Of eCgiuters; and, cn1c7
ey | ring In that o2ioion, I did not hesitate te ::
IN | wise March 12sh) that Maj. Anderson be |
strnf4r1 IN eya.1:aft. the fart so 13.,p raIia.