Council Bluffs bugle. [volume] (Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1860-1868, 1862-12-03

evening uea. Scott came TO congratulate
| mas shat ths Secretaries had Issued the O.
eessary orders to tha army and navy ofii
GERS; ard that they wsxe ia his posses
| ssoa. The Brooklyn, With TROOPS, militia.
Try stores, and provisions, was TO sail
fagxhwith from Fortress MonEoe for Fort
SaInptsr. am, thessfore, utterly at q
less TO imsgias why the General, In his
statement, Should hsve a,susertsd that sstbs
ssaGA Carolina Commissioners had al
Itaaay been many days ri Washington and
np moyeiRsat Of aaafsaos (on ths part of
tie United States vas permitted. p
| Tnese Commissioners arrived la Wash
iagton on the 27th Dec; Gen. seott's
request WIS made TO the President on the
3eth. Itwas sempii led with on the 3lst,
and a single day is ell that represents the
'snany days7 Of the General. .s
9 Again, Gen. Scott asserts, in the face
Of 8heSs facts, that the President refused
| % allow any attempt to ba mads~-to re-
ialorce Fort Sumpter-bscaase hs was
holding negotiations with the South Car
olina Commissioners. And still again,
| thas ''aftsrwards Secretary Holt and my
ssA endsaEoEsd In vain. to obtain ship
ot-war for the parpose, and Wa wavs 4.
natly obliged to employ the passenger
steamer "Star OF the Wess.'' wiz it be
believed that the substitution of the ssStar
CT the Westn for che powerful war
gssaner Brooklyn, af which hs now COM
plains, was By the advice of Gen. Scott
haascif? have never heard this doubt
ed unth read she statement.
Al the interview already gafarred to be-
tween the General and myself, on the
evening of Monday, the 3ISt of Deeam-
hsE, suggested to him that, Although |
had not received the South Carolina Com
alsai oners in their official capacity, but
merely as private gentleman, yet il might
De considered an improper act to send the
Brooklyn with reinforcementa to Fort
sampter until had received an answer
from them to nay 4ester of the preceding
days that tha delay could not continue
nore hhaH forty eight hours. Haprompt-
~ eancurred in this suggestion as gentle
manly and propeg, aRd the orders were
not transmitted 70 the Brooklyn on that
eTeniuR. My aRtieipaeioRs were correct
Tor on the morning of the I'd Jan. Fe-
celvfd thelF insoleat note, and sent it
BACK TO them, In the meantime, however,
the General had become convinced, BIZ
tbs presentations of gentleman whom
/ fOFtbeaE to name, that the better plan,
&s the Secretaries of War and the Navy
Informed me, TO secure secrecy and sac
etsss, aad FescA the fort, would ba to send
q fast side wheel mercantile steamer from
New York with the reinforcement. Ae-
Gordingly the ''Star of the West" was
selected for the duty, The substitution
Of this mercantile steamer for che Brook
kyn, which would have been able to de-
fend herself in case of attack, was re-
inctantly yielded by me to the high mill
tary Judgment of General Scott.
The change of programme required a
brief space of time; bat the Star Of ths
We: left n. 7. for Charleston on the
evening Of the 5th Jan. On the very day,
kowrFer, when this i'll fated steamer left
New York, a telegram Was despatched by
IeG- Scott TO Col. Scott TO coaatermand
Der departure; but it did not reach it's
destination until after she had gone TO
sea. Tha reason for this eountsrmand
aha ba stated IN the language of Secre-
sary Holt, to be found IN letter address
ed By him to Mr. Thompson, the late
Secretary of Interior, on the 5th March,
1864, and published in the RGfionai IN
iell3yeRcer. Mr.. Holt says:
"fhe eountarmand spoken of (by Mr..
Tntsupsou) was not more cordially sane
sioTto4 By the President than it was by
Gen. Scott and myself not because of
any dissent FROM the order on the part Of
the President, but because of q letter Ee-
lrceiv>d that day from Maj. Anderson,
stating, in effect, that he regarded him
self secure in his position; and yet more,
from intelligence which late on Saturday
evening 18th jan, 1861 reached the De-
partlnont that heavy battery had been
crested among the sand hiils, at the en-
sraRea to Charleston haFbor, which would
probably destroy any anarmsd vessel and
such was the Star of the West) which
might attempt to make its way to Fort
Sumpger, This important information
aati siied the Government that there was
no present necessity for sending rein
( fore ements, and that when sent, they
should 90, not in vessel OF commerce,
/ but Of wGr. Hence the countermand was
desplschsd by telegraph to New York
but the vessel had sailed short time be-
fore it reached the ofhcer (Col. Scottl to
whom it was addressed"
A'statemeus Of these facts established
| by dAtes. proves eonelusiVeiy thst the
President was not only willing but anx'
iou' in the bFiefest period 80 gsiafeEet
FoTs Sumpter.
| Gin the 4tb Of January, tho day before
/ the departure of the Star Of the West FROM
/ New, York, as Gen. Scott In bis statement
/ adpaits, succor was sent to Fort Taylor
4 Keg West, and Fort JefsrsoH, Tortaga:
Island, which reached these points in timt
1 for ta6ir security. He nevertheless spec
Il ulasas on the consequences which migbi
/ have followed had the reinforcements moi
Il reaen "a their destination In due tima; ans
even expresses the extraordinary opinoI
that, With the possession of these forts
sd rebels might haze purc hased an ear
I ly recognition" ...r... ..-.s w
Il shall next advert to the statenea
that the expedition under Capt. Wars
s'os three or four small steamers belong
ing to the Coast Survey, was kept basl
i by something like truce or armistiaa
i I'm ,dc here,) embracing Charleston AZ
4 Pelsacola harbors, agreed upon betweaE
4 she late President. and eeriain principa
i ses aders of South Carolina, Florida
Louisiana, &c. And this truce lasted :
81 the end OF the Administration" Thing
u altogether distinct in their nature are of
81 ten 10 blended in this statement thai it
i dilTcait to separate them. Such 10 eni
II ner,sly the case In connecting the fact
= relative TO Charleston With Pensacola
Y Having already treated Of the charge c
). having kept back reinforcements tTea
: Pensacola, I shall now SAY something 3
81 the charge Of haring also kept them bac
: from Charleston. Neither a truce, &C
L quasi trace, ner anything like H. was ~
81 concluded between the President &C
!, afY human authority concerning UhaRle'
b ten. On the contrary, the Soath Carol
.ol IA commissioners, sarst and last, and .