Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-09-04

The following is General GllmOres re-
ply in brief q notice Of which has been
published in the rebel papers, to General
Beauregsrds communication, already
printed at length =r
DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, l
HEADQUARTERS, IN THE FIELD,
MoRRIs ISLAND, s. c., 9PM Aug %.
Sir I have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your communication of this
date complaining that one Of my batteries
mad opened upon the city of Charleston,
and thrown a number of heavy rifle shells
into the city, the inhabitants of which, Of
course, were asleep and unarmed. Ny let
ter to you demanding the surrender Of Ft.
Sumter and Morris Island, and threatening
in default hereof to open fire upon Char
lesion, was delivered at Fort Wagner at
HIS A. NJ, of the 2lst instant, and should
have arrived at your headquarters ia time
10 have permitted your answer to reach me
within the limit assigned, namely, four
hours The fact that you we're absent from
your headquarters at the line ofits arrival
may be regarded as an unfortunate cir
cumstance, for the city OF Charleston; but
it is one for which clearly am not respon-
sible. This letter bere date at my head
quarters, and was officially delivered by
an ofiseT Of my siaff. s1I
The inadEertsnt omission Of my sigma
ture doubtless affords ground for special
pleading, but it is not the argument Of q
commander solicitous only for the safety
of sleeping women and unarmed men.
Your threats Of retaliation for threats of
mine which you do not allege to be in viO-
latiOn Of the ussges Of civilized warfare,
except as regards the length Of time al
lowed as nolice Of my Intention are passed
by without comment. l will, however, call
your attention to the we'll established prin-
ciple that the commander of q place at
tackled, but not invested, having his ave
nues Of escape open and practicable, has
no right to notice Of an intention of bonn
bardment other than that which is given
by the threatening attitude Of his adverse
ry. Even had not this letter been written
the city of Charleston has had, according
70 your own computstiOn, forty days no.
tiUe Of her danger. During that time my
attack upon her defenses has steadily pro-
gresss1. The ultimate object Of that at
tack has at no time been doubtful. IT, un-
der the circumstances, the life Of a single
non -combatant is exposed to peril by the
bOmbardment of the city, the responsible
ty rests with those who have first failed 70
remove the non.combatants or to secure
the safety Of the city after having held
control Of all its approaches for period of
nearly two years and a half in the pres
eBce Of threatening force, and who alter
wards refused to accept the terms upon
which the bombsrdment might have been
postponed. Fr5m various sources, official
and otherwise, I am led to believe that
most Of the women and children of Charles
ton we're long since removed from that
city, but upon your assurance that the city
is still full Of them l shall suspend the
bombardmsnt until IL o'clock P. NJ to-mor-
row, thus giving you two days from the
time you acknowledge tohsve received my
communication of the 21st inst.
Very respectfully,
Your obed't servant,
o. A. GILMORE,
Brig.-Gen'l Commanding.
To General P. T. BEAUREGARD,
Comm'dg Confederate forces,
Charleston, S. C. @ y
1t appears that the Spanish and British
Consuls respectively addressed General
Gilmore on behalf OF the subjects Of their
countries in Charleston, and he cheerfully
suspended the bombardment for twenty
four hours to give them time to leave the
city. Nothing was farther, he says, from
his wish than to endaDger their lives and
Dropertv -