, 1863-11-02
TIE sEIGE OF CHARLES.
TON
Causes Of the Gelny-2ha Diaagree-
Iuenf Between EeUs GILMORE and
com. Dahl:rens

lG4o0 Ale ~ l. AuGo
WAsu1Seros, Monday, oes; -, 1ses.-1t is
about the coEco1d between Dah1gren and
Gilmore we're ended, The interests Of the
country demand that the actual relations be.
tween the respective commanders Of tho ar
my aud nagy before Charleston be known,
with the canecs that underllc them.
At the root: the Rcdmsn Is inch army gun
WE cut Off BY Dahlgrsn; it's shape was modi.
1led IT Has transformed but not reformed, 80
as to harm ouize with hia theories Of gun maxi
log nd the projsct!on Of large eh 1t md shell.
Navy to reduce the worEs which cover
Cha1leston, and to capture that city
EXPERIMENT demonstrated what science
should have anticipated. that 1t wou1d
rot burn powder enough to throw q
60 .holt Sn IT, the poWder beWs oat
of'the nnzzle unconsnmed- To secure COM
rlete ignition Of the charge, and insure long
range srd high velocity, It would have been
necessary to use xae. powder, md riAs.powdsr
ineu,able defect in 1he ordinance given to the
navy to batter down the dtfances of Charles:
ton and take that city, lies at the bottom Of
what Of failure has thus far characterized the
eiege, ard Of MI the delays which have drawn
It cut to The breaking Ct the popular pa
tieIce.
To PISS over MI other history Of the change
Of naval commanders before Charleston; the
assignment Of Dah1gyeu to work his own guns
pgainst the city and It's deftncee, EAs policy;
Of necessity as Tell as Of justice. BE went?
down and took ccmmsnd-and then etruck
bar ds with Gilmore on the bargain, that the;
army should take Morris Island, reduce Fort
Wagner ind the Wo1ks On CummiuR's Point,
ard Il ON ttat petition knock Sumter to-
pieces with PAIR OFT gurs Or slience its tlre;'
and this being done, that the navy should an
chot its ircn-clate off the Wharves Of Cha1les-
ton. I
Gilmore Las performed his part of the bar.
gain Dai)g1en has got performed his. Why =
tie country asks. For tno reasons: l. For
misunderstanding between him and GIL
| more.
This misunderstanding is of such huge pro-
| .Eolttcns a8 to Involve the two services. It!
vas stimulated resentfally by the midnight
was regarded BY the army aa q aurreptltloas'
| and ulfair attempt on the part Of the navy to
sLatcl the honor Of taking possession Of a
forirees which the former had reduced. For,
in pursuance Of the original agreement be-;
tween Dahlgren ard Gllu.ore, the latter was!
email picked regiments, numbering together
500 men, with whom he intended to take
| Sumter By eecalade. This "misunderstaud-
Ing" Was qnite fully developed By . recent
correspondence between Dlhlgsen and GIL
mere, of which VIC have minute Information
| ~ p 4Stt~A A<NAAfeA 3S|tAAA~t$ AVA 4AAAt0A
Dsh,eren first writes to Gilmore, requesting
TO 'senbaue The 1t1e'' Of Sumter, as he iutend7;
Cd soou to remove the distractions between
that work and Moultrie.,,sddtpg that If that
fire could be "Bubdued," he might be saved
the necessity Of. epgygirg Sumter with his
Iron. Glade, all whose powers would be Re!
qpited against the interior defences Of Charles
ten.
70 which Gilmore made reply, in substance
}hnf "a hxH nrf9Y ff7nt cn farx hn1 1o.
1ess and harmless ruiz, 30 fAr as it. ability 10
,eeist meu-of.war was concerned. It was
true that one gun, 81, was Jet mounted Ia 4
catemate md pointed up the barbor toward
ihe city. But this gun did not fire in thu di.
1ect1on Of the distractions Hhtch Dahlgreu
vas PoHeiless sgeinst the Iavy was demon
Et1ated With recent heavy na7al cannonades
upon Mcultr1e, In which Dlh1gren's ships
| lay for EeTeIal hours within abort rnnge Ut
Sumter, and failed to elicit shot from that
work. He, Gilmore, therefore, mas con-
qnested to ''snbdue,' was infantry fire. This
Ec thought was lmposing new condition on
# the army, ard ene which, although he was
Willing to make great sacrifices, and ehed
blocd generously to accomplish the object Of
the 1S.nt 1SS.nt expedition, he would not feel just.
ue1. Gilmore, I'm snbstar Ct, J that though one
attack on Sumter has fsiled, the army might
!; get possession cf the ruins, but could not
!: hold them without great sacrifice Of Ifs
! h1cauEe the enemy command the fort with
numerous batteries planted on three.:qusrtera
tinued Gilmore, to open fire on the Work
again frcn1 NY batteries at any hour you may
dtsiIe--tyen to morrow morning. And am
: further willing {as there appears to be a dill,
cn1ty at which you still hesltate,) to u:der.
] take mJee1f, with my army: and tue means at
} | TnVnnfrfnArH tn ven nhhfr
, To which Dahlgren responded thus in sub.
stance: "He did not pr0pose to impoee neH
cor dltions on the army, but he had n,wAys
understood thst the army was to reduce sum
Ter before 1ae navy could be expected to en-
ter tie ha1 Dor. The fire Of Sumter, whether
from cannon Or small arms, would be rery
l annoying during the operation Of removing
J: tie obstluc:lors. And be Vas sarpriset tna!
:: Gilmore looked upon the possession Of Sam
: ter as Of no importance, for he had recently
:: tie necetsity either Of Glluo1e's writing 8
four-page letter In reply to hit ample reqaest
to snbdue the fire ol the Por:-and particu
l6rly, he dtd not Ste H1Y he should have Of
fered to remove the distractions across tht
: channel, thus taking on himself duty thai
+ properly nelo. gea to he nary 10 ps!form
q 1t yery Strange had he {DAhlgren) offered
II while they we're reducing FarI Wagner, tt
;: have gone lahore and constructed the ap
+ p1oachea." The reply is eaId to concluce
t with recognition Of Gllnozs's hesr:y vii
/ lrgneEs to co operate, expressed in his ofs1
I: to open flJe from his batteries at any time
but adds. that inasmuch as it mill take ssv'
all eral Wetks to repair the fron-cl1ds, 1t is ont o.
4 Lis power at present to state at what moment
n,] .e1ch cooperation Mill be necessary.
4 Our correspondent writes that the d4te O.
!. i Dah1grsn letter Ia Sept 20.
"a We ada from onr general information from
n Cha,leston, that the opinion os both Army
/, and nary il, that an active, decisive, deter
1 j mined commander could quickly remove TIL
4 / cbst1ucttons and 60 asopgsite the Wharyes 0
. Il Cba1le sion. To take C1ar1eeton this mus
) i be done. The parabolic dropping Of shel
above the roofs Of the city may destroy singl
: hopEes or tear up the Btreers; but Charleston
I requires snd must hare horizontal fire iron
i the i1on~clads which shall crash large pso3ec
: tiles through whole blocks Of houses, and In
: i eplre repentance for a quarter Of mtle flor
t i the muzzles Of the guns
: 4 Copperhcae Official In Trouble.
al 4 brother Of William Fleming, late Shezi
I'll of Allen county, Indiana, and now Count
II Clelk, was part Of the delegation shippe
from Fort Wayne for tbs purpose Of voeu
= for Vallandjgham. Fleming went to Toled
It md 6wore In his vote, but while In the a.
was arrested for illegal voting and put in'
e. I'll IN