The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-09-04
THE WAR In VIRGINIA
Gilmorc's Dispatch 10 Beau
regard Demanding the
surrender of
Sumter.
Washington, Sept. 2.

MoRRrs ISLAND, Aug. 22.
SrR-I have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt Of your communication Of this
date, complaining that some OF my bat
teres had opened on the city Of Charles
ton by THROWN number Of heavy rife
shells into the city, the inhabitants of
which, of course, were asleep and unarm-
ed. NY letter to you demanding the sur
render of Fit. Sumter and Morris Island,
and in default thereof to open fire upon
Charleston, was delivered near Fort
Wagner, at li:l5 a. m. of the 2lst inst,
and should have arrived at your headquar-
tiers in time to have permitted your an.
swer to reach me within the limit assign |
ed, namely, four hours. The fact that
you were absent from your headquarters
at the time Of its arrival may be regarded
as an unfortunate circumstance for the
city of Charleston, but it is one for which
l clearly am not responsible. This letter
bore date at my headquarters, and Was
officially delivered by an officer of my
staff The inAdvertent omission of my
signature doubtless affords ground for
special pleading, but it is not the argu-
ment Of a commander, solicitous only Tor
the safety Of sleeping women and chill
dren and wounded men. Your threats of
retaliation for acts of mine, which you
do not allege to be In violation of the usa-
ges of civilized warfare, except as regards
the length Of time allowed, as notice Of
my intentions, are passed by without
comment. l will call your attention to
the well established principle, that the
commander of place attacked, but not
invested, having their avenues of escape
open, practically has no right to notice
of an intention of bombardment, other
than that which is given by the threaten
ing attitude of his adversary. Even had
not this letter been written, the city of
Charleston has had, according to your
own computation, forty days notic6of her
danger. During that time my attack
upon her defenses has steadily progress
ed. The ultimate object of that attack
has at no time been doubtful. If, under
the circumstances, the life of single nom
combatant is exposed to peril by the
bombardment of the city, the RESPONSE
bility rests with those who have first failed
to remove the non-combatants and to Sc
cure the safety of the city, after having
held control of all It's approaches for a
period of nearly Two years and half in
the presence of threatening force, and
whe afterwards refused to accept the terms
on which the bombardment might have
been postponed. From various sources,
official and otherwise, / am led to believe
that most of the women and children of
Charleston were long since removed from
the city, but upon your assurance that the
city is still full of them, l shall suspend
the bombardment until Ii o'clock p. M,
tomorrow, thus giving you two days
from the time you acknowledge to have
received my communication of the 2lst
inst.
Very respectfully,
Q. A. GILMORE,
Brig. Gen. Com.
To Gen. P. T. Beauregard, Commanding
Confederate forces, Charleston, South
Carolina
1t appears the Spanish and British
consuls respectively addressed Gen. Gill
more in behalf of the subjects of their
country in Charleston, and he cheerfully
suspended the bombardment for "a hours
to give them time to leave the city
Nothing was farther, he says, from his
wish than to endanger their lives and
property.
New York, Sept. g.
The Tribune's report that there will be
no draft in Ohio is untrue.
The present draft will send one hun
bred thousand new men into the field be.
sides 10000 deserters.
Secretary Stanton has removed @. M,
General Meigs, Gen. Ripley, Chief OF
Ordnance, also Surgeon General Ham
mond and Surgeon Clymer.
Warrants for payment of all troops in
the field will be issued from the Treasury
Tomorrow Thursday.
New York, Sept. s.
The World contains the following spe.
cial
Lexington, KY, Sept. 2.
The latest from Burnsde's army states
he passed jamestown and through the
Gaps, and is marching on Kingston,
there to tap the Virginia and Tennessee
railroad, thus cutting off rebel retreat to
wards the West, while another force
which had proceeded eastward of Cum.
berland Gap, would cut off the roadabove
and thus capture or drive the rebels ou'
of the valley.
Rosecrans was expected to cross at the
lower end of the valley, thus seizing the
Tennessee railroad between Knoxville and
Florence.
The Worlds Washington dispatch say
the rebels who crossed at Eweips Ferry
captured number of cattle, but were nm
able to get them over the Potomac. and
abandoned them in the woods.
Contrabands persist in stating that Lee is
about making movement.
Kansas City, Sept. 8.
Three thousand dollars have been CON.
tributed by citizens of this city, for the
benefit Of the Lawrence sufferers thou
sand from the Union Leagues. 1t was all
sent up Immediately after the massacre.
Gen. Evins's general order No. IL il
producing good effect. Numbers Of