Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-04-22
10 the Editors cfMs Enquirer:
CoLUuB1A, S. c., 3e.h March, lSG4.

j Drake, 81 Lieutenant.
10 the Editors ofMs Enquirer:
ColuuBrA, S. c., 3e.h March, 1854.
Gentlemen In you. issues Of the 23-n
and Goth instents I observe COMMUNICATION
signed wv" calculated 20 do great injustice
not only to myself, which is of secondary inl-
uortance, but to tho brave ani loyal people OF
New Orleans. The writer asserts thai Gen.
Loyeli has made the "calul:niors daclara-
/" ton that his abandonment OF New Orleans
" was made ut tho urgent solicitation CT the
" people and tie authorities Of the city" IN
this assertion he is altogether III error. oon.
Lowell has never msds any such declaration
There is no such reason given, either III my
official report. in my letters to tho AdIutaht
General, or in my cTidrnce before the C"nrs
of Inquiry. These d 'cumenti ars all on ne
in the War Department., md presume tn"'
access can be had to them Oh proper apPi'-
cation.
In my written report on file There are seTc-
raj omissions in tho printed copy the follow,
ing reasons arc assigned for the evacuation OF
the city, viz 81 adopted this course, u. c.,
" withdrew the troops), recognizing the per-
" feot absurdity Of confronting mere thar a
" hundred guns aGoat Of the largest cahhre,
(" we'll manned and served. AID looking down
1" up0n the CITY, with less thaa taEec Thousand
I" militia, mostly armed with indifferent shot
6 guns. Ii would, in ,ay Judgment. have been
{" q wanton and criminal waste OF tic Dlond
{. of women end children, without the most
q remote possibility Of any good resu's, as tn"
" enemy had only 70 anchor ono OF his ships
/" Mt Keuner to command The Jackson RAIL
s road, ard he could have reduced the city TO
:. ashes at his leisure, without our being able
" to make any resistance Whatever; or, With
90 on, firing n shot. no could have starved tho
g CITY into q surrender in less than three
q" weeks, as there was not nos more than
I" eighteen DAYS food on hand for the popula-
q" ton, from which MY troop, wero almost en-
&" tirely drawn" -,
Furthc. on It IL stated that this course which
I had already given % the resnlt of "myown
Judgment" was sin compliance with the
openly OK dressed opinion Of all tho promlhens
citizens around me, that it would he an use
icss waste Of blood, without being productive
of any beneficial results to the cGiso tor tle
tro9ps TO remain" In my testimony, given
under oath hefore the Court Of Inquiry, the
reason fer tho evacuation (which era entirely
Of q military ~natrra) sic fully stated, 81! IN
them no ~allusion whatever is made 70 tbs
neoplo Of Naw Orlclna. ttiia2d:I, I pike
- 70 the mavrr, several mc:Gbcrs 81 the city
"e,u1cil and men7 prominen: c~itiz@'s or the
" subject. and rhils none se:me-! unwilling to
4" undergo any danger, il bJ so doing tley
q c5uid rrrive ct favorable results; ycE all,
" without exception, under the circumstances
" oppror5d Of and advised thu Withdrawal Of
" the troops"
The EVIDENT intention, both in the report
and in the testimony, was to convey the idc"
that tho city was evacuated tor carta!a con~
trolling military r~easona, which alone ere az
signed, and that this step was taken with tho
concurrence and approval OF the principal cltl-
zems shat | saw, and tia autnOritic5-ail recag
Lizing that any attempt at further rosistGnco
under the circumstances, would nave heea a
further sacriti e Of life gnd property Such,
at lesst, was my intention, and if there IL any
ambiguity in the wording Of my report, whicl'
l can not d:scoye-, I now r~citerate that inten-
ton most fully and uncquivocally.
Thct portion Of the rep1rt which relat@5 70
the Interviews, g., relative to Iay return to the
city after the evacuation, is entirely another
matter and hos nc bearing upon it. Tne 4ueS'
ton thea was, not whether the city c!ouli be
evacuated, for that he'd been already done,
hut ahethar I should return with tho trocFs
and in connection with The ether nitizaas uG-
dertake a desperate enterprise. | had under-
stood that q portion of the authorities and some
citizens. who had cxpressed their appr3Vat OF
INV course in e7acuating the city, were IN IA
vor of this enter prise. and that if tue troops
were present they would undertake If. 1,
therefore, returned to New Orlnans and offered
10 assist in tho enterprise although MY advice
was ayainet it. l found no person of au:hori'
ty or influence in favor 0fit, they being gene
rally OF the same opinion as on the day Of
evacuation and they di5countenanced 1t. |
was willing to undertake the matter, (al.
though advising against it, principally be-
cause roy troops were almost entirely COM
uosed OF citizens of New Orleans, enrolled for
local defence, and if they wero determined to
expose themselves, their families and pros
perty in such o desperate resistance, was re
solved, as their leader, not tn abandon them.
It is distinctly stated in my Report tat "silch
a step would bs entirely iGde!enslb!e in a
military point OF view" and thatthc '2niy pal
liation tor such an act wOuld ln TIA! it
would give unlristakah'e evidcn @ to the
world thas oar people waro N deadly
earnest;'' but it is still an open question
whether the moral effect Of such q HEep would
not hare g. tendency 10 ssse life IL the end,
by giving our enemies q bloody f@re:aste o:
the task before them.
In contradiction to.W.'s assertion, I IN
hesitatipely express tho opinion, Il o. the rao,
pie of New Orleans, "s Il whole, beth before
and during tic evacuation, behaved n, n
brave, LOYAL and devoted pecrla Should. They
freely offered ~pecuniary aid and PERSONAL ser
vices, and I received and expended G large
citizens, Decides awaiting myself Of the SER
vices c fmany members Of tho Safety Commit
tee and othcTs, who rendered valuable assist
anoe. They were true TO themselves through.
out, and I take pleasure in bearing testimony
t., their steady pstriotism end nnf!rching de-
votion to tho cause. They did all in their
mower to avert their unfortunate Fate. ard |
am satieGed that if those things which were
necessary for their defence c3uld have been
purchased in the Ccnfcdcracy, any amount
would havs boen cheorfnlly raisad and appro-
rriated. New Orleass was evacuated for
good and sufficient military reasons, which
have the written approval Of Generals Lec,
Beaurrgard, and other distinguished military
commanders, ns well rs Of the tribunal cf
general officers selected to pronounce 81 opln-
ion in the promises; ard the assertion made
by W, fiat tho rcaa"n assigned by HE for tia:
evacuation, was "the urgent solicitations e
the people md authorities Of New Orleans" is
utterly without foundation, and is calculated
to work injustice to the very people whom ne
seems de=irous of defending from "calnmnY."
I uay be. excused for adding, in reply, that
nv prophecy Tho: Buffers Expedition was Il
harmless menace, so far as New Orleans il
CONCERNED, was fulfilled to the letisr. When
Now Orleans was evacuated, under the guns
of the Federal feet, General Butler and his
forces were exactly where they had been fo:'
rhe past six months, encamped Oh the sand
islands of Lake Borgno. Neither Butler,
with Ills superhuman impudenco, nor any of
his most ardent admirers, has claimed for him
any part of the glorious success" Of tho cap
ture of New Orleans.
After tbe city had been taken in the only
way possible, viz: by the river, General But