New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-03-22
FLORIDA.

FLORIDA.
| We ara at length enabled to speak more
fully, accurately and decidedly, upon the
political and military origin and Oh
jects of the recent operations in the De
partment Of the South. We preferred to delay
q full discussion of the matter. as 1t has
been made to assume for partisan purposes an
Importance which does not naturally belong to
| it, The matter has been officially examined by
theproper authority; aud the result Of that exam
nation is such that We are sure it must be salts
factory to all those who are not Incidentally
perverted by political animosiy. The battle at
Olustee. in itself has no inherent value or sgnf-
canoe beyond that which attaches to any other
battle Of the war in which our troops fought
long and well, and retired of last only before
the pressure Of oyerwhelming numbers; and the
Importance now claimed for it arises solely from
the false light cast upon it by those newspapers
which are ayowedly inimical TO the President
and the national cause; and by other Journals,
which, like The Tims, enormously conceding
that the expedition was badly projected, impute
the blame for the check which our arms received
to Gen. Gilmore.
Those best qualified to judge, and who have
boon personally cognizant Of the whole .%aii
from frs. to last have, within the last day or
two, given evidence at Washington before the
Committee on the Conduct Of the War. The
case is now so plain that It is not likely TO be
any further perverted, even for political objects.
The evidence to which We refer unequivocally
clears the President Of even the suspicion Of
attempting to direct or control the actual mill.
tary conduct OF operations in the Department Of
the South; and 1t also fully justifes the policy
and practicability of the scheme to occupy Flor
ida, as proposed and ordered TO be suseSted by
Gen. Gilmore. 1t appears thereby that neither
the President nor Gen. Gilmore Ia open to the
censures so blindly and Unfortunately dealt
ont by some Of our city contemporaries, and a
plain statement of the facts is the best and full.
est, as it il their sufficient and ample, defense.
Il II will be remembered that Gen. Gilmore
completed the demolition Of Sumter on the 23d
of August, aud On the 9TH Of Scptembera acquired
possession of the whole Of Morris Island, includ-
ing the forts Wagner and Gregg. and com
menced the bombsrdment of the City Of Charles
ton. So was accomplished all the part Of the
siege intrusted to him. and he thus opened the
way for Admiral Dahlgren to perform his part
of the general attack. Admiral Dahlgren re-
manned inactive. The navy did not move.
The suspicious moment, when Charleston could
have been taken by the naval force, was allowed
TO pass unimproved. The siege, TO be sure,
was not failure; because strict blockade has
been established by Gen. Gilmore, and the
whole harbor and the city are exposed TO the
action of his guns. But other objects beside
those Of mere military strategy still urged the
capture Of the city itself; and. while the prose-
cution of this work was resting in allegiance,
Gen. Gilmore did not think it desirable that his
troops should longer remain idle spectators of
the naval "still.life." lie accordingly possessed
himself Of all ncedful information concerning
Florida, and matured plan Of operations, by
which very good results were certainly attain.
able, and to be achieved with the force which he
could spare for that purpose. He purposed to
occupy Florida on the west bank Of the ~
Johns River. This was entirely practicable.
The project was communicated to the proper
authorities at Washington. II was thought by
them TO be unobiectionable and was finally
determined upon. A young man John Iay),
then acting as assistant Secretary to the Presi.
dent. wished for more active employment and
this Florida expedition, he thought, presented an
opportunity. He asked and received majors
commission; and was, in compliance with his
own request, assigned for duty to the Depart
ment OF the South. He had no order given TO
him to direct, nor did he attempt to direct or
interfere with, the military operations then
impending. Gen. Gilmore is not the man to
permit any such direction of or interference with
matters in which his reputation is to be IL
yolved. From the beginning of this war, he has
always executed his own plans, and has achieved
success in all he has undertaken. The siege oil
Charleston is no exception to this statement, so|
far as his work is concerned. duty wasl
assigned by the President TO Maj. Hay; but the
performance OF it was in part dependent upon
the success Of the military operations deter
mined upon.
The objects Of the expedition, and which, as
planned, were clearly attainsble, may be thus
stated: To close up one of the most abundant
sources whence the enemy drew commissary
supplies for their armies; to open and to MAIN
tain an outlet for the cotton. turpentine, timber,