, 1865-09-21
THE SUMTER EX PEDITI0N
Letter from General Meigs.


Letter from General Meigs.
uo,r the Fort Pickens Expedition was
Organized.
WAsrIso1ox, Sept: II, 1ss5.
The Tribune editorial Of the 18Th inst. does
| Injustice TO the Secretary ot Slate in the mat
ter Of the Sumter and Pickcns expeditions.
4 comparison Of the dates will provo this.
The Tribune asserts that while Capt. Fox
was in New York arranging the details Of his
expedition to Sumter, m order was extrac.ed
Secretary Seward, dctachfng the Powhatan
from the Sumter expedition and scndlns her
to Fort Pckens; that when President Lincoln
signed this order at the instance Of Mr- Seward
apply to the Powhstan, or that it would In
any way Interfere With the expedition under
| Capt. For for the relief Of Fort Sumter.
It also accuses Mr.. Seward Of Intentional
| concea1mcnt Of this change both from tho
President md from Captain Fox, and refers to
| the dates, evidence and ofHcIal documents
| printed with Mr. Fox's statement as making
out frinsd {acie case.
Tread Mr. Fox's statement In the New York
1fmes Of the 11th instant. The article IL
| grossly unjust to the Secretary Of Stnte, who
deserves the gratitude Of the American people
| Tor his share In These first operatlona against
the rebellion; and as / flnd my name connect
with the conception Of the Pickens cxpcdi-
tfon, It seems proper that I should call Atten-
ton to some OF the facts In the case
Capt. Fo1, in his statement, says, that on
! March 70 the President sent him to New York
with verbal directions to prepare for the
voyage to Sumter, hut to make no binding
| engagements On April 2, not having received
| the expected written authority, he returned
TO Washington. On the 9Th Of April the Pres
1dcnt sent for him, and informed him that he
] Ind AZ 1nrrfh frrfHnd fn fhn vrndiJfou
| 20. He further says that the Secretary OF the
| Navy had in commission only the PoWhatan,
Pocahontas, and Pawnce, which he placed at
tie disposal Of Capt. Fox, together with the
| revenue cutler Harriet Lane, and directed
him to giyo all the necessary orders:
1.-THE Powlatan, (he says which Ind re-
Gently returned and gone out Of commission,
WIS added to The force DESIGNATED, to enable
mt TO hive her five boats and crew fur land
ing tue supplies Iaugggcsted to the Secretary
oi the Navy, de-"
| Observe the latc. All this was on the Ath
Of April, and Capt. Fox arrived In New York
on the 5ih Of April. All tic orders printed in
| the New York Times In relation to The Sum.
ter expedition are dated on the 9Th aud 9Th Of
April, except the Instructions from the Scerc-
tary Of the Navy to Capt. Mercer Of the Pow
tnfan, which AZ there printed, are without
date.
Now, the President signed two orders first,
on the 1st, Of april, 10 Lieut. Porter, ona dt-
zecting him to IS proceed to SeW York, and,
with the least possible delay, assume com
ntand of any nayol stc,lmer available, proceed
to Pensacola harbor, and, Mt any cost or risk,
prevent any expedition from reaching Fort
lickcns or Santa Rosa Island" H. also in-
! strncted Lieut. Porter to communicate this
order, bis Object and destination to 70 pc=son
whatever, until he reached the harbor Of
Pensacola.
The otl.cr order Of the came date w.s In
lad fs,ur $.r ~tH. i
control ofthe vessels. Ii authorized him to
take command Of tho steamer powhatan, o.
! any otker United States steamer ready Tor
eea, which be might Iceln btst d: for the ser.
rice 10 which he had been assigned by co1itfden~
tial instructions Of the same date, 1st Of April
Sce tht order itscll in tic i,ss ot tue lii OF
| September, 1eGj-
! .A1l this was three days beG,rc the President
informed Captain Fu1 lint he had tlecii=,t tn
I let tho Sumter expedition 70, uyd The o.Ii.ial
| documents show, therefore, tha! the Pow
! latan was not taken wfthou! the knowledge
IN order signed By HIN before b. authorized
| the Sumter expedition, in which order ELc
was expressly designated bY uanc for tho
| Pickcns expedition.
The order Of the President in relation to
the Powhasan, and the Whole Pickens czpc-
| dillon, were not known to the Secrr,ary OF
| the Nary. Tie SUCCESS Of the expedition to
relieve Fort Pickens depended upon secrecy.
Washington and New York we're fill Of mr.
SONS ready to trausnit the first intelligence Of
such an intention. The telegraph was In
operation, and open to the rebels as to the
the expedition was being prepared to relieve
that post, tile telegraph would have com
municated the fnct 10 BFnge, who had several
thousand ~meu, and who could Enye taken
Fort Psckcns By assault. on any night at the
ccst Of few hundred men.
1fF first inffrCfnrr with ffa pro.3irrf anil
the Secretary Of State in relation 70 this MAJ
ter was Oil tAc evening Of the 10Th uf A.sc!1.
The President did nut inform me that Ae In.
tended 10 attempt to rclteve Fort Sumter, but
questioned r.c Us to the possibility OF doing
1t. advised him in general terms that /
could find hi1a- plenty or officers Of the navy
willing 10 try 1t: He then asked me whether
thought Tort Pickcns could he reinforced.
! replied that 1t could he, provided the rcliav-
lne lnrcc reached there before itsfrll ,nnd with
tie maps before US the mode Of etfectins this
object was discussed. / advised that, Ii the
attempt was made, q fleet steamer, under
young aud cnteEPrisiag officer. should h,
despatched Immediately. to run The batter
les, enter the larbor, and prevent any e1pe-
dillon of nrasy:;'s crossing tic harbor il boa:s
10 assault FoTI Pickens.
The President said lie would see nc again
II lie concluded to 70 further in the 111attcr.
quietly made inquiries, and learned That TIC
Powlatan had just returned from the East,
to- to-. aeta 0n i,,c II, Io;n" ~ % or t1,e III III If sr ~ s.
1nas as,aiu su1nn,nned and t5IrrctrI. jn co,,'
irnction Vii, eoIs Edward Enres anI with
lie nnnroyn1 Of f;rn. Scoft. To- nnanarc n ,,rn.
ice. for the xeiIef or Fos. picSens.
The inz. ructinnz =, JIaut Pn.tc- ..cr, t,n-
ri, ~ tss ist ~ AMI, and ~ P,cziacnt ~ ~,
that iiav r;rnri * mr. rcorast n in1cor,n1, NJ
dcsnst.f, tn New To1k ffircctinr f!,a7 i,c
Powhatan be uade reaiy Hnr scs 1nstantir.
1Lis dcspatcb. as we icarnetl. reached tbe,
Nayv Yerd opty IN hour or two after ths
| Powhatan had been mi ont of commission
and hcr sr,ors fnEen down md l,e. crc,r ~,
tachcd. treat exert iona wcrc made ia ore.
pare hcr for sca. Int instead Of sailing m ttl,c
"a ~ ;nien,lrii sl,c did not, la ~ ,inf;i thc
Gil 1,v wIiel. lime The steamer At,cot;c wiz
storas. supplies and somc seyen hnndre1 n,rn
haij ais jaeo 1naii randy and saIle1I tf,e sa;nr
IrT. @'N&0 '>' ''N3N s''''~>- s3'> ''AAAA'
;ont rortar M T ,nd.rstona iii, mt ,,-,-
duce lie or5er to assume co1nmani d. NJ tn: tSe
PoWhsian mil The iast moment w. # ,ras
rons;cd . he.ter not ~ awaben nt,cton n "ns hS
cbansinr tbe comnantler M lei : uutIl The rcsse1 VA
abouf to saii. ~' '''|'@ 49, :. '~'''sA " ~
A10t4@ ~ St*AAs