Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-02-07

manding officer, standing at a safe distance, wh
bis glass in his hand, 10 to pass his eye over The
whole field, and, when he thinks TIC time has
come. to say to.his men Forward make the
assault
Now certainly it does not require much per
'otal courage in a man TO give such an order )
but il does require some little courage to follow
he dictate Of ones own Judgment aud save The
lives Of his men when that judgment tells him
that to order an assault would be to sacrifice them
This is indeed trial this is temptation At For
FISHER did my duty; aud oa God lives and !
I've, lfs II had all TO be repeated, with all the
knowledge | now have even with the stream Of
obioquy pouring upon nay head, as It has poured
ever snce | would DO so again, Il lie would give
me strength in answer to my prayer, Lead me
not into temptation" 10 oct according to the die.
tatss OF my conscience aud judgment-ior there
was every TEN ptation 10 make the assault at For
Fisher, and thus take tie chance TO win honor
md glory az the saorihca Of my men, and none
/ 70 ior0ear 20 maks 4 and coms away (Grea
oheerng)
But some gentleman may say why, having de
termhed not to make the assault, did you not stay
here and entrench? For hree reasons. Let u
examine them in a few minutes but first bear IN
mind that have not gone into the newspapers ir
explanation OF the subject have not been Por
.er or re-Porter of itagsin and az in. (Laughter)
NO, have come home here to my neighbors,
whose hands have to take 10 frien n3ship With
whom must live whose children are TO grow VI
with mine, aas here | make the ex )anations tht
have to make, TO lhem, caring not rappee wha
u thought about the matter elsewhere. ! bayr
encountered worse storms than this before aud
lived tbrouvh han, .~d / - tt,fa thropah
this also. {" Good, Good" and cheers
Now, then, why did not stay upon the beach ?
10 the frs! place, had made only partial land
ing OF one third OF my men, and none Of my ar
ullery The sea rose so high that 10 more msn
or ghn' could be landed and you will see that
the rebel Gen. Waiting IN his report states thsl
great STERN came Up that night which injured
ne garrison very much ths garrison having been
under arns all night to meet our approach
put on shore 1900 men, ard sight hours az
!'rHafl the s.nrm vas 50 severe that | could moi
get gun or even Il box Of bread on lhors except
BY heading the latter up tight in cask and send
ing i IGhsrs on raft Again, il you will look in
enc Of Admiral Poasrs last reports YOU viii Sc
that be says Having expended 10 the lombard |
ment almost tbe lac. sh0. snd shsll which | had
Eih NE, fcudd !, necessary TO 70 back 70 Basu-
iofi ts get nsw supply" | SHOULD have looked
very well, w0ulo | not planting myself upon that
0sacb with handful Of men, with a body Of ths
sxsmy behind me, Hokes division from Rich
mond, larger than my whole army, my osly sup
port being rsyy without ammunition, which WAS
as useless and idIs "asa painted Ihp upon
painted ocean, 1t took Admiral Porter until the 1
l4th Of January, eighteen days, to get back from /
Beaufort with hi' sew supply Of ammunition; and I
II ny troops had stsd there and waited for him, .
what DO YOU suppose would have happened 10 ui
during the tins that he Nss aWays
But again. II nothing vas to be gained by H.
Nh wa' the u'e Of staying there a. all and h,E
arding my meR? l had uo siege train, yet the
Lieutenant Genera! agrees that nv preparations
sud Instructions weTs al correct. ! could n5s
o'siese. What, then, could DO Perhaps you
vii Soy that might have stayed there aad tined
10 stop up the river by opening my guns upon
The blockade runners as they passed up and down
The liver and know it seems 90 .ism the map
hat there was a mile and half marsh between
M guns and The river; snd Notwithstanding sll
JuaI could have done, the enemy could have ge-
Inioreei and pr1visionsd Fort Fisher At pleasure
and landed men on sill sides OF me, and the block
ade runners could hays pssssd backward and for
N~lN ahAt'% ~ AEE4y a. llE tthNl INNhf pAHtGN up
and down the James River tho other day 10 spite
Of the nAgy. (Laughter) What eIss could
nave done Ought 1 to have stayed there and
maintained anding,so that troop, could be
landed again. Tbs fact is, | saw that a. any
Tins wheH there was smooth sea a landing could
bs easily effected under cover OF the guns Of the
navy, and you remember that General Terry
landed his troops without the less OF man.
What then, was the use in me staying therse
There was none. But besides, Hokes division
was there, Il captured Iixy.6ye Of thsm) Rnd Il
had stayed there would have been exposed to
Az overwhelming attack asd los, my men without
osntt. to the service. Besides, by stsysg there
| only kept the enemy ,herej by going away tse {
sn'my went away, supposing the attack 10 be {
abandoned, and thus we ioutd no sufficient force
TO oppose General Terry.
And now, fellow citizens, let me state, speaking
With the iu.I knowledge that what | say is to be !
spread broadcast over the country, that am here
to-day on the written letter OF the Lieutenant
General TO the President, for my rel ell 10 which
letter no word is sad Of Fort Fisher nor is there
anything alleged against me in relation to the
wilmington expedition, as the reason for my be-
ng here now, instead of under the leaky roof Of
my leg cabin, about seven miles from Richmond, |
where have spent most Of the Winter up to
ms time. | repeat il, no word ia said Of Fsrl
Fisher, no word is said Of Wilmington, no blame ,
,n account Of Wilmington is laid upon me in ;
hat letter, asking for my relief Why am here
oatnet tell you new, beelu'e an not permit
led 10 give the reasons until il shall please The I
War Department 70 let them be published. | t
ave applied 10 have those reasons published, but 4
lnneq hca 81 hna a.. .,l -. q
Meantime, as pm not Porter, shall not sound
ny owe trumpet, at least against orders. (Llugh- {
er and applause. 4
repeat, then, claim The credit, claim the a
Tory OF not having assaulted Fort Fisher y
that there are those who we're among l
ny old friends IN politics, but who, unfortunately,
ave lately got upon the other side, who sn, er at
ne As the Hero Of Big Bethel and Fort Fisher Q
acceft the title. They do me honor oysrmuch 4
What was Biz Beihelp l. va, akrmish in e
Which twenty-five men were killed aud wounded o
3u Big. Bethel was not Bull Run; Blk Bethel J
vas nei tair Oaks Big Bethel Vas no, Seven p
'ines; Big Bethel was not the Chickihominy L
5ig Bethel was a failure, but il was no disaster a
No West Pent General commanded there. | u
lam credit for this, that when we OF the Voun. q
ser Army Of the United States make failures we c
10 net make disasters. Stop momen, aud com Il
,rs the battlel have named with Big Bethel y
Nny, at these there were more men slaughtered 8
nd homes mads desoate than there were aAyes
"a the trees in the fcres. around Big Bethel d
I't 10 be numbered. "a
But am The hero OF Font Fisher too. We'll, u
'srt Fisher was not Fredericksburg Fort Fish. &
Il was not ChancsllorsviIe Fort Fshs- was not ll
he Wilderness Fort Fisher Was not Coal iIar- s
loL \ volunteer General commanded al Fort q
Usher Al each attack one was without re'ul, but -
'o dsastsri the last was success all hono' TO a