The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-11-16

cruises on the coasts of Africa and South Americs
and the East and West Indies, lying at navy yard
| which might have been repaired, but the department
| had not the means. Congress had cut down the ap-
preparations for the current year q million dollars
below the estma es, not anticipating the necessity
| which subsequently occurred.
! had no information that the navy yard at Pen
saeos was in any danger in the month of December
lsoo, but began then to take measures Of precau-
ton. oy the Path Of December, 1860, issued an
order to the sloop of St. Louis carrying 20 guns
tnen at Vera Cruz, to proceed to Pensacola On the
otn OF January, 1862, ordered the sloop of wa,
Macedonian to Pensacola, by telegraph. She was
then at Portsmouth, N H., ready for sea, with hei
officers and men on board, carrying % guns On
the 9th of January ordered the Frigate Sabine to
Pensacola. The order was given on that day. She
was at Vera Cruz, and carried fifty guns. On the
sth of January issued order to the Crusader al
Pensacola where she had gone for repairs, to pro-
coed to Tortugas and on the arrival of the troops
which had been sent there, to return Immediately
Pensacola.
On the Sd of January issued an order to Commo-
dore Armstrong, then in command of the navy yard
at PENSACOLA, prompting him to be yigilant to
protect the public property, and to cooperate with
Fort Barraneas. The order was received by him on
the 9th of January. On the 18th he surrendered
the navy yard to regiment of armed men, who de-
manded it in the name of tbs state of Florida For
this he was tried and condemned by court martial
After the surrender of the navy yard the great OBJ
ject was to defend For Pickens. The Sabine, St.
Louis and Macedonian there. The steamer
Wyandotte, carrying five guns, there doing eff
feetiye service. The storeship Supply there do
ing good service, and ordered to remain there.
The Brooklyn, carrying twenty five guns was order
ed there with company from Fortress Monroe
She arrived there early in February. The Supply
left Pensacola with prisoners and the families of Off
GERS from New York, in violation of her orders, for
which her commander was tried and condemned by
court martial. The Crusader missed her orders
When the Brooklyn, the Sabine. the Macedonian,
the st. Louis and the Wyandotte were lying behind
Pensacola, there being larger force than nee
essary, the St. Louis, whose term of service had
pired, ordered to New York. Whether her or
ders had reached her on the 4th of March not
able to say. From the feet before Fort Pckens
had thrown 600 men into the fort without including
the company from Fortress Monroe
This evidence, 50 direct and given with 90
much detail, naming, even, the vessels of the
home squadron, and the vessels sent to south
ern ports for the purpose Of protecting the
national property, most completely refutes
the charge made by Senator Sumner, and the
hundreds OF other charges of a similar char
actsr made through the columns of the re-
publican press.
II msy not be improper to state, in this
connection, another Important fact. After
the election OF Mr.. Lincoln to the Presidency,
in November, 1860, only two national vessels
were sent abroad. One of these was the Sar-
atogs, sent to the coast Of Africa, to keep up
the number of guns there required by the
treaty wish..Greas Britain. She supplied the
place of the Marion, which had been ordered
home. The other was the Vandalia, sent to
the East Indies, in place of the John Adams,
returned. And the preparatory orders for
these changes were given in the month of
September previous.
THIS evidence, officially drawn out by the
repu blcan Investigating committee, complete
z az .fAa IA b.
Toucey. Indeed, ID does more. It shows
that he actually placed vessels (which he
had been charged with having sent to foreign
oountries) at southern ports to aid in protect
ing national property. Never was there a
more complete refutation of SANDER than
appears in this case of Islander sgainst Gov.
Touesy.