Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-07-03


Plans for more extended "patriotism,
which unfortunately (for Butler) came to
naught, are also coming to light. One of
the latest and most interesting, of these is
connected with the Fort Fisher fiasco.
We need not repeat how Butler forced
himself into that enterprise, to the astonish-
ment as well as chagrin of General Grant !;
how he fulfilled ouly two of the C8sarean
dispatches, inasmuch as he only came and
saw, and by no means conquered; how
Admiral Porter Indignantly wrote that
''undera proper leader the fort could have
been taken;p and how at the very moment
when Doctor Butler was demonstrating
before the committee on the Conduct of the
Warthe utter impossibility of taking the
fort, a triumphant telegram announced
that Fort Fisher had fallen. As the cap
ture of Fort Fisher showed that even a
Butler, with sufficient force, might have
compelled a surrender, there were good
reasons for believing that Butler had all of
Wemmick's weakness for r"pOrtable proper
tY," and that he declined to take anything
from the South, even fort, which was not
convertible into ready money. The follow
ing correspondence, covering letter to
Commander VIM. A. Parker, shows truth
fully why Butler thought the fort ought
not to be taken, whether il could be cap
tured or not. Itis valuable contribution to
the history of the war, though it is omitted
from the report of the committee:
~. S. STEAMER MAssAsoIT, I
'JAMEs RIVER, Va, Jan. IA, 1865.
"SR: The following is a copy, furnished
at your request, of letter sent by me this
evening to Senator II. B. Anthony. With
a few exceptions, it is the same as the one
submitted TO Won this mbrniuU.
sin the event of his declining to act in
the matter, Admiral Porter is at liberty to
make such use of the information as he
thinks it warrants.
81 am, very respectfully, your obedient
servant,
"LEv1 r. GREENE, U. S. N,
"First Assistant Engineer.
Commander William A. Parker. y. S. n,
commanding James River Squadron"
We now give, also in full, the letter
which Mr.. Greene addressed to Senator
Anthony, of Rhode Island:
"UNITED STATES STEAMER MAssAsoIT, !
JAMES RIVER, Va, Jan. II, 1865. (
"DEAR SIR: In making the statements I
am about to do to you, iJ is with the con-
tilence that, if you see sufficient cause to
take any steps toward inducing the Gov
ernment to unravel the matter, YOU will do
so without giving me any publicity in the
affair, and, if possible, without my being a
witness. The Government will be able to
lind its own, and sufficient proof however,
if it follows the matter up.
II have only hesitated in making it
known before for want of direct proof. and
dislike of being called upon as witness.
ION the 3lSt of last month was returning
from visit to Providence, and met on the
wharf at Fortress MOnrOe a man named
William Howard, an Englishman, and
formerly in the employ of the Boston,
Providence, and New York railroad as bag
gage-master. He usually accompanied the
train, and as my duties have called me over
the road two or three times a week for the
lasttwo years, until within short time, |
have kpOwn him quite intimately, and
have known him to be, at heart, a rebel
sympathizer and secessionist.
The morning of the day L met him we
passed up to Norfolk together. In reply to
my inquiries as to how he came there, and
why he left the railroad, he said he was 'on
little money making eXpeditiOn;' show
ed me passport to Newbern, North Car
olina, furnished, ne said, through General
Butler; and then, after some preliminaries,
said in substance that friend of Butler.
thousand bales of cotton in Wilmington:
that they We're going to get it out. Butler
was to work the thing through, and have
half the money; that he was to furnish
passes, and he (Howard) had no doubt but
that they should succeed; that himself and
some other person, whose name | DO not
remember, were merely acting as agents,
knowing nothing but what they were told
to do, but if successful, would make money;
that, being Englishmen, they should have
no difficulty in moving within the rebel
lines. He furthermore stated, what / had
already began to see, to wit: that if Will
mington had been captured, Butler would
have lost his cotton, as it would
have fallen into our hands; and expressed
his opinions freely that there was but little
patriotism in any Of our leading men; that
they meant money, and>iike the one who.
as he expressed it, was doing such mean
things for his own benefit, looked out first
for themselves
Howard has gone to Newbern,I suppose.
The proprietor of the Atlantic Hotel in
Norfolk, relative OF Butler, Ibelieve. is
concerned in the matter.
''There may be no truth in Howard's
statements; ii there is detectives will soon
trace it out, and it will readily be seen why
Wilmington was not taken, though it is
hard to believe any man would SO sell his
country's honor. ....a.. ...
"You can use this letter to inform the
proper authorities for l consider it my
duty, as an officer and lover of my
country's welfare, to make it known, but
the result can be attained without my
gaining any publicity.
.7fs"I am very respectfully, yours,
--Li.f.,:.-s -. Slew II. GREENE,
"First Assistant Engineer, U. S. N.
senator III. b. Anthony"
The letter and writer are indorsed by
Commander Parker, who laid the matter