Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-17
| 0RIo SState&,s:rtlrratlrlrt,, "a h,
Hon. Isaac FOucey and Senator
Sherman

/
it was reported for your widely-circuated
Journal, and published in it. viii you do
Inc the favor TO publish my response to that
part of it which referred to me personally /?
Yours, very respectfully. " .'..
iIuiu '. ,-'' ISAAC ToUcEY.
| HARTFORD, Monday, April 80, 1866.
To. Hon. John Sherman, United States Send
tor from Ohio: .....i.t.. ...........
SIR-In your speech delivered at Bridge
port. in the recent canvass for State officers
in Connecticut, you are reported by the
Ne1o York Times TO have said, referring to
me by name, "Ie scattered our vessels, then
under his command, all over the world so
that when another and worthier citizen of
your State came to administer the affairs OF
the same department, the whole navy un-
der his command was one vessel with five
guns-Sptked." There is no truth in. this
statement. The home squadron was at that
time, as it had been in 1860, unusually large
and at ready command. When came into
the department, the squadron consisted of
| three vessels; when / left it,, itconsisted of
thirteen. They were the frigate SuJtae
carrying 90 guns; the steamer BrOoklyn, %:
the sloop-of-w 80. Louis, 20; the steamer
WydndOtte, 0; the steamer Po,ohatQa, IL;
steamer MOlglc6, .; steamer Crusader, 81;
ship Supply !; slOOp-of- war Cunlberland, II;
the steamer Pocdh0ntaS, 8; steamer Pa,gnee
a; sl0op-ol-war Macedonian, %, and the
steamer W HdterlCitch, three guns. All these
| ships were Oh commission actively employ
ed, except the WdtertCitch, which, while
serving on the Home Squadron, had taken
the yellow fever on board, put into Phila-
| delphia been disinfected, and on the / lIth of
February, had been ordered by me to be
prepared for seaservice with dispatch, that
she might resume her place again in the
squadron. The flagship C,,,nberLand the
| PoIoIsutdR and the POCdhOntaS were coming
up the coast from Vera Cruz to New York
| and Norfolk. The PO1hatdn arrived
at New York on Tuesday, March
II, the week after Mr.. Lincoln's inaugura-
ton; and on the same day the POcdhontas
arrived at Hampton Roads. The CuRber-
| laRd arrived at Hampton Roads the week
| following, The Br0oklyH, with company
| of troops on board from Fortress Monroe,
| the Sabine, the 50. Louis and the TVdydndOtte
| Fort were before Pickens (Pensacolal de-
| tending 1t against the troops of Florida and
Alabama. The NOhdlGk, Crusader and Sup
ply were already at New York. The IVater-
aoach was at Philadelphia and the Pa,ynes
at Washington, where the Department had
stationed force of marines, organized in
four companies as artillery, numbering 200
men, one mile from the Capital, ready to
defend 1t at a moments warning, or to be
transported by the steamers Pa,cnee and
ARdcOsta to any point where necessary.
The Macedonian was at Vera Cruz, much
nearer and more convenient tor operations
on the Gulf coast; than if it had been at
any OF the Northern ports or navy yards.
This was the condition of the Home Squad
ron at the commencement OF Mr.. LincOln's
administration three of them, including
the flagship of the squadron, coming up
the coast toward Hampton Roads and New
York, three already at New York one at
PHILADELPHIA, one ut Washington, one at
Vera Cruz, and four Fort Pickens, then
in state OF siege; in all lS6 guns and
thirteen vessels, OF which eight were
steamers. This squadron and that of the
previous year, 1860, were by far the largest
and most efficient squadrons ever before
organized for the protection of urinterests
on the Atlantic coast. .............
At the same time there was still more
powerful force at the Atlantic navy yards,
which could have been put to sea. ready for
service, in 40 days. 1t was DO days from
the Inauguration of Mr. Lincoln to the
bombardment of Fort Sumter. 1t was u
days from his Inauguration to his proclama-
ton for $4,000 volunteers, when the war on
our part began. The five most powerful
ships of the navy, the forty-gun steam frig-
dGCS " UOuSiti 4utHHtSOCO, OOtOTUUO, IIOUlOhG
aud Menimdck, built during the admins
tration of President Pierce, armed with the
heavy Dahlgren guns, were at home, three
OF them thoroughly repaired and secured
against the weather in the usual manner,
to await orders, one in the dock repairing,
and the other, recently brought home from
the Pacific, could be prepared for tempOr-
airy service in a few days. The Cotoru3o
and Minnesota were at Boston, thus repaired
and secured, and could be ready for sea in
two weeks; the w d6dSh was at New York,
thus repaired and secured, and could be
ready tor sea in two and half weeks the
Roanoke In dock at New York, and could be
ready for sea in six weeks; and the Merri-'
mack, at Norfolk, and could be ready for
temporary duty in three weeks, according
to the report made to me by most cxpe-
rienced and valuable officer, then and still
the head of the Bureau of Construction
and Repairs. The steamship Mississippi, IL
Dahlgren guns, was also at Boston,
thoroughly repaired and secured in the
same way, and could be ready for sea in
three weeks, according to the same re-
port. The trigate Sdntee, of 80 guns, was
at Portsmouth, N. H.; the 'frigate 50. Lauo-
renee, of 80 guns, was at Philadelphia and
the sloop-ot-war jamestown, of 20 guns,
was also at Philadelphia, and these three
ohlPS SOtih h1NO spSGll IOduJ lOI SGd I'LL lOIby
days from the moment the order should be
given, as was afterward done. The brig
BdiRbridge, of 6 guns, was at Boston, and
the brig Perry, of guns, was at New York,
and both OF them could haYe been ready
for sea in eleven days from the time the
order should be given, as was atterward
done. The sloop-of-war Plymouth, of %
guns, was at Norfolk in good condition, and
the steamer Andc0Sta, of or 2 guns, was at
Washington, already in commission. Here
were thirteen ships, with 3GS guns, at home,
in the Atlantic navy yards, which could
have been put to, sea in good order for
service before the bombarlment Of Fort
Sumter. Thus we had on the Atlantic
coast atthe Inauguration of Mr.. Lincoln
naval force of twenty-siX vessels, carrying
an armament. of 554 guns, which could be
put to sea in good order before the war
commenced, againsG an enemy which had
no naval force whatever; for such had been
the course of the Department in promptly
removing all seeds of disaifection, that the
secession of eleven States from the Union
lost not a single vessel to the service. Ti
Beside these there were at the New York,
Boston and Portsmouth navy yards, the
frigate Potomac, of 80 guns and the sloops-
of-war SdodRiidh, a guns; VmcenneS, 90
guns; Marion, 16 guns Dale, 10 guns, and
Pre6le, Is guns, which could be repaired
aud made ready tor, sea in from 81 to "a
days, as was atterward done, The old frig-'
ate Constitution, of 30 guns had beehl
thoroughly repaired, anchored at Annap-5i
oils 81 have not incmdedin this notice the d
eight line Of battle ships, which had been +,
J. I 4 4. 4 y. q ~ =.