The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1870-12-15

taken. To the Navy Department alone i.
the country indebted for the capture of thi,
rebel stronghold; for had it not been fol
your perseverance in keeping the feet here
and your constant propositions made to the
army, nothing would have been DONE A,
1t was, after the proposition had been re-
ceived, and Gen. Grant promised that troop.
should be sent, it was not done until Gen
Butler consented to let the matter GO on, and
when he hoped to reap some little credit fol
the explosion Of the powder boat; Now,
the country gives Gen. Grant the credit OF
inaugurating the expedition, when on botl
occasions, he permitted it to 60 Improperly
provided. In the first place ii had
neither head nor tail Is fan
as the army was concerned. In
the second place he Grant sent too few
men, when he ought to have calculated tina,
the rebels would have more strongly defend.
ed the works, after seeing what a narrow
escape they had. Nothing but the most dcs.
Perate fighting and determination to win on
the part OF the army gave US the victory.
The gallant band of sailors who fearlesssly
went into the works amidst shower Of can
lister and bullets, drew the enemy's attention
away from the assault on the land side, and
enabled the troops TO obtain secure footing
l don't say this to detracf from the gallantry
Of the soldiers, for never did men fight har.
der or more handsomely than did our troops
that day. Now that the most important fort
of the coast has been gained, as usual YOU will
hear but little Of what the navy did, and No
doubt efforts will be made again to show that
the work was mot substantially injured as a
defensive work." To Gen. Grant, who i.
always willing to take the credit when any.
thing Is done, and equally ready to lay the
blame Of the failure on the navy, when a fail
ure takes place, l feel under no obligation.
for receiving and allowing a report to be
spread from his headquarters that there
were three days when the navy might have
operated and did not. He knows as much
about it as he did when he wrote to me, say.
ing the only way in which the place could
be taken was by running the ships past the
batteries" showing evidently that he had
not studied the photography of Cape FeaI
River, and did not know the virtue there wa:
in our wooden walls when they went in for
fair stand up fight. Any fort in rebeldon
can be taken if We can only get in reach of it.
i served with the Lieutenant General before
where never worked so hard in my life Il
make man successful as did for him. You
will scarcely notice in his report that tn,
navy did him any service, when without
the help it has given him all the way through
he never would have been Lieutenant Gen
eral. He wants magninimity, like most off.
GERS Of the army, and he il so avarcious as
regards fame that he never, if he can help it,
do justice to our department When the reb.
els write the history of this war, then, and
only then, will the country be made TO fee
what the navy has done.
do not feel at all kindly toward General
Grant for the indifference he displayed in
this matter until he found his own reputation
at stake; then he was glad to throw the ele-
plant overheard that had weighed him down
so heavily. lie could not help but know
that Gen. Butler was going in command OF
this expedition. The matter was constantly
discussed with him; he knew that he had
placed himself and all of his numerous staff
on board the flag ship Ben de Ford, and
every body spoke of him as commander o,
the troops.
In conversation with Gen Grant, l ex-
pressly told him that wanted nothing to dc
with Gen. Butler, and he promised me faith
fully that he should not have any connection
with the expedition. Two months waited,
and the fleet ready TO sail at an hours notice,
and ac4uiesced in the Generals decision
that he could not spare troops for fear of en-
iangering the defenses in his front. l said,
Then the expedition will never GO until
Butler has a finger in the pie" and sure
enough, when Butler said go, we went. The
fear Of weakening the defenses disappeared
on Buffers presenting his plan for blowing
the forts down, and an army was shipped so
(,,n h.. al
they almost sailed in the middle of a
did not care fig for the powder boat, though
| was very willing to try it as an experiment
but not disposed TO trust il altogether /
think il most unhandsome in him TO listen
fora moment 20 the idle talk Of Buffers
staff, and his timid, calculating engineer,
COmstock, who wanted some excuse for not
doing their duty. The Lieutenant General
and were together eighteen months before
Nicksburg- had TO wait for me, nor
did any one Of his Generals but have had
to wait for them, and he should have sup
posed from the past and my anxiety to 90
to work, that had not become any slower
in my movements than was on the Missis-
sipPi. His course proves 10 me that he
would sacrifice his best friend rather than
let any odium fall on Lieutenant General
Grant. He will take TO himself all the GRE
dit of this move now that it is successful,
when he deserves all the blame for the first
failure TO take place. All this is now sad
died on General Butler, and history will tell
nothing Of General Grants share in it,
tell it TO YOU for your own personal salts
faction that you may know and feel that you
are entitled to the entire credit for getting
this expedition of, and for its success. am
merely the agent, and only used to advantage
the simple means placed at my disposal,
which any one else could have done as well
as l. expect you sometimes think am too
impolitic in what l say, but that is my
nature. am always ready to fight right
away, if any one reflects on the navy /
know that no country under the sun ever
raised navy you have done in the same
space Of times and that no navy ever did
more Could, the navy operate James
River, Richmond would be ours. Vicksburg,
a stronger place, fell when the navy was
brought TO bear on it. Every place has
fallen where naval cannon have been brought
into play
This is not pet place with the Lieutenant
General, and he leaves it with about seven
thousand men, and l don't think knows
much of the situation. An army man
thinks If he has a gunboat at his back he is
all safe, but this is one case where at times
the gunboats are driven off by bad weather,
and those inside cannot cooperate effectively
have given You long letter; but find an
apology for myself in the fact that know
your whole heart is in the navy, and that
everything concerning it interests you.
Again permit me to thank you for the con-
fidence you have always placed in me, and
the opportunities You have given Inc for dis
tinctlon, and assuring you that it has been
my warmest wish to merit only your appro-
bation, l remain,
Respectfully and sincerely,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) DAVID ID. PORTER.
7. the Hon. Gideon welles, Secretary of the
Navy, Washington, d. c.
FORTER's EXPLANATION.
Admiral Porter has written letter to the
President in which, among other extenuat-
ing circumstances, he saws:
1T was under such excitement that pre- |
sumo wrote the letter which you say has |
made YOU lose faith in human nature When |
several persons have, at different times, in
formed me that letter would be published |
in which had abused Gen. Grant, treated |
the matter with indifference, thinking it inn |
possible that such letter could exist. do |
not write for the pupose of exonerating my |
SELF. I would rather be the writer of such a |
letter than its publisher. regret, exceed |
ingly, the los Of your friendship, and do |
not hesitate TO disapprove the sentiments of |
which suppose I must hear the odium.''
Oar European Grain Trade.
Our people in general have a very indis-
tinct idea of the extent and value of our
European grain trade. In short, We NAV
saw they have no idea of it Great Britain |
is our only European customer, and she |
takes no more than she can help, and vastly |
les than she takes from her own continental |
neighbon. The Philadelphia Pres fum-
ishes some interesting facts in regard to this
trade, gathered from the annual Parliament
ny abstracts of Englands imports and cx-
ports. There abstracts show that during the |