Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-19
4 STARTLING ARTICLE

Tie GALAXY for November contains an
article from the pen of Gideon Welles,
Blr. Lincoln's Secretary Of the Navy,
which will create a sensation, as it makes
some extraordinary revelations touching
the aboriivc attempt TO provision Fort
Sumpter at the beginning of the Lincoln
administration The failure is distinctly
charged upon Mr.. Seward, who was then
Secretary of the State. The Philadelphia
age has seen an advance copy of the
G0LGry, and says of Mr.. Welles' article
As picture of the vscillation and bad
faith of the Lincoln administration, when
it began its career, this is one of the most
extraordinary disclosures ever made 30
the public. According 10 Mr.. Wells,
Seward had agreed to surrender Font
SumptCr 10 the Confederate. This has
often been asserted before and mover
explicitly denied, but now new incident
of the story is revealed. The opposition
of Mr.. Welles and Mr.. Montgomery Blair,
to the surrender of Fort Sumptcr, and
their determination TO reinforce il,
prompted a surTcptitious scheme TO defeat
their policy, in which the chief actor was
their colleague in the Cabinet, MIR. Sew
ard. He completely hoodwinked Mr.
Lincoln, obtaining his signature to a mass
of papers, among which was one install
ing Capt Samuel Barron, in or
important bureau in the Navy
Department. Mr.. Wellcs says that Bar
ron was a noted secessionist who, few
weeks later, joined the Southern Confede-
racy. On receiving this strange and I'M
usual order, debating 10 him in a most
important detail of his own department.,
the Secretary of the Navy hurried, in
dignantIy, to the President, and found the
poor man as astounded as himself at the
news he communicated. Mr.. Lincoln
declared he had never read the obnoxious
order which had been put before him for
his signature, by Mr.. Seward, with
mass of other papers. Among them was
another order as extraordinary. 1t was
an order to Lieu. d. d. Porter (now Adj
miral), to proceed instantly to New York
and carry off the steamer Powhattan from
the expedition which Welles had prepared
to succor Fort Sumpter! How in spite
of Mr.. Lincoln's instant revocation of the
order, it was carried out; how the at
tempt to relieve Fort Sumpter was
thus Frustrated, and Mr.. Stewards agree
ment with the Confederates was substan-
TALLY fulfilled, is set forth with minute
particularly by Mr.. Welles, who gives
copies of all the official papers which
seem fully to corroborate him. They
also implicate Admiral Porter and Gen.
Montgomery Meigs in the transaction. 1t
will he for them to explain their part in
it. II is possible that they being then
both officers of humble rank, saw q
chance of distinction and advancement in
taking a confidential part with the Secre-
tary of State, in his mysterious and irTegu-
lar movement, in which they may have
only seen an intention 10 reinforce Fort
PickeDs, without knowing that it neces-
ssrily involved the failure to succor Fort
Sumpter. But the charges are so grave, so
circumstantisl, and come from source
so well Informed upon the subject that
we VIII not anticipate tbe explanation
which the fame of all concerned will urge
them to furnish with as little delay as
possible. Certainly, this number of the
GALAXY furnishes startling article.