Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-10-25
SECRETARY WELLES ON THE FORT SUM.
Ter EXPEDITION.
Mr.. welles' Galaxy Article.
HIS ATTACK ON SECRETARY SEWARD.



The general attention given by the Ameri-
can press to Mr.. Welles' article in the
Galory for November, the course of remark
thereon, and the error he commits In ascrib-
ing to me the use, in q letter published
in September, 1865, In reply to An attack
on Mr.. Seward, of the language of the attack
instead Of that Of the defence, seem to compe
me reluctantly again to speak on this subject
Lspeak with reluctance because have had
cause throughout long intercourse with both
theee members Of Mr.. Lincoln's Cabinet to be-
lieve in the truth and fervor Of their patriotism,
and regret to find one Of them now lsboring
through the pages Of long magazine article to
bring charges against colleague, who sat In
council with him and Mr.. Lincoln until the
assassin's pistol and knife separated them for q
time, and who, when partly recovered from his
wounds, again shared with him in the councils
of the administration until both retired.
My part IN these events Is simple. In 1855, on
the publication of an attack on Mr.. Seward,
much like that Of the GALAXY, less elaborate and
careful, but based upon narrative of the Sum
ter expedition. published in the Washington
city papers letter, from which MIR. Welles now
makes IN erroneous qaotatlon. He thus wrongly
makes me appear to be . party to this attack.
quote his words:
"There Was certainly no necessity for taking
from Captain Mercer his vessel and sending her
to Pensacola, where most Of the naval force OF
the home squadron was collected. She was alb
solutely indispensable to the Sumter expedition.
Yet General Meigs Gays in his published letter /:
An order was extracted (from the Presdsnt,)
detaching the Powhatan from the Sumter expe-
dition, and sending her to Fort Pickens."
In these lines u the basis Of his charge against
Mr.. Seward, and through twenty pages of argu-
msnt, inference and sspposition or suspicion,
he labors to shake the confidence Of the people
Of the United States in the truth, patriotism,
and loyalty Of the late Secretary Of State, now
tb,ent in ASA.
he dwells much upon the word extracted"
repeating it many times throu ghout the article,
always In quotation marks, and always attrib-
uting it to General Meies.
still have slip from the Washington paper
in which my letter of 1866 was first published,
and this is what General Meigs did say in that
published letter:
"Ths Tribune editorial Of the 10Th instant
does injustice TO the Secretary OF State i'm the
matter OF the Sumter and Pickens expedition.
A comparison OF dates will provo this. The
Tribune asserts that, while Captain Fox was In
New York arranging the details of his expedition
to Fort Sumter, an order was extracted from the
President, on the recommended of Secretary
Seward, detaohing the Powhatln from the Sum
ter expedition. and sending her to Fort Pickens;
that when President Lincoln signed this order
at the instance OF Mr.. Seward, he 1.-THE Presi.
dent) did not know that 1t would apply to the
Powhatan, or in any way interfere with the
expedition under Captain Fox for the relief OF
Fort Sumter"
That whole letter, after the above prelimina-
~ statement OF the charge made, was devoted,
by recital Of facts and q comparison OF dates,
to show that the charge was unjust. 1 do not,
of course, believe that this misquotation was in
territorial; but it was careless in so elaborate An
az II ~ IL.
me in his argument.
find nothing in the charges now renewed and
enlarged in the GALAXY not ficiently answered
in 1855; but as that letter was published In the
daily press only, and is now accessible to few,
and as the distinguished position Of the author,
who now repeats them gives them q right,
though already answered, to be noticed, again
state the facts of the case as known to me per-
sonally at the time, and using only the docu-
ments published in the GALAXY shall be able to
show that the author is in error.
In the matter OF the Powhatan, which Is the
overt act Of interference with the Navy most
complained Of, it is to be noticed that Mr..
Welles nowhere alleges that her presence with
the Sumter expedition would have altered the
course Of events at Charleston. The expedition
sailed without her; its leading vessel arrived OH
Charleston an hour and half after the bonn
bardment had commenced, and the history of
the powerful iron clad feet which lay for years
of Charleston, unable to force passage, has
since shown that the presence of the Powhatan
would not have enabled the gallant and devoted
leader OF the attempt at relief to land troops,
provisions or ammunition in Sumter, then under
IRE which two days later compelled the gar
rison, scorched by the burning barracks, to sur
render. ....
He thinks she could have been or no use at
Pickens, as large squadron was then off the
harbor Of Pensacola.
This squadron, as he shows himself, was,
when those expeditions were organizing, tied
up by convention with the rebels, which pre-
vented its commander from landing the COM
pany of artillery on board the Brooklyn, though
Gen. Scott had sent to its captain (V0gde y his
orders to enter the fort.
knowing this condition Of the squadron, l rec
commended to the President the dispatch of
steamer under . daring commander, not tram
meled by conventions or any orders but those OF
the commander.in- chief himself, to run the bat
teries of McRee and Barrancas, and prevent
any expedition from the main land taking the
fort by assault before relief could reach II.
That N expedition was preparing Tor Fort
Sumter did not know; 80 my recommsndation
to the President, supported by Lieut. General
nate In any aareemt mt of the latter with
rebel commissioners 10 evscuate Fort Sumter >.
bat il desire to break the tolls in which, by
such convention, q former adminstratio had
involved the squadron at Pensacola and Fort
Pickene. - e., r. 30 e-t
1t was understood that the expedition to re-
lieve Pickens was to be conducted with the ut
most secrecy, and - Col. +. ID. Ksyes, military
secretary to General Scott, and myself were de.
pated to draw up the project, and, that having
been approved, to prepare the necessary orders,
It was distinctly understood by us that we were
to make It known 70 nobody, 3 t.
The orders to Lieut.. Porter, dated LIST April,
giving him command OF the PowhatAu, then
just returned from foreign station. attached
that vessel to the Pickens expedition. This or
der, designating the commander and the dest-
nation Of . single second clasa war steamer
certainly appeared to me to be within ths pre-
rogative Of the commander chief Of the army
and navy, and 1 readily saw that its chances OF
success were increased by excluding from n
knowledge Of it the chiefs and the officers and