New-York tribune., 1875-01-15
AN EPISODE or THE VAR"
A CARD FROM GEN. GILMORE.

Tothe EditOr or Ths Tribune.
SIR: An article entitled "An Episode OF the
War" by W. g. Andrews published IN that new and' III
many respects charming holiday book, " Loos Leaves
calls for notice, simply account OF the respect
able company IN which 1t found it pretends 10 mar
rate the circumstances attending the naval ooat as
sau on Fort Sumter the ught Of Sept 1862 but Is
IN large measure destitute truth Indeed 'ts mos
important statements are sheer taDrcstions from be-
ginning to end.
The essential features OF the article are given In the
following extracts. Tue writer was the Oucer
iu Charge OF the senalstaton at Gen Gimores mead
ouarters on Morris Island. where we had taken the
Rebel forts Wagner and Gregg and were waiting Tor
the navy to complete the work" lone daV,
carly in september 1863 at about noon, the General
directed me 70 signal to the Admiral the Information
that no would assault Sumter by boats that night
Much to my surprise there was returned III le" mo
ments an 10 tho effect that the Adtuirai nau
himself MANNED 10 assault sumter that night by
boats from tie feet aud asking ~ the General haa not
heard OF his intention so The General replied hat
he vas very much surprised and had no Idea mat
noa, assau, was intended by the navy Then folio we'd
soties OF messages TO and fro Zach was sorry that
he had done anything interfere with tho other each
thought II very strange that both had MI upon dong
the same thing tho same day.' each WOuId RIadIy
withdraw in favor OF the other, &c, &C. Dut tue
orders having been given the men Deing ready
sbould unite under the command or one ohieer
and 'being an expedition by water. the Admiral
thoucht the General would az once see tho proprey OF
Giving q naval officer the command. Iho Hehefal
would be delighted certainly, the army FORCES "Oun
ne under the command OF Brigadier- General Thomas
stevenson. who would act under the orders OF any
naval o(i,er OF equal rank that the Admiral might
desiguate! tAt that time there officer In
,ha noet except tho Admiral himsef) The Admiral
was delighted his force would be under the command
of CAPTAIN -, acting commodore Tue General was
sorry but an acting commodore was not commodore
and could not therefore rank with bigaiiergenera
and OF courso Gen. Stevenson could not take orders
from an inferior officer etc. ETC. After somo further
corrspoudence on the subject, the Admiral admitted
that he could not send the ranking officer but he had
ti,ed nnop research and reflection TO and any prece
don't for putting naval officer under the command OF
an army officer and the expedition must go nde
noudent as TO command but he would cooperate The
General regretted this but.' " etc, etc
II is perhaps needless TO say that tho foregoing pre-
tended extracts the messages whloh passed De-
tween Admiral Dlhgren aud myself are fabrlcatons'
each and all OF them. The quotation marks arc MT
Andrewss -
These ten OF twelve alleged dispatches were neither
ent nor received and there only two, or possibly
three OF the hcGitlOus extracts when pear any
hrce either IN letter spirit 10 the itw genuIue
signals and other dispatches nterchauged Ihe esseheo
of the entire paragraph IL un'Tuu A., ,.i.a NJ, ,,a
over. first NOTIFICATION 10 Tue h""iio'
contempiatcd army assault not sent, OF AIehpSu
10 ne sent ~ signals put was carried ny ah T %
camp and Mr. Andre ws never snw f fdTeS az AZ further
tained copy IN my possession. MI anu S,euitv in
saws that consequence OF the great @ -, ,ra ~
transmitting the Signals owing 10 the aosehce Va % -
raauar sg1aI oficer OF the hdgsnlp from Ills posi-
sent MIN TO Admiral with fnl lhtFuetons 1 t No
arrange tho details verbally" IAat no iouiu ,d ~
liz, i'm reaching full and perfect understand
ing with the lmiTal as TO tue plan o ne ~ So 90
INT he brought back the following verbal Ics ~
nse. Tell Gen GiIlmore that my boats Will start at
O. or later should lie desire H. ii ne "lsheS uo"' '
eHr Mn,n S is hction OF Mr. Andrewss imagination He
was not sent Ivy with full instruetonsi ot WIN M
any instructions authority, 20 arrange any Vi & J ne
as Of ATTACK hut simply carry dispatch Wuien
had failed 10 transmit by Signals ana ne ueIoi dir, ar
rna tho going verbal message from Tie ~ Vi
anythng ike IT, No details OF comnlned ataes @ Weae
arranged by one. watchword was as"er ore and
90 nravent coIsion the water aud nothing more, au
20 S p w ss sent the Admiral by messenger and aiEr
ward communicated 10 one OF Ills stan omcers ~ my
Mr Andrews aso says: II was little surprised sat
the naval boats, which we're not to nave eI a' Tss
I aftsrward learned that the mOment e,1 ,t tne a
Admiral he gave orders that his boat shouia ''' NC
on she contrary the navy boats according TO tho
official reports eft the fleet IN TOW os tus the tow
one re port Gays about l030-cast Oh Iron sh0 w.
about ght, ana reached the Tort soou a. iis com
journal of the defense OF Fort sumee p' me navy re-
ports mat attack was made ater miusS ,o, avav
.oan Alter eight He had perhaps fourteen hundred
yards 10 pull which would take at least twenty
IVA ne started TO hear brisk fusade from the fort
Tbis s All pnre fiction. Gen. Stevenson did not ket
avay soon after eight" At that hour, ana =. % nino
ociock and ten O'Clock, and later, the boats c0nas
the troops we're detained In the creek west Va ~ -
Isand by Low TIDE, and fusllade occurreu ~ 70,
sumter until tue naval assault was mAue soo
midnirht IL expected that the aImy aUd ~.
wanId atari at midnight two nours nooa' seau r
water having occurred at ten, OF, TO DO e1ac' ho ~
Mr Andrew begins his article by saying ti tnna
there IA nut one other person who KNOWS al h1
certainly they will never find their way bs 's ADDS in
unless tnia account goes into print anu VIC ar ms
fout-note tne following: hnd no nenr. .h. o,BciaI
assault In the Rebellion records, or 10 any VI ~. -
eports of Gen. GIL moro Admiral DthsIen
Nv oficial record-DoOk aiming tho -
py .iguas was borrowed by Gen. Gilmore anu ne'ei ie
turned" -.u.,onsanre
ON the contrary the assault and he nn
preceding t prominently nenuoncu IL, ~ r ~, en-.
iIsnea official report aud detailed statement VI su1
affair ia on file In the War Department and me ,t an
report OF tho hecreIary OF the Navy ior i' Adm,rai
Ufcial reports Of tue assault suDutted W
Dahlgren and tue several subordinate COM az on
engaged II, with full particulars oonce'nink so en-.
ject for which it was made, the hour OF mhAns ~ na
aIrength OF tie asraulting column, and TUG us'n "
killer, wounded and missing. Moreover there s'o 49,.
era persons now living who, AZ the time, huo" ,.as
more the attack, aud brief aud IN every ~ ~
Andre possibly could, II we sdopt MS own s'i
mate of the Importance of the part ne plpea IN ~.
did retain Mr. Andrewss record poos ane aa sso
had it In my possession, except row momon AZ ,h.
Assistant AdjutantGeneral In which csse uouDs'ss
Will De- found among tue records OF the Depsl
the south. wnfre, and not In M Andrewss p"s'Ss'u
Otnsr portious OF this remarkable production are
reserved for iuIure reply, which. yon wlsh, VIII ne
made In connection WITH an accurate sceouns y, .ne
assault, drawn exclusively from eneai souroes rnc"
Within the reach Of any sesrcher after tne ,,an.
kew Tors, Jan. IA, 1876 y A. on4oAA