, 1881-08-07
He StrenuousIy Advocated Reinforce.
ment Of The Forts in Charles
ton Harb0r.
. The Blame Of Not Reinforcing Sum
ter Laid upon Gen. Scott's
Shoulders.
i Black Drove FLOYD Ont Of the Cabinet,
nnd Brought Stanton and
Holt In.
How Black Forced Buchanan to Modify a
Trucking Answer to South Caro-
lima Commissioners.

spreta1 Dfspa,ch to The Chicago Tribune
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Aug. 1.-THE Press
| Of this city. will prin. Tomorrow letter
| from staffcorresponlent, giving an inter
J view with Judge Jere S. Black, member ii
President Buclanan's Cabinet, relative Il
Governmental action on the question Of tnt
occupation Of the forts i'll Charleston 11arbo1
during the winter of 1SdD-'Gl. Said Judge
Black:
REINFORCEMENT OF THE FORTS.
1.-THE forts at Charleston ought to have
been reinforced imlnediately after Lincoln's
election, or certainly us soon as il BECAME
| possession Of them. Mr.. buchanan under
| stood rs well as anybody That the forts there
must be kept, aud was tllor0uEhly defer
! mined not to give them lip. Immediately
after the election he directed Floyd. The Ser-
retary Of War. to see that the forts we're f..l-
" manned and provisioned: If said he.
be taken by Soutl, Carolina in consequence
Of our neglect 10 put them in deftnSiple CON
dition, il were better for you and me both TO
tied about our necks.' Floyd replied very
-Solennly--that is, more solemnly than he
usually spoke-tflat his owll convictions ae-
corded with those OF the President, and said
that duty should be Immediately and conn
pletely performed. lie did not believe that
=. counrer.4i in doing il. Not y wortI was sai,1
on the subject pro or con by any other mem
ber- Things rested thus until some time aft
er, when Gen. C:.ss told me that the order i0r
the reiuforccn1t,lt had NOT been executed.
and the South Carolina authorities were
proceeding upon some kind Of assurance that
It would not be. lie was sure of this he
said lie declined to give mt. the source of
colt, the Assistant Secretary Of State, Com
fnc from him, it seemed to b.. authentic. and
we botll agreed that tile Ircsi,lrr; ougIt 10
be informed. Gen. Cass declined to 10 il, or
Eo along with me far that purnose b,f in
Sisted that l alone should 70, | went. and,
assuming that the l'residen: would be as in
Department, proposed that il he would
sign . short pcreliptory order, which / then
and there drew UP, and lrt lne carry it to the
until it was executed; lie did not acc.de to
this. lie was much annoyed at what he
called my interference with the business of
anuther department. / soon found that he
himself doubted the Wisdom "f attempting to
send yeilltorccnents. aud that he was basing
iliS action or lnactisn upon grounds which he
did not explain 10 me. / was very much dis
satisfied and 50 told Gen C:ss. who was
weeks of mental sus,pnst.. and m,,cl, nroinr
iu Ills frirnds and fa,nii,> hn if:an r3na7'
c3ncl,d'..i -, r',.;.1,, ;s "e s'cA' e1o@'
toaI!t'uiu =. Tt FI ~ aes.S".
1he la11uEe 70 REINFORCE Suulfer-Wlcl
/ thought, and still think, was the cardinal
errnr Ut the utninlStratiOn-was caused
mainly by the ,nisreprt.Sr3,tations of Zen.
Sect CONCERNING tbe military sifuntinn liz
cnnfinu,1I,. irriaraI that + co,,1J nat ~,
done with any force at Ills command. for cer-
t.l.li 1cason2 NHtCi alIlHls otilese 70 pc l1t1-
true ana which tr!ed my best, and tried in
yain to get from him in writing, so rs to hold
him responsible to the country. Rut hn
eyadtd me all through. Eycep, for Iis ,u.r
1.lclous counsels, i aln satisfied t}at nO war
r ,t;,+ o, @ $ M ~ y!
=. !alsue ;; Aase co'1e, uut Aol Iuele oE DS 11lal
cause,
THE 1EITI:1: TO GEN. SCOTT.
Is YOUR le1fer tn Gen Scntt in ayist-
ence 81: 49, 0>'o'
VIC cir T ,-o,,+ ~. ,o,,,. r ~, 1+. -
4ha t,s,, n,1 ~ .o eCp9 ~ site i:tle4 ~
4 tsii.r,. :a41 a.tet 'TH. '3tv1t uleu II coui1
not W lolila :l'i51hS MS private papers-
supposed IL llau Deen lost, but, while was III
Europe last year, a friend continued tie
search had many wears been making for il.
und finally secured it..'
At nv Solicitation .iuaee R1act sho,vea mo
+},e lattar .nn 1.nr;tta. ~. -. ~ s
T. ;r. '1'0 be4 A'4At'e" t''e ~ eop9 '~ he1e
~ - 20.
1EfAIETMEST OF STATE. Jan. l6, IeGl-DEAn
GESEAA: me hanltual frankuess Of your
character. the deep interest you take In every
pressed desire thar should hear ana under
stand your vfctvs,-thesc reasons, together with
2 "a earnest wish to know my own duty ind to do
H. ahauce me 70 oes you for little light. which
state a Of our affairs.
tlrst-is It the duty Of the Government to re-
1niorce Maj. Anderson:
Sccond-lf yes. how soon Is 1t necessary that
1nOSe fclpl0fccincnts should be there:
Ihird-What obstacles exist to prevent tho
Ecuang o1 such Trnforce1ncuts ut any time
~4cn II may oe necessary to DO so:
; trust you will not regard it us presumption
in me Il giye you the crude notions which I
myself hayc alrcruy formed oul of very i,,,per-
1cct materials. statement Of my errors, il er-
xors they may be, will enable you to correct
them the more easily
Flrst-lt sceE1s now to be settled that Mai.
Anderson and his command 1T Fort Sumter arp
not TO be withdrawn The United States Gov
eminent is not TO SURRENDER its last hold upon
fte own property in South Carolina II is in II
state Of siege. They have already prevented
communication between ITS conlmandcr and his
own Government both W sea and land. There
Is no dount they intend to continue this state Dt
things as fur as IT is in their power to do SO. In
the couFse OF few weeks rom this time it will
labor and anxety of his uirn nil, 49,
ha,ls1 their physical power: and this exhaustion,