Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-23
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE orspArcH.1

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE oIsPArcHI
BOSTON, June. 22.-General Butler fires
his last shot at Admiral Porter in long
letter which will be published tomorrow.
In answer to Porter's denial that he ran
away after Farragut had passed the forts
below New Orleans, General Butler quotes
from Wisner, the correspondent of the New
York Times, whose letter was dated "Unit-
ed States Schooner Dan Smith, off Pilot
Town, Mississippi river, April 25, 1852"
Wisner wiote as follows:
When 1 closed my letter to-day had no idea
that should be down here at Pilot Town. in
my od quarters, more than 20 miles from the
scene OF the bOmbardment But such is the
fact. The mortar Flotilla, with VIII ch have
been more especially connected, was ordered
suddenly. about o'clock in the afternoon, to
get under way and repair to this place. Here
most OIL the vessels are now at anchor.
His second letter, giving an account of
what took place on the oath and 25th, says:
MAD AT BEING SENT AWAY.
Unexpectedly at that hour. 5 p M. of the
9th, Captain Porter ordered the firing on our
side to cease and the entire hotilla to get under
way for Pilot Town, near the mouth of the
Southwest Pass. 1 was compelled to drop
down the river without the mortar vessels and
the next afternoon found myself at Pilot Town,
IN no pleasant frame of mind at being so un-
txpeetedly sent from the sources of informa-
tion.
As to what Porter and his officers said
when nbey ran down past the soldiers at the
head of the passes, General Butler gives the
following:
We, the undersigned. were on board trans
sports below Fort jackson and st. Philip, in
the Mississippi river. OIL the morning of the
passage of the forts by Admiral Farragut.
While anchored, and after the passage of Adj
miral FarTagut, a number of steam gunboats
and morter boats came IN confusion down the
river, and upon passing us shouted to US to
leave, as the rebel ram Louisiana was coming
down and would sink us. The gunboats and
mortar boats did not stop to protect US, but
Kept on down the river.
This is attested q officers of Massachu-
sets regiments. Hundreds Of other wit
nesses, the General saws, can be had to the
same facts, ii they are still desired.
10 show you," says General Butler,
that have had no occasion to change my
account oil these transactions from the time
first gave it, and thus
ANSWER THOSE CRITICS
who may say: why didn't General Butler
report all this before?' 1 insert here a page
oil my official report to the Secretary of War,
made on the 1st day OF June 1852, after 1
had read your rOmances, and have had no
occasion to either add to that report or take
from it word:
have read Commander Porter's official re-
port OF the surrender of the forts, and here
permit me. for the sake of nv brave and en-
during soldiers Of the Twenty-sixth Massaehu-
waded in the swamps in the rear of Fort st.
Philip up to their arnpits in water in order to
cut of its garrison and get ready to assault the
enemy's works, to put the truth of history right
before the War Department and the country
by the simple enuncatIOn of the Iaet that it 2
was due to their efforts and that of their com-sD
radeS. and to those alone, that Forts Jackson
and ST. Philip surrendered when they did. No
naval vessel or one of the mortar feet had fred
shot at the forts for three days before the sur
render. and not one of the mortar boats was
within 25 miles at that time, they having sailed
out oil the river from prudent consideration OF
the prOwess of the ram Louisiana. which was
supposed to be 'lively" near the forts.
majority of the garrison at Fort Jackson
had surrendered to my pckets the night before
the officers made a surrender to Commodore
Porter and obtained from him better terms
than has been or ought to be given, during the
war, to rebel officer or soldier, and under
thuse terms the rebel General Duncan claims a
right to he and is in the army of Beauregard,
giving aid and comfort. and only holding him.
self not to serve in arms, which are the terms of
his parole. send a copy OF the terms of captt-
ulation.
WHAT BEN BELIEVES
1 do not wish to take from the weII-earned
and well-desired consideration due to the navy
for their brilliant exploit in running past Forts
st. Philip and Jackson. l have borne and shall
ever bear testimony to their courage and gall
lantry on that occasion, but after that no shot
was fired until the surrender, and the forts
could have been held for weeks, if not months,
so far as the bombardment was concerned, for
in the judgment of the hest engineering skill
they were then as defensibe as before the
L will not permit too great
need of praise on the part of anybody to take
away the merit fairly due my brave soldiers.
who endured so much hardship and showed as
much bravery as the most gallant tar of them
all, for we landed within FIVE miles above the
forts and lively ram.' protected by only two
gunboats, while tie mortar boats, protected by
seven gunboats. retreated 25 miles below the
forts and out of the river"