The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-05
SAN JUAN TROUBLE.
Colonel Halter Replies to Criti-
cism of Colonel Anderson.
FACTS SWEEP AWAY TRADITION.
A Participant in the Events OF 1889
Cannot Be Safely Contradieted by
One Who Speaks From Hearsay.

1 LAM oEEbtHtAn
SEATTLE, June 1. 1892.
| l am indebted to Colonel Thomas NJ.
| Anderson, commanding the Fourteenth
| United States infantry at Vancouver
| Barracks, Wash, for copy of his review,
| published in your columns on May %,
| ult., of my account of the genesis of the
| San Juan imbroglio and the cause OF its
| failure TO get up war, read by me before
, the State Historical Society of Washing
| ton, at Tacoma, and published in the
Posr-INrELLrGEScER of this city. April "a,
1892. take pleasure in making this ac-
| acknowledgement, and as the colonel was
| not on Puget sound in those threatening
days 1850, he could not of his own
| knowledge make the statement he has
there presented, and will therefore pardon
| me, ] trust, for correcting the many faila-
| cies under which he seems TO be laboring
| i'll his ''review of the reviewer" The
| colonel states:
| On the 10Th of August old Casey landed, as
Ingalls, reported, with his sword in one hand
and hymn book in the other, "he has evil
IDENTITY come to stay" LeutenantColone Casey
| was a Northern man, placed in command by
| Harvey, just one month after Pickett was sent
| there. Under him was the garrison OF san
Juan, of nine companies aud detachment of
| engineers. Then eight 32-pounders We're
| Landed and placed in battery. Thereupon the
| British squadron OF three vessels left do not
see this little Circumstance referred to in the
| colonels tHaller 81 lecture.
| l can only understand the latter part of
the above quotation as bold insinuation
that the nine companies, the engineers
and the eight 32-pounders in battery,
scared 1.-The British squadron of three ves-
sells" out of San Juan harbor; that this
| little circumstance" is not referred to in
| HalleI's lecture, as it might tell against
the 'estimable and amiable set of gentle
men" III her majesty's service. believe
| have here interpreted the colonel's lam
| guage correctly; it is the only inference l
can draw from the language. and do so re-
| luctantly, notwithstanding the colonel was
not on Puget sound at the time, and, of
course, had to get his information from
sources upon which he relied tor its
veracity-possibly oral traditions. Just
here wish to copy an extract from the
| Nation published in New York city March
| IL, 1892, apropos to the subject. 1t reads:
OF course errors about matters OF oral tradi-
| ton are TO be dealt with leniently, but they
| ought to be pointed out before they crysta.ize
| into ''lies agreed upon" which. Mr.. Wendell
| Phillips says, constitutes what we call his
tory"
So, here take the liberty to point out
that the eight 32-pounders were not in
the Battery before nor when General
Scott arrived at San Juan; and the British
war steamer Tribune was still at anchor in
that harbor, SO the British squadron had
not left. In fact, this little circumstance"
referred to by the other colonel, is myth,
of less value than the celebrated appletree
under which General Lee surrendered to
General Grant, as that produced many
waikingsticks or canes.
hope the colonel will pardon me for
expressing my surprise that an officer OF
his intelligence, experience with war pro-
| jectiles, and courteous disposition, should
lend himself TO tine utterance of such an
insinuation, beaaing as it does on Its face
a profound absurdity. Every officer knows
that shot from 6S-pounder cannon
can be thrown far beyond the range
of 32-pourder gun, hence 1.-The
British squadron of three vessels" had
nothing to fear; IN case of hostilities
they needed only to withdraw be-
yond the range of our old
fashioned 32-pounder cannon, and
| pour broadside after broadside
without the slightest danger to themselves,
from sixteen 6S-pounders at each fire from
the Tribune alone. and as many more from
the other two, while 1.-The nine companies,
the engineers and the eight 32-pounders, !"
unable to reach their adversaries, must
submit to the unmerciful pounding which
could not fail to make terrible havoc and
slaughter among them, placed on an island
without means OF escape. 1 trust, now,
the colonel will understand why the Brit
ism officers were puzzled and confounded
at Harney's amazing generalship, unless
the two governments had come to an I'M
| derstanding about the islands. The Tri-
bune had thirty-one 6o-pounders; the
Satellite had twenty-one 6S-pounders, and
| the Plumper had ten mot recolected).
These vessels came and went as freely as
in their undisputed waters. The most
| agreeable social relations prevailed be-
| tween the younger officers of her majesty 8
navy and those of the United States army
on San Juan; winning and dining together,
| at times on shore, at other times on board
the men-of-war, or carousing at night to-
gether at the genial Factor Griffin's hos
pitable mansion, the arrival OF Lieuten-
| ant-Colonel Caseys command making
| these civilities possible
Although the order for Captain Pickett 8
| movement may be dated July 9, his COM
| pany first landed on the island July %.
1883, and Lieutenant-ColonelC asev's COM
mand landed August 10. fortnight after.
These troops came simply because Genera!
Harvey had become aware that "some one
had Numbered" When Pickett's position
| appeared critical, the general deemed il
proper to order all the companies within
his control to San Juan island, where. to
borrow General Grants expressive phrase,
they would be completely bottled" and
cut off from supplies. The article OF war,
and not General Harvey placed Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Casey. the Northern man. in
command, as il did me during the lieuten-
ant colouePs temporary absence. Ii he
had any confidence in Lieutenant-Colonel
! Casey, why strip him of his late com
mand of the Puget sound district and pu,
| Captain Pickett, q Southern man
| in supreme command on San Juan
responsible only TO Harvey? Ii
, ! was impossible for the general
| willing or not willing, 10 with.
hold the command OF those troops
| from Lieutenant-Colonel Casey, the senior
officer, unless he took the command upon
himself; and 1t seems remarka Bile tc
thoughtful officers that the general officer
: ! commanding. IN such a crisis as 10 REQUIRE
ali his troops on san Juan, should keer
of two or three days travel of the mails
before letters could reach him.
Colonel Anderson has essaved a clever
, ! thrust at Halter, with his pen. thus,
, Again the colonel tHallerl tells us that
he advised Pickett that he should not re.
fuse the British JOINT occupation. After
; all, Harvey did not make a bad Se{cctioa ,
. As an offset 10 the coionei's reference tC
e the "deprecatory Mr.. Toots." and L
Hamlet" let me recall Shylock's words
It's very true o wise and upright Judge!
How much more elder art thou than thy looks
Hu- had t'olnOaf Aolarsnr, hoo, ~, -