Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-02-02

was not in command of the expedition.
The vessel was chartered by the army
authorities. but the commander decided
not to make the attempt There was
no army captain on board, only three
licutenants-Webb, Wood and Norris
az so DR.. Tenbrocl0 Wood, think was
the ranking officer. We arrived off
Charleston January 9, 1861, and the first
shot of the war was fired on that day
II was fired at the Star of the West
No answering shot came from Fort
Sumter, and the officers in our party
came to the conclusion that Maj An
derson had surrendered and that the
confederates were in the fort In con-
sequence they did not go TO the fort, for
they thought that they would fall into
a trap and the whole party would be
captured if they did SO. We had no
guns on the vessel with which to repei
an attack. The men, of course, were
armed, but the vessel could not have
withstood fire from the guns of the
fort
There had been a good deal said
about who should fire the first shot and
Maj. Anderson naturally did not want
to be the one to do it. He thought that
the firing by the confederates on the
Star of the West was merely a wish to
draw his fire. He knew nothing about
our expedition and its purpose, although
the confederates, through somebody's
treachery, were fully posted. Had the
officers on our vessel had any idea that
Maj Anderson was in the fort we would
have gone there. We had supplies on
board enough to last him a year, and
we had 200 soldiers to reinforce him.
Both sides made a big blunder l
really believe that if we had gone into
the fort we could have held it through |
out the war You know that Fort |
Sumter was never captured-Maj. An |
derson only evacuated it, saluting his |
colors as he withdrew. No, sir, the |
failure of that expedition was not due |
TO any lack of bravery on Capt. Mellow
ans part
1.-THE expedition was very quietly ar
ranged, yet the confederates were kept |
well informed of our plans. l was a
non-commissioned officer then on Gov
ernor's Island. On January we were
ordered out for review in the afternoon.
Gen. Scott, whose headquarters were
over in New York, was expected, so il
was said, to come over TO review us
Well. we were drilled and kept at one
thing and another all the afternoon.
Then, toward dark, we were taken
down to the water and embarked on
vessel. No one had any idea where we
were going The commanding officer,
Maj. Holmes, was so affected at our
leaving that he shook hands with every
one of us and tears We're in his eyes.
The old rascal. He afterward skipped
out and went south and joined the con-
federate army and was made general
Gen. Theophilus Holmes There was
another officer (Johnson-Edward John
SOM long after had charge of him aad
conducted him prisoner to Fort La
fayette. Holmes, l suppose, thought
we were all going away to be killed.
ut had been intended to have the
government war vessel, the Brooklyn,
take part in the expedition and meet
us at Charleston. but we saw nothing
Of it and afterwards learned that it
had been sent down to Florida to Fort
Pickens
THE boat on which we embarked
carried us to the Star of the West,
which was waiting out in the bay.
Going down the coast we had very
pleasant sort of a time, though no one
knew where he was going. 1t was in
tended to get up to the fort before day
light, but the pilot whom we picked
up at night below Charleston said that
he lights along the shore had been put
tut and that he could not in conse-
luence, get his bearings The officers
iad their suspicious of the man, but
,ould not be certain. The consequence
vas that we did not get up to Charles
on till after daylight and We're seen,
# course. They then began firing on
is One shot was imbedded in the YES
el, but with that exception no harm
vas dore. But had it not been for a
mistake in judgment Fort Sumter
would have been relieved. Washing
on Star.