JiA±-IV23Y SICKITIEii, Proprietor.]
NEW SERIES,
iftortli tiranrii Sfntorrah
VJ>> U Wo V
A weekly Democratic
paper, devoted to Pol- " f/j / > =
lies, News, tho Arts (Q f Jt" 1" j
and Sciences 4c. Pub
lishod every Wcdncs
day, at Tunkhannock, 1 H*'] "''W
Wyoming County, Pa. -/ \' V jftify |;l
BY HARVEY SICKLER,
Terms —1 copy 1 year, (in advance) 51.50. If
not pain within six months, £2.00 will be charged.
ADVERTISING.
lU lines or
less, make three four tiro three six one
one square iceek< ireeks inoHh mo'thmo'th year
1 Square 1,00 1.25 2,25 2.87 3.00] 5,00
2 do. 2,00 2.50 3,25 3.50 1.5" 6,00
3 do. 3,00 3.75 4,75 5,50 7,01 V 9,00
A Column. 4,00 i 4,50 6.51' 8,00 hi,Go 15.00
i do. 6.00 7.00 id.OO; 12,00 17,00 25.00
i do. 8,00 9,50 14,00 13,00 25.00 35.00
1 do. 10,00.12,00 17,00 22,00 2-,00 40,"0
Ilusliiiss Cards of one square, with paper, 85.
JOB WOTIISI
of all kinds neatly executed, and at prices to su i
the times.
$ 1131 it f55 soHr?s.
BACON STAND Nicholson. Pa. —C. L
Jacksox, Proprietor. [vln49tf]
HS. COOPER, PHYSICIAN & SURGEON
• Newton Centre, Luzerne County Pa.
G1 80. S. TUTTON, ATTORNEY AT LAW,
! Tunkhannock, la. Oilke in Stark s Liick
Block, Tioga street.
IITM. M. PIATT, ATTOLXEY AT LAW. Of-
V \ floe in Stark's Brick IJSo -k, Tioga St.. Tunk
hannock, Pa.
IITTI.E I)IS WITT, ATTORNEY'S AT
J LAW, Office on Tioga street, Tunkhannock,
I'a.
R. R. I.ITTLR. .T. THIWTTT.
JV. SMITH, M. 1. PHYSICIAN k SURGEON,
• Office on Bridge Street, next door to the b%:u
crat Office, Tunkhannock, I'a.
TTAKVEY SICKLER, \TTORNEY AT LAW
XI and GENERAL INSURANCE AGENT Of
fice, Bridge street, opposite Wall's Hotel, Tuukkun
nck Pa.
£T. N7CT. 31.1102Y1D5, 23.,
(Graduate oj the University oj i'cnn'a.)
Respectfully offers his professional services to the
eitizous of Tunkhannock and vicinity. He can I .
found, when not professionally engaged, either at his
Drug store, or at his residence on Putnam Street.
DIG J. C. CORSEI.IUS, HAVING LOCAT
ED AT TIIE FALLS, WILL promptly attend
all calls in the line of his profession—may be found
tt Bevuier's Hotel, when not professionally absent.
Falls, Oct. 10, 1361
JIL CAR E) , 51. I>. - -1
• M. Institute, Cincinnati) wi .11 respectfully J
announce to the citizen.--of Wyoming anl Luzerne i
Counties, that he continues his rev far practice in the
various departments of his profest ion. May ne found
at his office or residence, when not profv. ii'unally ab
sent
Vet Particular attention given to the trc .tmont
Chronic Diseas.
entremoreland, Wyoming Co. Pa.—v2n2
1)1?. J. o. BECKER .V: Co.,
PHYSICIAN* A SURGEONS,
Would respectfully announce to the citizens of Wy*
oming that they have located at Mehoopuny, where
they will promptly attend to all calls in the live o,
their profession. May be found at his Drug Stor
when not professionally absent. e
WALL'S HOTEL"
LATE AMERICAN HOUSE/
TUNKHAN NOCK, WYOMING CO., PA.
rllL 5 establishment has recently been refitted and
turnished in the latest style Every attention
will he given to the -omfort and convenience of those
w.io patronize the lfoue.
T. B. WALL, Owner and Proprietor. I
Tunkhannock, September 11, 1961.
WORTH SBAWCH HOTEL,
MESIIOPPEX, WYOMING COT'NTY, PA
ill LEY WARNER, Prp'r.
HAVING resumed the proprototAip of the above
Hotel, the undersigned will spare no effi>rt to
render the house an agreeable place ol sojourn for
ail who may favor it with their custom.
RILEY WARNER.
MAYNARD*S HOTEL
tcnkiiawock,
WYOMING COUNTY, PENNA.
JOHN MAYNARD, Proprietor.
T-J taken the Ilotcl, in the Borough of
AY Tunkhanneck, recently occupied by Riley
Warner, the proprietor respectfully solicits a share of
public patronage. The House has been thoroughly
repaired, and the comforts and accomodations of a
nrst class Motel, will be found by all who may favor
Hwith their custom. Sipfomher 11, 1-61.
M. GILMAN,
DENTIST.
M GILMAN, has permanently located in Tunk-
bannock borough, and respectfully tenders bis
professional services to the citizens of this plaee and
surrounding country.
ALL WORK WARRANTED, TO GIVE SATIS
FACTION.
A jk^P*Office over Tutton's Law Office, near the Tos
Office.
Dec. 11, 1861.
Blanks I I Blanks !!!
BLANK
DEEDS
SUMMONSES
SUBPCENAES
EXECUTIONS
CONSTABLE'S SALES
Justice's, Constable's, and legal Blanks of all
kinds. Neatly and Correctly printed on good Paper
and f.r sale at the Office of the " North Branch
fetaoerat."
T IME AND BRICK, CHEAPER THAN AT
where else in the coun'y, for sale at
M* i. VERNOY'S
Mcshoppcn, Sept. 13, IS6I.
[From tho Carbondale Advance,]
The Prose of a Woman's
Life.
First, she is born, and the whole world knows,
That is tho commonest kind of prose,—
Commonest kind, as the census shows:—
Born, and swaddled, and bandeged tight,
Tn the middle of some cloud-blackened night,
By the ghostly, glimmering, dim lamp'a-light,—
When mortals are heavy, as pigs of lead,
Huddled and cuddled, snug in bed,
Heedless of all that is sung or said.
And the little " woman in white" gets miss'd
Colic J, and eatnip-toa'd, anl kis3ed,
And bounced ai out like a corn-mcal grist :
Practicing babyhood's grandest airs.—
.Simpering, pouting, in equal shares,
Till properly taught to lisp her prayers.
That nightly she sings-?ODgs, on battered knees,
Adding petitions, by sage degrees,
Till included all that she hears and sees.
***##.
Time iilts tho child up his laddor of years,
Now in dim) les, and now in tears, —
Woman's aspiring : and baby fears.
Far in the distance, dimly gleams,
'Along the foldings of care-st tched seams,
xhreads of gossamer, woven in dreams:—
Woof of ralienee, glancing bright,
In and out of th# di'jky light,
As fire-flies dance in tho black mi inight;
An l a dream of beauty, that all have had,
Sometimes torturing—sometimes glad,
Veineth ! er life-mesh sweetly sad.
But beautiful visions, and all bicst thinge,
Vanish on swift and invisible wings.
And only their echo sits and sings,—
S:ts flu 1 - lags, in the shady slopes,
Down woe re gilded our golden hopes,
As orioles wing through the greenwood copse.
, The maiden's heart hath a new-taugbt prayer,
! II r blue-veined h m l—oh, 'tis passing fair,
And she givcth it to a stranger's care ;
1 ayiig it softly in his own,
Trusting the pressure and the tone,
Will last, when the bridal Jays be flown.
Hut spring flowers fade in the blossoming year;—-
From the early frost there is inoro to fear,
Th.ai the blighting autumn's, chill and dresr.
And a touch of coldness creeps apace,
Over the love-warmth in his faee,
; And the roses droop in tho household vase.
And tears ruin diwn from her saddened eyes,
As she thinks of an orange-wreath that lies
Off in the dawn of her year of sighs ;
i Off in the dawn ! how strange it seems,
That tho heart lives on, though its broken dreams
Scattered lie in the morning's beams!
Drifting now from the happy shore, —
Leaving the robes that her girlhood wore—
Leaving the paths she will tread no moro.
Might sho but gather an armful of things—
Fa o 1 pictures and broken rings,
And a lock of hair, where the curl still clings.
then would she turn with her precious freight,
Back to the tread of her burdened fate—
Back, where the calls of duty wait.
*##***
What must the bride of a sad year do 1
Solace her lord with a savory stew,
Made by hnn Is with tho veius so blue !
And yvith tho pain in her womanly heart,
M<kc for dinner some delicate tart
Blinding the wife's with the house-maid's art
Solace herself w itli a needle and thread,
Stitching, and stitching, till weary hcaif
Droop ou a breast, with tho ho]>e-star fled
Over tho house, with an eye of care,
Watching for cob-webs everywhere,
Till wrinkles groove in her forehead fair.
Soothing the white dove on lier breast,
Moaning so in a babe unrest,
Murmuring songs that they both love best.
By and by, as the years steal on,
The red from the lovely lip is gone,
And the rose-cheek fade l, thin and wan,
Arid the Llu#-voined hands grow white each daj,
And the heavy life-sands drop away,
As though they would mingle with church-yard clay.
And then a tale that is told of all-
She falls, some day. as the pale leaves fall,
And the plaintive night-winds sigh o'er all.
STELLA. of Lackawanna.
K'-Y TRUE EDUCATION. —Educate your
children to aciivity, to enterprise, to fearless
ncss in what is right, to cowardice in what is
wrong. Educate them to mtke for them
selves the noblest purposes of life, and then
to follow them out. Educate them to de
spise suffering that stands in the way of the
accompli shrnant of many aims, and count it
as a iit'.ie thing. Make them free by lifting
them up into the storms of life, and not by
covering them down with soft and downy
plush.
—
Society, like shaded silk, must be viewed
in all situations, or its color will deceive us.
The Constitution as it is and theUuionas
it was is democratic creed.
Z Punch says that poverty must be a
woman—it is so fond ofpinchiug a persons.
"TO SPEAK IIIS THOUGHTS IS EVERY FREEMAN'S RIGHT."-Thomas Jefferson.
TUNKHANNOCK, PA., WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 1862.
LETTER FROM EX-PRES
-IDENT BUCHANAN,
IN REPLY TO GENERAL SCOTT.
On Wednesday last I received (he Nation
al Intelligencer, containing Gen. Scott's ad
dress to the public. This is throughout an
undisguised censure of my conduct during the
la-t months of tho administration, in regard to
the seven Cotton States now in rebellion.
From our past relations I was greatly surpris
ed at the appearance of such a paper. In one
aspect, however, it was highly gratifying. It
has Justified me, nay, it has rendered it ab
solutely necessary, that I should no longer re
main silent in respect to charges which have
been loDg vaguely circulating, but are now
endorsed by the responsible name of Gen.
Scott. •
I. The first and most prominant among
these charges is my refusal immediately to
garrison nine ennumerated fortifications, seat"
t ered over six of the Southern States, accord
ing to the reccommendation of Gen, Scott, in
his " views," addressed to the War Department
on the 29th and 30th of October, 1860. And
it has even been alleged that if this had been
done it miglu have prevented the civil war-
The refusal is attributed, without the least
cause, to the influence of Governor Floyd-
All my Cabinet must bear me witness that
I was the President myself, responsible for all
acts of the administration ; and certain it is
that during the last six months previous to
the 28th December, 1860, the day on which
he resigned his office, after my request, he ex
ercised less intluence on the administration
than an}* other member of the Cabinet. Mr-
Ilolt was immediately thereafter transferred
from the Post Office Department to that of
War ; so that, from this time until the 4th of
March, 1801. which was by far tho most im
portant peiiud of the administration, he per
formed the duties of Secretary of War to my
entire satisfaction.
But why did I not immediately garrison
these nine fortifications, in such manner, to
use the language of Gen. Scott' " as to attempt
to take any one of them by surprise or coup
de-main ridiculous ?" There is one answer
both easy and conclusive, even if other valid
reasons did not exist. There were no avail
able troops within reach which could be sent
to these fortifications. To have attempted a
military operation on a scale so extensive by
any means within the President's power
would have been si mply absurd. Of this
Gen. Scott himself seems to have been con
vinced, fir on the day after the date ot his
first " views" he addressed (on the 30th Oc
Tiber) supplemental views to the War De
partment, in which he states: lliere is one
(regular)company in iioston, one here, (at
the Narrows.) one at Pittsburg, one at Au
gusta. (Ga.,) one at Baton Rouge"—in ail
Jive companies only within reach to garrison
or reinforce the forts mentioned in the "views'
Five companies—four hundred men—to oc
cupy and reinforce nine fortifications in six
highly excited Southern States ! The force
" within reach" was so entirely inadequate
that nothing more need bo said on the sub
ject. To have attempted such a military op
eration with so feeble a force, and the Presi
dential election i upending, would have been
an invitation to collision and secession. In
deed, if the whole American army consist-
ing then of only sixteen thousand men, had
been " within reach'" they would have been
scarcely sufficient for this purpose. Such was
our want of troops that although Gen. Scott,
believing, in opposition to the opinion of the
committee raised in the House of Represen
tatives, that the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln
might be interrupted by military force, was
only able to assemble at Washington, so late
as the 4th March, six hundred and fifty three
men, rank and file of the array. And, to
make up this number, even the sappers and
miners were brought from West Point.
But why was there no greater force within
reach ? This question could bo better answer
ed by Gen. Scott himself than by any other
person. Our small regular array, with the
exception of a few hundred men, were
out of reach ou our remote frontiers, where it
had been continuouscly stationed for years,
to protect the inhabitants and the emigrants
on their way thither against the attacks of
hostile Indians. All were insufficient and
both Gen. Scott and myself had endeavored
in vain to prevail upon Congress to raise sev
eral additional regiments for this purpose.
In recommending this augmentation of the ar
my, the General states in his report to the
War Department of November, 1857, that " it
would not more than furnish tho reinforce
ments now greatly needed in Florida, Texas,
New Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington
(T.,) Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, leaving
not a company for Utah," Aud again, iu his
report of November, 1858, he says :
This want of troops to give reasonable
security to our citizens in distant settlements,
including emigrants on the plains, can scarcely
be too strongly stated ; but I will only add,
that as often as we have been obliged to
withdraw troops from one frontier'in order to
reinforce another, the weakened points have
been instantly attacked or threatened with
formidable invasion."
These " views" of General Scott exhibit
the crude notions then'prevailing even among
intelligent and patriotic men oa this suljeclof
secession. In the first sentence the General
whilst stating that " to save time the right of
secession may be conceded," yet immediately
says " this is instantly balanced by the correl
ative right on the part of the Federal Gov
ernment against an interior State or States to
re-establish by force if necessary, its former
continuity of territory." (For this he cites
" Paley's Moral and Political Philosophy,
last chapter." It may be there, but 1 have
been uuahle to find it,) Whilst it is difficult
to ascertain his precise meaning in this pass
age, he venders what ho did not mean quite
clear in his supplenentary " views." In these
he says: "It will be seen that the "views"
only apply to a case of secesssion that makes
a gap in the present U n ion.' t The falling off
say of Texas, or of all the Atlantic States,
from the Potomac south, (the very which
has occurred,) was not within the scope of
Gencal S's '' provisional remedies ;" that is to
say, to establish by force, if necessary, the
continuity of our territory. In his '• views''
he also states as followsßut break this
glorious Union by whatever line or lines that
political madness may contrive, and there
would be no hope of recruiting the fragments,
except by the laceration and despotism of the
sword. To effect such result the intestine
wars of our Mexican neighbors would, in com
parison. with ours, sink into mere child's
play." In the General's opinion " a smaller
evil (than these intestine wars) would be to
allow the fragments of the great Republic to
form themselves into new Confederacies, prob
ably four." lie then points out what ought
to be the boundaries between the new Unions .
and at the end of each goes so far as even to
indicate the cities which ought to be the cap
itals of the three first on this side of the Rocky
mountains, to wit, " Columbia. South Caroli
na," " Alton or Quincy, Illinois," and " Albany
New York," excluding Washington city al
together. This indication of capitals contain
ed in the origin;* now in my posession is cu
riously omitted in the version published
in the National Intelligencer. lie desig
nates no capital for the fourth Union on the
Pacific. The reader will judge what encour
agement these views, proceediug from so dis
tinguished a source, must have afforded to the
secessionists of the cotton States.
I trust I have said enough, and more than
enough, to convince every mind why I did
not. with a force of five companies, attempt
to reinforce Forts Jackson and St. Philip, on
the Mississippi; Fori Morgan, below Mobile;
Forts Pickens and M'Cree, in Pensacola har
bor ; Fort Pulaski, below Savannah; Forts
Moultrie and Sumpter, Charleston harbor)
and Fort Monroe, iu Virginia.
These " views," both original and suple
mentary, were published by General Scott in
the National Intelligencer of January, 18)
1861, at the most important and critical pe_
riod of the administration. Their publica
tion, at that time, could do no possible good,
and might do much harm. To have publish
ed them, without the President's knowledge
and consent, was as much in violation of the
sacred confidence which ought to prevail be
tween the commanding general of the army
and the commander-in-chief as it would have
been fer the Secretary of War to publish the
same documents without his authority.
What is of more importance, their publication
was calculated injuriously to affect the com
promise measures then pending before Con
gress and the country, and to encourage the
secessionists in their mad and wicked attempt
to shatter the Union iuto fragments. From
the great respect which I then entertained
for the General I passed it over in silence.
It is worthy of remark that soon after the
Presidential election, representat ions of what
these " views" contained, of more or less cor
rectness, were unfortunately circulated, espe
cially throughout the South. The editors of
the National Intelligencer , in assigning a rea
son for their publication, states that both in
public prints and in public speeches allusions
had been made to them, and some misappre
hensions of their character had got abroad.
II and 111 General Scott states that ho ar
rived in Washington on the 12th, and, ac
companied by the Secretary of War, held a
conversation vrith the President on the 15th
December. Whilst I have no recollection
whatever of this conversation, he doubtless
states correctly that I did refuse to send
three hundred men to reinforce Major An
derson at Fort Moultrie, who had not then
removed to Fort Suuipter. The reason for
this refusal is manifested to all who recollect
the history of the timo. But twelve days
before, in tho annual message of the 3d De
cember, I had urged upon Congress the adop
tion of amendments to the Constitution of
the same character with those subsequently
proposed by Mr. Crittenden, called tho" Crit
tenden Compromise." At that time high
hopes were entertained throughout the coun
try that these would be adopted. Besides, I
believed, and this correctly, as the event
proved, that Major Anderson was then in no
danger of attack. Indeed he and his com
mand were then treated with marked kind
nets by the authorities and people of Charles
ton. Under theso circumstances, to have
sent such a force there would have been only
to impair the hope of compromise, to pro
voke collision and disappoint the country.
There are some details of this conversation
in regard to which the General's memory
must be defective. At present I shall spec
°nl * V ° nU coul( * l,ot havc stated that
graph " Major Anderson of Fort Moultrie t->
hold tho forts (Moultrie and Sumpter) against
attack ;" because, with prudent precaution,
this had already been done several days be
fore through a special messenger sent to Ma
jor Anderson for this very purpose. I refer
to Majer Buell, of the army.
The General's supplementary note of the
same day, presenting to me General Jack
son's conduct in 1833, during the period of
nullification, as an example, requires no spe
cial notice. Even if the cases were not en
tirely different, I had previously determined
upon a policy of my own. as will appear from
my annual message. This was, every hazard,
to collect the customs at Charleston, and ont
side of the port, if need be, in a vessel of war.
Mr. Colcock, the existing collector, ae I had
anticipated, resigned his office about the end
of December, and immediately thereafter 1
nominated to the Senate as his sucsessor a
suitable person, prepared at any personal risk
to do his duty. That body, however, through
out its entire session declined to act on this
nomination. Thus without a collector, it was
rendered impossible to collect the revenue.
IV. General Scott's statement alleges that
"the Brooklyn, with Capt. Vodges' company
alone, left the Chesapeake for Fort Pickens
about January 22J, and on the 20th Presi
dent Buchanan, having entered into a quasi
armistice with certain leading seceders at
Pensacola and elsewhere, caused Secretaries
Ilolt and Toucey to instruct iu a joint note
the commander of the war vessels off Pensa
cola, and Lieut. Slemmer, commanding Fort
Pickens, to commit no act of hostility, and
not to land Capt. Vogdee' company unless
the fort should be attacked." He afterwards
states, within brackets, " That joint note I
never saw, but suppose the armistice was
consequent upon the meeting of the Peace
Convention at Washington, and was under
stood to terminate with it."
j These statements betray as ngular want
|of memory on the part of General Scott.
; It is scracely credible that this very joint note
presented in such odious colors was submit
ed to General Scott on the day it was pre
pared. (29th January), and met his entire
approbation. I would not venture to make
this assertion if I did not possess conclusive
evidence to prove it. On that day Secretary
Holt addressed me a note, from which the
following is an extract : u 1 have the satisfac
tion o1 saying, that on sbmitting the ppera to
General Scott, he expressed himself satisfied
xrith it, saying that there could be no object
ion to the arrangement in a military point of
view or otherwise ." this requires BO com
ment. That the General had every reason
to be satisfied with the arrrangement will ap
pear from the following statement :
A revolutionary outbreak had occurred ;ri
Florida ; the troops of the United States h n
been expelled from Pensacola and the adjacent
navy yard ; and Lieut. Slemmer, of the artil
lery, with his brave little command, had
been forced to take refuge in Fort Pickens'
where he was in imminent danger every mo
inent of beiug captured by a vastly superior
force. Owing to the interruption ofretMlar
communications Secretary Holt did not re'
ceive imformation of these event* until! -< r.
eral days after their occurrence, and f i
through a letter addressed to a third per-. n.
lie instantly informed the President of the
fact, and reinforcements, provisions, and inilh
tarystores were dispatch by the Brooklyn i-
Fort Pickens without a moment's unness.n
delay. She left Fortress Monroe on the 24ri
of January.
Well-founded apprehension were, howev.-i
entertained at the time of her departure that
the reinforcement, with the vessels of war at
no great distance from Fort Pickens, could
not arrive in time to defend it against tin -
impending attack. In this state of suspense,
and whilst Lieut. Sleminer was in extreme
peril, Senators Slidell, Hunter, and Bilger
recieved a telegraphic dispatch from Senator
Mallory, of Florida, dated at Pensacola, on
the 28th January, with the urgent request
that they should lay it before the President
This despatch expressed an earnest desire t<>-
maintain the peace, as well as the most posi
tive assurance that no attack would be made
on Fort Pickens if the present status should
be preserved.
This proposal was carefully considered,
both with a view to the safety of the fort and
to the unhappy effect which an actual collision
either at that or any other point might pro
ducc on the Peace Convention then about to
assemble at Washington. The result wa>
that a joint dispatch was carefully prepared by
the Secretaries of War and Navy accepting
the proposal, with important modification,
which was transmitted by telegraph on the
20th January to Lieutenant Sletnmer and t<
the naval commanders near the station. It
is too long for transcription ; suffice it to say
it was carefully guarded at every point for
the security of the fort and its free communi
cation with Washington.
The result was highly fortunate. The
Brooklyn had a long passage. Although she
left Fortress Monroe on the 24th January,
she did not arrive at Pensacola until the 6th
February. In the meantime, Fort Pickens,
with Lieutenant Slemmer, (whose conduct
deserves high commendation,) and his brave
little band were placed, by virtue of this ar
rangement, in perfect security until an ade
nuata l-ml <■■ >-; ".wi
[TEnivrs: si.ao peii. aiv
*or Wi' .-V General Sr.>tt express
Mtiefict' , *I'I r; s arrangement. Thjl I
Genera! *ra< correct in the supposition tha
this arrangement vast > expire on the
munition of tin Peace Convention jfl
V I*s' w !)■ u ci>me loan important pe|ilfl|
r: a!, when dates will be essentially uecessa l.jfl
ry to disentangle the statement of Gen ScottJ fi
Ihe South Carolina Commissioners were ap 'jfl
pointed on the 22nd, and arrived in Washing : ■
ton on the 21 th December. 7he day after Si
their arrival it wis ann< unced that Major |9
Anderson ha.i r> • from Fort Moultrie to
Fort bumpier. Tnis rendered them furious. 'l.l
On the same day they addressed an angry 1 ■
letter to the President demanding the sur- 1 S
render of Fort bumpter. The President an- > I
swered this letter on 30th December by a | I
peremptory refusai. This brought forth a ffl
reply from the Commissioners on the 2nd" ffl
January 1861 of such an insulting character H I
that the President instantly returned it to |
them with the following endorsement: "This | !
paper just presented to the President, is of P
such a character that he declines to receive <*;
it. From that time forward all friendly, | g
politic 1 and personal intercourse finally ceas
ed between the revolutionary Senators and pjll
'he President, a->d he was severely attacked
by them in Senate, especially by Mr. Jeffer- ?
son Davis. Indeed, their intercourse had ||
previously been of the coldest character ever 11
>ince the President's anti-secession message ?
at the commencement of the Session of Con- '
gress.
I nder these changed circumstances, Gen
eral Scott, by note on Sunday, the 30th De
cember, addressed the following inquiry to'
the President:
u Will the President permi' General Scott,
without reference to the War Deparament,'
and otherwise as secretly as possible, to send
two hundred and fifty recruits, from New-
York harbor, to rein.orce Fort Sumpter, to
gether with some extra muskets or rifles,
ammunition and subsistence i It is hoped'
that a sloop of war and cutter may be or
dcred for the same p irp<j-e to-morrow."
The General seem- nt - *ve then known
that Mr. Floyd wi< -ut >f tfice.
Never did a reque-o meet a more prompt
coraplience. It ws* receive' 1 on Sundav ev
ening December 30rn. O , Monday evening
General Scott cam- oc ; r, late me that
the Secretaries ad issued the i.ecessarv or
ders to the army and navy , fficer,. and that
they were in hi* p The Brooklyn
with troops, military stores and provisions
was to sail forthwith tmm Fortress Monroe
for Fort Snmpter. i am, therefore, utterly
at loss to imagine why the General, in his
statement, should have asserted that " the
South Carolina r n issi..r rs had already
been many dat . W- t> n and no move
ment of detent.-,- , , p..,., , f lh(f United
States) as pet ; - ' omm-ssmn
ere arrive I W-, , M „o 7 ri l)eCera .
ber ? : fas made to the
President on the 30th. It complied with
' ' "'g'e day i, ati that, r*>p
ments the ""many days" f-he General.
A ... ■ Qe awner - tbe fe-'e of
•' tV : ' ■ 1,1 refused to allow
anV ttemriT t.~ f-i i ; , i-.
v -ii. jtit — IH remtorce Fort
■
1 t'llg UegOtsA
iniuissioners
H " ' :! i - C m vain, to ob
'atn a snip ,( . se. were
ti,, ,t; i > obinrud tr ... ~
' r' ' ) toe pauenger
steamer- Star oft . Will itbeba
lieVe-i ti;u the sub (he u Star of
the West?' for the *t-' • ir tearar
Brooklyn, oi wi - va s
by the aiiv '- . G * ? £
have i vy. . , , n . ad
tbe su.t-u:.
At liit , tQbe .
ween if < ~ , tne even
ing of Monday i. . 31. U, vmber, I sug
gested to him I :!. althoin-i [ had not re
reived the South Carolina Commissioners in
! heir official capacity, but merely as private
gentlemen, yet it mig.-i he considered an im
proper act to send the Brooklyn with rein
forcements to Fort Sumpter until I had re
ceived an answer from them to my letter of
the proceeding day; that the delay could
not continue more than forty-eight hours
He promptly concurred in lids suggestion as
gentlemanly and projit-r. and the orders were
not transmitted to the Brooklyn thateven
ig. My anticpations were correct, for on
he m -ruing of the 2nd of Janoary I receiv
<d teir insolent ome, and sent it back to
hem. In the meantime, however, the Gen
t iai hau become convinced, by the represen
tations of a gentleman whom I forbear to
name, that the better plan, as the Secreta
ries of War and tl N ,vy informed me, to
-ecure -ecrecy and reach the
iort, would be -< u a iast side-wheel mer
cantile steamer ir- m New York with the re
ndorceraent. Accordingly the •• Star of tbo
U est was selected for this duty. The 6ul*\
stuutiou of this mercantile *teamer for the
Brooklyn which would have boon able to do
feud herself in case of attack. was reluctantly
>ielded by nio tu tf.e ,i ( . -'t rv judgment
ot Gen. Scott.
The c! ar g. <f ; . „ r quired a brief
space of time; out >,, , lhe We-t left
New York ft,r 0; . . the evening of
the oth •li-t o.ti.. , i iOv. tii.nuiaj
V r OL. 2, NO. ieM