Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/115

Letter of Stephen R. Mallory, 1861 and every Senator of the Border States. Upon full consultation it was unanimously agreed to send a telegram to Chase telling him that the capture of the work was not worth in the then condition of affairs one drop of blood. The Senators of Texas. Louisiana, Mississippee [sic]. Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and Florida signed it and the original I have, but Chase had no idea of assaulting it beleiving [sic] it to be madness to do so. As Chairman of the Naval Committee I was of course kept advised more or less of the designs of the Navy Department, and I thus learned that four Ships of War were ordered to Pensacola, with heavy batteries. Upon inquiring I found they were ordered to sail into the Harbor lie close to the Fort and cooperate with it. I knew that Barrancas and McRae were reported by Chase to be untenable, that the few heavy guns were spiked and dismounted, that he could not raise a finger to prevent the entrance of these ships, and that if even he could it would entail upon us the firing of the first gun, and ensure the destruction of these works and the Navy Yard.

Hence after full consideration with our Southern Senators, I exerted every argument with the President and Secretary to keep them out at Sea, and at last by asserting boldly that we would raise said batteries and sink them at their anchors, that their coming in was a warlike menace, That I would man and fire the first gun myself etc etc. I got them to countermand their orders and to render this secure I induced the Secty to sent Capt Barron U. S. Navy with me to Pensacola, who proceeded to every ship as she came in sight of the Port and warned her off. Thus they were kept out and we were not demoralized by their presence, and they are still with two additional vessels at sea off the Port. But for this these ships would have entered the Port unmolested.

On my way home I saw by the telegraphic news that the Brooklyn was ordered with troops to reinforce "Pickins". This I know was not the work of the President or Secretary, but of Holt and Scott. I went at once to Chase and asked him whether he could prevent the reinforcement and he answered me that he could not and would not attempt it. I knew he could not from the location of the Fort and their command of the sea. But I also knew that its reinforcement in the face of the thousand troops we had on our side would be a triumph to the enemy, and in connection with a few friends I sent a dispatch to Slidell Hunter