Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 4. Page: 50
xvii, 865 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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OPERATIONS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.
service he also carried over from the yard 30 of the ordinary men, 30
muskets, a quantity of caps, and 4,600 cartridges to aid in the defense
of the fort. The formal orders' on this subject to Commander Walke
and Lieutenant Berryman are spread upon the record.
That I was anxious to supply Lieutenant Slemmer with all the aid in
my power is shown by the evidence of Lieutenant Gilman, in which it
is said that in the interview referred to I promised as many good men
as could be spared, and mentioned fifty, when Commander Farrand
said there could not be found more than thirty good, active young men;
and he adds, "During the discussion the commodore seemed anxious
to furnish as much assistance as possible."
From the 9th to the time of the surrender the Wyandotte and Supply
were in the service of Fort Pickens and cooperating with the com-
mander of that post. The force left in the yard consisted, as stated
by the witnesses, of'thirty-eight marines all told, and about thirty
ordinary men. There were no guns mounted save those of the saluting
battery, which, as shown by the gunner, could not have been used to
repel an attack. The yard itself, as is well known to the court, is not a
fortified position, but depends alone upon the forts which command the
entrance to the bay.
The force to which the yard surrendered consisted of uniformed com
panies, one of them cavalry, and all well armed with rifled muskets
and revolvers. The number has been variously estimated, the highest
estimate being that of Paymaster Warrington, who states it as from
700 to 800, and the lowest places it at 300. Some of this discrepancy
may be attributed to the fact that while certain witnesses speak of the
whole force, including those sent to the magazine, others confine them-
selves to the number who entered the yard at the time of the surren-
der. Captain Watson, of the marines, who had good opportunity for
judging, says 300 were quartered in the barracks, one company in the
assistant surgeon's house, and three or four companies, including one
company of horse and one of artillery, went to the Barrancas, making
in all 650. Averaging the several statements, and allowing for the
company stated by Mr. Porter to have been sent to the magazine, it
would give upward of 500.
I had proposed to Commander Farrand to arm the ordinary men, but
he objected on the ground that there were no cartridge boxes, and that
if they were supplied with arms and ammunition, from their dissolute
character they would be more dangerous to those inside of the yard
than the persons without. The disaffection existing among the men is
painted in strong colors by the witnesses, several of them stating they
were satisfied I could not have obtained the assistance of one of the
employes in defending the yard.
There is only one witness who says that any information was com-
municated to me in reference to any impending danger, and, without
intending to raise any issue of veracity with Mr. Abert, I can only say
I have no remembrance whatever of the conversation alleged by him
to have been held with me on the night of the 11th January, and that 1
do not believe any such took place. Be this as it may, his communica-
tion was confined to the expected arrival of troops that night at Pensa-
cola. He says that what he heard made an impression on his mind
that the yard would be attacked the next day, but that this impression
was not communicated to me.
I can truly say that there is nothing in the record to contradict it;
that I did not know, and had no reason to believe, that the yard would
See pp. 11, 12, 13, 14.50
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Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion: General Index (Book)
General index listing persons, naval units, ships, battles, and major subject headings mentioned in the "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion" volumes. Listings include the numbers for the series (Roman numerals) and volume (Arabic numbers) where the reference(s) can be found.
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United States. War Department. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series 1, Volume 4., book, 1896; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth192839/m1/73/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.