And now (Nov 27)
Count Gurouski65 tells me that
Prentice66 has come out, in bitter denunciation of Cameron — in shape of a Washington correspondent of the
Louisville Journal. The Count
assumes, very reasonably, that Prentis is the author.
[Marginal Note.]
Since then, I learn that Prentice disclaims the authorship of the letter, and
says that Cameron was misunderstood.
Note, in this
connexion — The other day, Mr. Blair joked Cameron with a newspaper quotation (real or suppositious
[sic] ) to the effect that he (C.[ameron]) had fairly elbowed Fremont67
out of his place, and himself quietly taken his seat in [the] stern-sheets of
the Abolition boat!
Nov 27. No news
yet from Pensecola [sic], beyond the first rumor that our forces were
bombarding the rebel forts.68
From Mo. — a
telegram from Gov Gamble69 confirms the report [that] Genl. Price70
has turned and is moving north towards the centre of the State. This movement
is, I think not prompted by Price himself, as a separate enterprise agst. Mo.,
but is part of the genl. plan of the enemy. As long ago as last March, I told
the Cabinet that the real struggle must be in the valley of the Mississippi.71
And now, that it is apparent that the rebel army of the Potomac can do nothing
but hold the Capitol [sic] in siege, and that the enemy cannot defend the
seaboard, it is the obvious policy of the enemy to [strengthen] the defence of
the Mississippi, and to that end, they must fortify the river, and for that
purpose they must have time to remove men and artillery, and therefore it is
wise in him to keep us fully occupied in Mo. and Kentucky.
That is clearly
the policy of the enemy. And as clearly it is our policy to assume the
aggressive, and, at almost any hazard, to cut his communications, and prevent
as far as possible, the removal of heavy guns from the East to the west — from
Va. and the coast to the Missi[ssippi].
Today I spent
chiefly in business preliminary to the coming session of the S.[upreme]
C.[ourt] called at the clerk's office, ex[amine]d. the docket, the C[our]t.
room, my own closet, and recd, many kind suggestions from Mr. Carroll,72
the clerk, about the details of business. Called on C.[hief] J.[ustice] Taney,73
and had a conversation much more pleasant than I expected. Called also on Judge
Wayne74 and had an agreeable talk. I infer from the remarks of both
the judges that, probably, but little business will be done, and that not in as
strict order as is usual.
At night, Count
Gurouski called to see me, and talked, as usual, very freely — quite as bitter
and censorious as ever. Just now, he seems to have a special spite against the
diplomatic corps — all of them except Baron Gerolt of Prussia, and Mr. Tassara
of Spain — He says all of them except Gerolt, were in a furious flutter about
the capture of Slidell and Mason75 — declaring that it was an
outrage and that England would be roused to the war-point, &c. that Gerolt quietly
said — pish! the thing is right in itself, and if it were not, England wd.
no[t] go to war for it —
The Count gave me
a short biographical [sketch] of most of the ministers — e g
1. L[or]d. Lyons,76
son of the Admiral who won the peerage. Of a respectable but humble family —
L[or]d. L.[yons] he says, has an uncle who is a farmer near Chicago.
2. Mr. Mercier77
(of France) only plainly respectable. Born in Baltimore, where his father was
French consul[.]
3. Mr. Tassara78
of Spain — really a great man — a wonderful genius — of respectable but not
noble origin — at first a news-paper writer — then a distinguished member of
the Cortes, and secretary thereof (the 2d. office in its gift)[.]
4. Mr. Stoekel79
(of Russia) nobody in Russian society, though personally worthy. As a minister,
admitted of course to court, but not recd, at all in the aristocratic society
of Petersburg. His wife is American — A Yankee — a very clever lady[.]
5. Count Piper,80
of Sweden, the only genuine aristocrat, of ancient and high descent. He is the
lineal descendant of the famous Count Piper, Minister of State of king Charles
XII81 — a man of no great talents, but of high and honorable
principles[.]
6. Baron Gerolt82
of Prussia. A very amiable and learned gentleman. Of noble connexion, but not
himself noble, until the last few years, when he was made a baron, by the
influence of Humboldt,83 who was his friend and patron.
Gerolt was
well-learned in mineralogy and mining, and (upon Humboldt's recommendation)
served some years in Mexico, as director of silver mines for an English
company. He is skilled in various sciences, and is the only foreign diplomat
who maintains close relations with American savan[t]s.
7. Chivalier
[sic] Bertenatti,84 of Italy. Of no high connexions. Educated for
the priesthood, but not ordained. For sometime a journalist. A man of fair
talents, but not at all distinguished by the gifts of nature or fortune, except
that he is minister of the rising state of Italy.
[Marginal] Note.
In this same conversation the Count said that it was well enough to give Capt
Wilkes85 the credit of originality and boldness in seising Mason and
Slidell, but, in fact, the Secy, of State sent orders to the consul at Havanna
[sic] , to notify Wilkes and tell him what to do.86
_______________
65 Adam, Count Gurowski, Polish
revolutionist and author who had lived in the United States since 1849;
translator in the State Department.
66 Supra, Nov. 20, 1861, note 60.
67 Frémont had tried to free slaves and confiscate Confederate property by a
military order revoked by Lincoln. Supra, Oct. 22, 1S61, note 24.
68 On November 22 Fort Pickens and the
men-of-war Niagara and Richmond began a two days’ bombardment of Fort McRee and
other Confederate fortifications. On January 1, 1862, there was another
artillery exchange. But it was not until May 9, 1862, that the Confederates
burned and evacuated the forts and the Navy Yard at Pensacola.
69 Supra, July 23, 1859, note 39.
70 Sterling Price: Democratic congressman,
1845—1846 ; brigadier-general of volunteers in the Mexican War; governor of
Missouri, 1853-1857 ; major-general of Missouri Confederate militia under
Confederate Governor Jackson (supra, Jan. 9, 1860, note 15). He had been driven
out of St. Louis by General Lyon, but later defeated and killed Lyon in one
engagement, and captured 3,000 Missourians in another, before he was forced to flee.
And his raids, or threats of them, continued to harass Missouri.
71 Supra, March 16, April 15, Aug. 27, 1861;
also May 27, 1859.
72 William T. Carroll, a grand-nephew of
Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was clerk of the Supreme Court from 1827 to
1862.
73 Roger B. Taney: eminent Maryland lawyer;
attorney-general of Maryland, 1827-1831; attorney-general of the U. S.,
1831-1833 ; secretary of the Treasury, 1833-1834 ; chief justice of the U. S.
Supreme Court, 1835-1864. He wrote the decision in the famous Dred Scott case
of 1857 and tried in vain to restrain the arbitrary governmental infringements
of personal liberty during the Civil War.
74 James M. Wayne: judge of the Superior
Court of Georgia, 1824-1829; Democratic congressman, 1829-1835; now justice of
the U. S. Supreme Court, 1835-1867.
75 Supra, Nov. 16, 1861.
76 Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary from Great Britain, 1858-1865. Supra, Sept. 26, 1860, note 24.
77 Henri Mercier, Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary, 1860-1863.
78 Gabriel Garcia y Tassara, Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, 1857-1867.
79 Edward de Stoeckl, Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary, 1854-1868. He it was who negotiated the sale of
Alaska.
80 Edward, Count Piper, Minister Resident of
Sweden, 1861-1864, and Charge d’Affaires of Denmark, 1863.
81 Sweden's soldier-king who ruled from 1697
to 1718.
82 Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary, 1843[?]-1871.
83 Alexander, Baron von Humboldt, wealthy
German naturalist, traveler, diplomat, author, who was a close friend of the
King of Prussia.
84 The Chevalier Joseph Bertinatti, Minister
Resident, 1S61-1S67.
85 Supra, Nov. 16, 1861, note 46.
86 The State Department has no record of
such an instruction from Seward. On the contrary, Seward wrote confidentially
to Charles F. Adams in Great Britain on November 27: “The act was done by
Commander Wilkes without instructions, and even without the knowledge of the
Government." John B. Moore, A Digest of International Law, VII, 768.
SOURCE: Howard K. Beale, Editor, The Diary of Edward Bates 1859-1866, p. 203-6
