General Terry and
Colonel Hawley from Morris Island, before Charleston, called on me. Both are
prejudiced against Dahlgren, and the two are acting in concert. They come from
Gillmore and have a mission to perform, which they at once proceeded to execute
by denouncing Dahlgren as incompetent, imbecile, and insane. They represent him
to be totally unfit for his position, and have many severe censures, some of
which I think are unmerited and undeserved. They submit the correspondence
between Gillmore and Dahlgren. I am satisfied they are, at least in some
respects, in error, and Dahlgren has been feeble from illness. He is proud and
very sensitive and the strictures of the press he would feel keenly. Those of
his subordinates who belonged to the Du Pont clique do not love him, nor do
some of his professional brethren become reconciled to his advancement. His honors,
as I anticipated they would, beget disaffection and have brought him many
unpleasant responsibilities. His cold, selfish, and ambitious nature has been
wounded, but he is neither a fool nor insane as those military gentlemen
represent and believe. Both Dahlgren and Gillmore are out of place; they are
both intelligent, but they can better acquit themselves as ordnance officers
than in active command.
After maturely
considering the subject of the proposed purchase of a naval vessel by the
Venezuelan Government or the unaccredited Minister, I
wrote Mr. Seward my doubts, informed him that the whole responsibility must
rest with him, and inclosed a letter to Stribling, stating it was written at
the special request of the Secretary of State, which letter he may or may not
use.
SOURCE: Gideon
Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and
Johnson, Vol. 1: 1861 – March 30, 1864, p. 474-5
