I received a dispatch last evening about midnight, from
Lieutenant-Commander Preston on board the Santiago de Cuba at Fortress Monroe,
having been sent off from Wilmington by Admiral Porter. The information is not
altogether satisfactory. The powderboat was blown up about three hundred yards
from Fort Fisher. No mention is made of results. I apprehend nothing serious.
Have had no faith in this experiment at any time. I fear Porter relied too much
upon it, and should not be surprised if the expedition would have done better
without than with it. The troops are said to have disembarked above Fort
Fisher, to have taken some earthworks and prisoners, and then to have
reëmbarked. This reads of and like Butler. I will not prejudge the men or
movements.
Mr. Seward sent me to-day a line from Thurlow Weed, who
wanted the pardon or release of Stover. I sent Mr. Seward word how I had
disposed of a similar application from the opposite party, viz.
declining to furnish copies to outside parties who were in controversy.
Mandates from the court must be respected. He made a second application with
similar result, and directly after the second call I received an application
from Mr. Brown, agent for the opposite parties, stating the court had granted a
commission which would be here to-morrow with interrogatories to examine me and
the Assistant Secretary. Calling on Mr. Seward in the afternoon, I showed him
Brown's letter. He advised me not to testify nor to give any copies of any
record. I told him there might be some difficulty or complaint. He said no, he
always refused; told of their sending an officer on one occasion to arrest him,
[and that] he applied to and got from the War Department a guard. It was all
under the authority of the President, who would refuse to give copies of the
record and restrain the heads of Department from acting as witnesses in such
cases. I told him I had received no such authority from the President and
should prefer to have it in writing from the President himself. I added that if
he knew what was the President's order or position, he could put it in writing
on the back of the paper of Brown, and I would stop and get the President's
signature. He took up a pen, but dropped it and said it had better not be in
his handwriting.
After being out a little time, he returned, followed soon
after by Mr. Hunter with a paper a little longer than seemed to me necessary,
and with an unfinished sentence. I remarked that the President might say
if he thought proper the public interest required this testimony should be
withheld. But this did not suit S., who directed how the paper should be
finished.
Returning, I called on the President, who had a large crowd
in attendance, chiefly females. I stated briefly the case and handed him the
paper, which he carefully read, but said he should want to think of the subject
some before putting his name to the paper. I told him I was glad of it, and
would leave the paper with him and would call at ten to-morrow for an answer,
provided he should then be ready to give one. This met his approval.
SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles,
Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 2: April 1, 1864 —
December 31, 1866, p. 210-2
