Letter from the Commander of Fort Gaines.
The Mobile Advertiser publishes some extracts from a letter from Colonel C. D. Anderson, who surrendered Fort Gaines, and is now in prison at New Orleans. The letter is to his wife, and is given to the public in defence of Colonel Anderson's fame He says:‘ I was compelled to surrender Fort Gaines through feelings of mercy for my officers and men, who earnestly appealed to me. The position was utterly untenable, the fleet having passed and an overwhelming force besieging by land, the only three guns with which I could have responded to the fleet disabled, my picked line driven back to the last notch, the ditches and swept from every direction by the shell, no safe shelter in the miserable apology for a fortification, two sick men having been killed in what was considered the best casemate, threatened with a tremendous conflagration from the buildings within, and the magazine in great danger of being blown up, and all hope of escapes, or of accomplishing the slightest good by holding out, gone. I did not consider Mobile in danger, for the enemy had evidently not come prepared for anything except to gain the harbor for safe anchorage and as a preliminary step towards further operations in the fall. As soon as the fleet ran in, Colonel Williams retreated with his command, and therein acted more sensibly than any of us. The whole line ought to have been prepared for the same thing. Under these circumstances, my command was seized with the appalling conviction that our case was hopeless, and seemed paralyzed with the prospect of certain and useless destruction. I realized all these horrors of the situation, but said nothing and continued diligently to make the necessary dispositions and give encouragement, being resolved on making the best fight that was possible. When, however, the officers came to me after midnight, while I was hard at work, and expressed themselves so decidedly in favor of surrender, and assured me that their men concurred with them, I saw at once that nothing more could be done. You may imagine with what crushing humiliation this conclusion came upon me, for as yet I had only sixteen or seventeen men killed and wounded, and knew that it was expected of me to do something more for reputation and the honor of the flag.
I expected to be ostracised, and as I could not maintain the etiquette of the military code without exhibiting too much selfishness, nothing was left me but to consult the great natural and moral law which prompted me to do exactly as I did. I might have got out of the scrape by demanding to be relieved, but I thought that would only make matters worse, for had any other officer, even General Page, himself, attempted to fight that fort another hour, I feel satisfied that there would have been mutiny and a really disgraceful surrender at last.
I see it has been stated that I acted contrary to the express orders of General Page. This is not true. I previously intimated to him my condition, and that I would soon have to succumb, but he only charged me to do the best I could. He knew quite well that the fort could not hold out or make a fight, and that the time for orders from him had passed. I am also blamed for not answering his signals. My reason for this is, that negotiations were then pending, under flag of truce, and therefore I had no right to communicate. As regards my not consulting him about the surrender, I was cut off and surrounded, and could only act on my own responsibility. Besides this, Captains Smith and Thom had visited Fort Gaines only the night previous, and foreseeing the inevitable result, they told me that the General left the matter entirely with me. General Page also came over while I was at the fleet, and learning the whole state of affairs, why did he not assume command and illustrate, just for one day, the mad, forlorn and unavailing desperation of making a human slaughter-pen of Fort Gaines? Instead of this, however, he returned immediately, thus avoiding any implication, which, for his sake, was exactly what I desired, as I entertained the highest possible regard for General Page, and felt conscientiously that I was doing the best that could be done under the circumstances. I regret exceedingly to suspect that the General had not as much charity for me.
As for other calumnies so liberally bestowed on me, I shall not trouble myself to refute them. I am heartily sustained by my whole command in the course I pursued, who alone could fully appreciate the circumstances of our position, and hence I confidently expect to be sustained by the fathers, mothers, wives, sisters and little children represented in that command. * * * * *
Rest assured that it will come right after awhile. Meantime do not suffer yourself to be annoyed by what you may hear derogatory to me. * *
You cannot conceive the curious and absurdly false rumors about us that are in circulation even amongst the Southern sympathizers here, such for instance as "that I am a Baltimore Plug-ugly and sold Fort Gaines, and that numbers of us are taking the cath of allegiance to the United States," &.--Our friends here are rapidly arriving at the truth, however, and the ladies, who are still fondly devoted to our cause, are viewing with each other in doing us honor and kindness, though we are not permitted to look upon their faces. The Yankees will not allow us to do so, because they say they cannot control the ladies. Verily, a more loyal people to the South cannot be found.
I will write you in my next of my condition here which is anything but pleasant. I am quite well at present.
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