Joseph Holt to Benjamin Stanton, January 3, 1861

Hon. BENJAMIN STANTON, Chairman Committee on Military Affairs, House of Representatives :

Sir: In answer to your letter, asking for information on certain points specified in a resolution adopted by the Committee on Military Affairs of the House of Representatives on the 15th ultimo, I have the honor to state as follows:

According to the latest report of the Engineer officer having charge of the construction of the defenses of the harbor of Charleston, everything practicable had been done to place Fort Moultrie in an efiicient condition, and, with a proper garrison, it was deemed susceptible of an energetic defense. There were then employed at that work an officer and one hundred and twenty workmen, independent of regular garrison.*

On the evening of the 26th ultimo Maj. Robert Anderson, First Artillery, in command of the troops in Charleston Harbor, apprehensive of the safety of his command from the insecurity of the fort, and having reason to believe that the South Carolinians contemplated or were preparing to proceed to a hostile act. against him, and desiring to prevent a collision and effusion of blood, evacuated Fort Moultrie, after leaving orders for spiking the cannon and disabling some of the carriages, and removed his forces to Fort Sumter, where they now are. Castle Pinckney was at the date of the latest report in good condition as regards preparation, and with a proper garrison as defensible as it can be made. One officer and thirty workmen were engaged in the repair of the cisterns, replacing decayed banquettes, and attending to other matters of detail.

Since the date of the reports referred to, Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney have been taken possession of by troops of the State of South Carolina, acting under the orders of the governor, and are now held by those troops, with all the armament and other public property therein at the time of their seizure. I inclose a statement (No.1) of the number and description of ordnance and arm§ at the date of the last returns at Fort Moultrie, Castle Pinckney, and Charleston Arsenal, respectively.

__ That arsenal, with all its contents, was also taken possession of on the

30th ultimo by an armed body of South Carolina troops, acting under orders of the governor of the State, as represented in the following report of Frederick C. Humphreys, military storekeeper of ordnance,

This arsenal was taken by force of arms by the militia of South Carolina, by order of Governor Pickens. The commanding officer was allowed to salute his flag before ing it with one gun for each State now in the Union (thirty-two), and to take it

_ with him, and the detachment to occupy the quarters until instruction from Washing_ ton can be obtained.

At that time the force under his control consisted of nine, enlisted

_ soldiers of ordnance and six hired men.

*See De Russy to Floyd, December 20, 1860, p. 99.

The other information asked for in regard to the number and deseription of arms “distributed since the Ist day of January, 1860, and to. whom and at what price,” will be found in the accompanying statements (Nos. 2.and 3) from the Ordnance Bureau.* ~ It isdeemed proper to state, in further explanation of statement No. 2, that where no distribution appears to have been made to a State or Territory, or where the amount of the distribution is small, it is because such State or Territory has not

ealled for all the arms due on its quotas, and remains a creditor for dues not distributed, which can be obtained at any time on requisition therefor.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,