Winfield Scott to BALTIMORE, May 1, 1861, April 30, 1861

April 30, 1861.

April 30, 1861. Maj. Irvin McDoOWELL, Assistant Adjutant-General :

Dispatch immediately two companies of Pennsylvania volunteers to the navy-yard, with instructions they be sent forthwith in a steamer to re-enforce Fort Washington. Let them take their to-day’s provisions in their haversacks.

J. K. F. MANSFIELD, Colonel, Commanding.

WASHINGTON, May 1, 1861. Major-General PATTERSON, U.S. A., Commanding, éc. :

Sir: I am glad to learn that Brigadier-General Butler has re-enforced Fort McHenry, and hope that Maj. W. W. Morris may be soon sent there to command.

We still need eight or nine additional regiments of volunteers to give to this capital a reasonable security against a threatened attack. All the troops which have arrived here have been and are, with the exception of the Seventh New York Regiment, without camp equipage, and several regiments without accouterments.

In those essentials, we are here, and everywhere else, most deficient, although I gave orders to the Quartermaster-General five weeks ago on the subject of camp equipage, and to the Ordnance Department at the same time on the subject of the accouterments, and each order has been often repeated since.

vile

CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.—UNION.

But even with the same deficiencies, we must have here the additional regiments, some of which, it is supposed, may be spared from those already at Annapolis. To save time in writing, I put this letter (open) v4 under cover to Brigadier-General Butler, to be read and forwarded. The governor of Maryland writes that it. is reported a new regiment from New York, called the Zouaves, threatens to force its way to Washington through Baltimore. This is not fully credited. That operation, if it become necessary, must be duly authorized and methodized in the manner I have heretofore indicated in my letters to you.

With high respect, yours,

very respectfully,

BALTIMORE, May 1, 1861.

Yesterday sent our master of transportation to Washington to wait

upon Mr. Scott and yourself about arranging for the reopening of business and intercourse between Baltimore and Washington. He conferred fully with Mr. Scott, who advised that he would represent our

views and wishes to you, under which Mr. Smith considered it unnecessary to trouble you directly with the subject.’ We have not as yet

received any response. For more than ten years past we have run four

regular passenger trains daily each way between Baltimore and Washington, and at least one freight train. We now ask the privilege of