Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part II
Lord Lyons to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I am instructed by her Majesty’s principal secretary of state for foreign affairs to call your attention to the accompanying despatches, with their enclosures, addressed by the lieutenant governor of New Brunswick to her Majesty’s secretary of state for the colonies, relative to some shot fired from a battery in course of construction on a small island near Eastport, between the coast of Maine and Campobello, having fallen upon the British territory of Campobello.
[Page 768]In bringing to your knowledge the circumstances set forth in the enclosed papers I am instructed to state that her Majesty’s government suppose the firing to have been unintentional.
I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c., &c.
Hon. A. H. Gordon to the Duke of Newcastle.
My Lord Duke: During the course of the past week I paid a visit to the island of Campobello.
2. Immediately on my arrival my attention was arrested by a new battery in the course of construction on a small island between the coast of Maine and Campobello, in the immediate vicinity of the latter. When I previously visited Campobello, in the month of May, this battery had not been commenced. It is now, however, rapidly approaching completion.
3. I enclose a rough sketch of the plan of this battery. It is armed with five guns, three of which are 52 pounders, and the remaining two 28-pounders, said to be rifled; a barrack for fifty men is also in course of erection in rear of the battery.
4. A precisely similar battery is in the course of erection near the town of Eastport, at a point called Todd’s Head.
5. Without attaching any undue importance to these erections, the construction of which is probably mainly due to electioneering influences, I think it my duty to report the fact of their existence to your grace; and I may remark, with respect to the battery on St. Croix or Treat’s island, that its position is one which renders it less a protection to Eastport than a menace to Campobello. Other sites might have been chosen which would have commanded the entrance to Eastport, but from that which has been adopted it will be almost impossible, in time of peace, to fire even for practice, as any shot from three if not four of the guns must necessarily, however aimed, fall in the town of Welshpool, in Campobello, or in its immediate vicinity.
The enclosed map will show the position of the two batteries. That on Treat’s island is only half a mile from the shore of Campobello.
I have, &c.,
His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, K. G., &c., &c., &c.
Lieutenant Governor the Hon. A. H. Gordon, to Mr. Cardwell.
Sir: In my despatch to his grace the Duke of Newcastle, of October 26, 1863, I reported the erection of certain batteries by the United States authorities in the immediate neighborhood of the island of Campobello, in this province, and I remarked that “the position of the battery on Treat’s [Page 769] island was one which rendered it less a protection to Eastport than a menace to Campobello. Other sites might have been chosen which would have commanded the entrance to Eastport, but from that which has been adopted it will be almost impossible, in time of peace, to fire even for practice, as any shot from three if not four of the guns must necessarily fall in the town of Welshpool, in Campobello, or its immediate vicinity.”
2. The correspondence which I now enclose will show that my anticipations in this respect have proved to be correct.
3. You will no doubt observe that no irritation is displayed by Captain Robinson, in his letter, and that the best possible spirit has been manifested on both sides.
4. I, of course, do not attach any great practical importance to this affair, but it is, perhaps, as well to call attention to the fact of the existence of a battery, the guns of which cannot be fired without throwing their shot into her Majesty’s dominions. The “Head” referred to is equally on the island of Campobello, and a shot glancing from it might easily do serious mischief.
I have, &c.,
Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, &c., &c., &c.
Captain Robinson to the Hon. A. H. Gordon.
Sir: I herewith have the honor to enclose for your excellency’s information copies of a correspondence between a volunteer officer of the United States in charge of the new batteries erected near Eastport and others in the State of Maine, and myself.
It appears on Friday, the 12th instant, a party went to Treat’s island battery and fired ,three shots against the “Friar’s Head.” For the first one the gun was depressed, so as to make the shot strike the water, the party firing evidently knowing so little of artillery practice that they were unaware that by doing so it must ricochet once or twice in the line of fires and the pointed longitudinal shot used is worse for doing so than the spherical. The other two shots being directly pointed at the Head, struck and did no harm.
They have got their guns beautifully mounted, and shells, shot, and ammunition of all sorts, with a corporal and twelve men in charge at Treat’s island, who are what are called nine-months men, and the same at the other battery off Dog island.
I do not see how they can fire a shot from either of these batteries without going into British territory, which your excellency saw when here last year; it is now, I think, put a stop to, but at the same time it is difficult to convince men who have not been brought up to military service of the danger of firing shot into neutral territory, whether any harm is done or not.
We hear to-day that a confederate cruiser is destroying United States vessels off Mount Desert; there is a gunboat at Eastport, now called the Pontusuc.
There are also a large number of men who, having completed their term of servitude in the army, have returned to Quebec and Eastport within these few days, and are not the most orderly people in the world.
I have, &c.,
His Excellency the Hon. A. H. Gordon.
Captain Robinson to Captain Hutchinson.
Sir: I yesterday went over to Treat’s island, for the purpose of seeing you and calling your attention to the practicing the guns of the battery upon that island upon Friar’s Plead,” (so called.) in Campobello, and also to the fact of a shot having ricocheted over the “Head” during that practice, on Thursday, the 12th instant, passing over a house, and striking the ground near a barn occupied by a man named Taylor.
I had waited until then, hoping to have heard from you some explanation of the circumstances, having not the slightest doubt that the latter circumstance was purely accidental.
But in your position of commandant of a fort you must, on consideration, be aware that pouring shot into a friendly and neighboring territory, without permission, is entirely against the laws of nations, and even owning the soil. I much question whether it would have been in my power to have gran-ted permission, supposing it to have been asked, as the sovereignty of the soil lies in the nation, not in the individual. It is far from my wish to create any ill feeling on this occasion, or in any unnecessary way to magnify the importance of the thing, being, as I thoroughly believe, purely a piece of inadvertence; but it will be necessary for you to be so good as to tell me so in writing, and also that the same may not happen again, to enable me to answer any inquiries that may be put to me by the English authorities.
I have, &c.,
Captain Hutchinson, United States Navy, &c., &c., &c.
Captain Hutchinson to Captain Robinson.
Captain: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this date. In reply, I would say it was not my intention to practice the battery on the island until I had received permission from you; but on that day, having some military company who, wishing to see the effect of two or three shot against the Head, and not having the least idea that the shot would miss the Head, I took the liberty to fire three shots; and to guard against doing any injury, I was careful to have the gun depressed so as to have the shot fall short, rather than run the risk of carrying over the Head; but, contrary to my expectations, the first shot, as it afterwards proved, ricocheted after striking the water, and passed over the Head, striking as you stated in your letter. At the time we all thought the ball lodged against the ledge, and not until the next day did I know of the facts. I went over immediately on learning the circumstances of the case, and saw Mr. Parker, who showed me where the shot struck. I followed the course and found the shot in an adjoining pasture; the other two shots I found on the beach, under the Head. I was treated very kindly by Mr. Parker and others, whom I met while on the island, and to whom I apologized, assuring them it would not be repeated, at the same time intending to call on you and do the same. Circumstances since the affair have been such I have been unable to do so. Hoping the affair will create no ill feelings, I will [Page 771] do myself the honor to call upon you personally at the earliest opportunity, and give, perhaps, a more satisfactory explanation.
I remain, &c.,
T. Robinson, T, P. and Captain R. N, Campobello, N B.