The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-02-29
against the Spanish provinces & territories
ia America.
CHARGE VI.

ao.iHse the opahish provinces 6 tcrrltor;c!
ia America.
CHARGE VI.
| Oisobcdience of orders.
! ShecyfcGlion. In that the said brigadicl
general James Wilkinson, being then in com
niand CT the troops assembled at n. Orleans
was, ny, written orders and instructions
from the War Department, dated April SOth
lSO9, required and directed to give the ne
cessaiy orders for the Immediate removal
OF sad troops to the high ground in the rear
OF Fort Adams, and to the high ground in
1ne rear OF Natchez, IN the Mississippi ter
ritory, referring to his discretion to occuDv
those stations respectively with such Dor
ton OF the troops as he should Judge most
convenient and proper; which order and in
structions the said General Wilkinson who'll
~ neglected and refused to obey, and did,
thereafterwartis, in the month of June fol-
lowing, cause sad troops to be removed in
contrary direction to "a station called ,rerre
au Lieut., below New-Orleans, at which sta
tion ne formed an encampment and re-
manned until the month of September follow
ing.
CHARGE VII.
| Neglect of duty.
Specification i. In that the said General
Wilkinson permitted bad and unwhdlesome
provisions to be issued to, and consumed by,
the troops under his command, during the
summer and autumn of 1909, and did not
exercise the right of commanding officer, in
| respect to the execution of the contract made
by James Morrison with the War Depart
ment, for supplying provisions, as provided
IN the End, 4th and 5th articles of said con-
tract.
Specification 9. In not selecting, previ-
GUS to the removal of the troops to the Mis-
sissippi territory, in September, 1909, and
IN not leaving at the hospital in New-Or-
leans, under the care of proper officers and
physicians, such of the sick and convalescent
as could not be removed without manifest &
increased danger of their lives, and i'm SO
distributing the men in the transports, when
removing, as to incommode and endange r
both the sick and well, thereby disregarding
and defeating the primary object of the or
der for removal.
Specification, in not ordering the mill
tary agent at New-Orleans to make the ne
cessary advances of money to the brigade
and regimental quarter-masters, and in not
giving orders tor the troops to receive their
pay, clothing, medicines and hospital stores.
which were in readiness for them in New
Orleans at the time of their ascending the
river i'll September, 1909.
CHARGE VIII.
Mlsapplication and waste of public money
and supplies.
Specification l. In that the said General
Wilkinson, in May, 1905, ordered the as
sistant military agent at Pittsburg to paw
for the transportation of his private proper
ty from Baltimore, out of the public money
and place the same to the account of pub
lie transportation for military service.''
Specification 2. In hating detachment
OF the army. at Louisville, Kentucky, in
February. 1909, consisting of several compa-
MES, which detachment was descending the
Ohio in transports, and in then and there
OBTAINING said detachment to take on board
ten horses, the private property of said Gen
! wilkinson, which horses were transported
III public boats to New-Orleans by his or
der, and were fed at public expence for
lseveral months.
| ofecDcdfton 5. In authorship certificates
to be annexed to the provision abstracts
OF the army contractor to enable the contrac-
tor to eceive from govt the full price of good
q wholesome provisions, when it was we'll
known to the said Gen. Wilkinson that great
portion OF the provisions comprised in those
abstracts, so passed in the summer and au-
tumn OF 1909, were understandable and un-
! fit for use.
To which charges and specifications Gen
eral Wilkinson pleaded +" Not Guilty."
| Wednesday, Dec. 25th1 1911.
The court being cleared, proceeded to
form and deliver it's defnitive sentence as
follows, viz
On the first charge, and the ten specifica-
lions attached to that charge, CATER hearing
all the evidence both for and against the
accused, and due delberation being had
thereon) the court is of opinion, that they are
not supported, and therefore acquit Briga-
dier-General Wilkinson of all and each of
! them.
| 1t is due to the nature and magnitude of
/ TINS trial to state, thatthc testimony adduced
/ III support Of the two first charges, and their
several specifications, appears to be we'll
calculated to warrant tile suspicious which
have long prevailed, of Il corrupt connection
between said Wilkinson and the late Span
ISL provincial government OF Louisiana, and
fully to Justify legal inquiry iuto the grounds
u them, 4 he Court, to the best of its ability,
mas pursued this inquiiy-which has been
the more laborious and perplcxing, from the
agreement OF the government and accused.
toadmit ,on all the charges and specifications
without discrimination, the documental te STU
mony, collected and reported to the House
OF Representatives by several committees OF
that body, as also part of the testimony
| given Oh the trial of Aaron Burr much of
winch is unessential as to matter, and incor-
rect as to form, and inadmissblc in judicial
proceedings on any other principle than that
above stated.
| Hence the admission Of testimony in sup
port OF the two first specifications to the
first charge, though it is within the know
| ledge of some Of the Court that In 1870