The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1836-08-27
Very respect-

ssS WIN TAG neSSeoaiy iuuQ5. very IcSpece.
fully, your most obi. servant,
G. A.HARRfs,
Acting Sec. ofsWar.
Ills Excellency N CANNON,
Governor, &c.
The above letters from the War Depart
ment having been enclosed to the President
by The Governor, the following was received
in answer:
HERMITAGE, Aug. 6, 1896.
Sir IL hare received your letters of the
229th u't and The 4ih instant, accompanied
By tho copies of communications which were
addressed 10 you on the 4,h Of May, and the
225,h July. by the Secretary of War, and also
accompanied by your Proclamation Of he20h
founded on the requi.ition made by General
Gaines, bearing date the 2O,li Of Juno lasi.-
The documents referred to i'll the communi-
cation to you Of the 25ih NIL. from the Wsr
Department, have not yet been rcceiEed.
The obligations Of oar treaty with Mexico,
as well as the general principles which goy.
ern our intercourse with. foreign powers, re-
quirc US TO maintain a strict neutrality i'll the
comics, which now agitatcs a portion of that
Republic. So long as Mexico ful6Is her du-
ties to us Us they a.e defined by the treaty,
and violates none OF the rights which are &C.
cured by il 10 our citizens, my act on the
part Of the Government or tho United States,
which would tend 10 foslcr q spirit Of rcsis.
tancc 10 the government and laws. whatever
may be thei, character or form, when admins
i.tered within her own lia.i,s and jurisdie-
,ion, would be Unauthorized and highly in-
proper. A scrupulous sense of these obliga-
tons has prevented me thus far from doing
aay thing which can authorize The suspicion
that our government IS unmindful Of them,
and hope 10 be equally cautious and circum-
spect in all my future conduct. l, Is in re-
ference to these obligations that the rcqaisi-
ton OF Gen. Gaines in tho present instance
must be considered; and unless there is a
strong necessity for il, it should no. be sane
toned Should this necessity not be manifest,
when II is well known that the disposition to
befricud the Texans is common feeling With
tho citizens Of the United States. j, 10 obvi.
ous that tina, rcquisi,ion may furnish a reason
10 Mexico for supposing that the government
Of the United States may be Induced, BY mad
cqua,c causes. to oycrs,cp the lines Of the metz
lralty which il processes 10 malRiaiu.
Before Loft Washington. Gen. Gaines In
,ima,cd TO the Department Of War that some
Indications Of hos,iIllics from the Indians on
our western frontier had been made, and ,ha,
il il became necessary, no would make call
for the mililia. lie had also informed tho
department, Of his i'll kcalih. and asked fos
iurIourh u enable him 10 visit the White SUI
phur Springs. ! directed the Secretary o!
War TO gran, him the Through, aud 10 inform
him Of The appor,ionmcnt which had been
made Of The 10. GOO militia under the recent
volunteer ac. and If the emergency should
arise which would make il necessary to is-
crease The force under his command, iha, a
thousand volunteers IL Arkansas, and another
in Missouri. raiscd nereeaba, otbis ac', would
be enrolled and held ready fnr the scfricc-
This force, aided by Tic PORTIONS Of the dsa-
COON regiments that would DO stationed IN
that quartrs, and ihosr Of the regular army
aitcad, there, wEsc deemed ampl. sufficient
los The protection oi the frontier near 10 he
Indians rc!rrred TO- There are no reasons
se, forth IN the requisiiion which the Gcnc;-
al has s,nce made upon yoa. TO justify the be-
l,ei that tho force above enumerated will be
insufficient, and canno therefore sanction
a .. The psescnt tine. To sanction that re-
quiai,,on for tho reasons which accompany it.
would wasran, the belief that il uas dono 10
aid Texas, and no, from desire 10 prcrcn, an
infringement Of our territorial or national
rights.
deeply regrc, that the Tennessee vo
lunirers. whose prnucss and patriotism
are displayed SO promptly on Nil occa.
sions ,ha, threaten the peace or safety Of
their beloved country. have been called
ou, on this occasion without proper con.
.ideration. They can fur The present only
be mustered into tho serricc and dis.
Ii there arc funds appropriated
o., Of which they can be paid, nm order
Il. this effect will br given. i
The ten thousand volunteers authorized
under tho late act Of Congress orc inien-
dea Tor one years service. and must DC
10 NEE, all necessary calls for
the defence Of our frontier bordcrs.-
Should the occasion arise for create.
number on the Western frontier, tho call