Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1837-02-07

rals-asFeia,i, and the last three efFie'aIlrisa!s, cali iof O
Jew specific remarks; Mi;
Gen. Jessy riesself, lie u degree which might have pail
ed upon si.e pstsse ~, his cn7scsp'ndenis, but Tor Inc
=. equal arg liaf;,y adtaixtp.e OF crnsarc of me.
y 9 The Two pirate. official letter have both been PRINT
I'd in The Gl be ne wspapsr: the frs., with the Presidents
endorsements, bat without the initial snd MOST siniS'e'
word (tsy,alr) ON the face of the letter. fuo!!c runoI'
- without the least agency OF mine, tnN whicn, os:
B was rife in Washington, Baltimore, and Nortnlk, wnIs'
Z wac We, far to tire South, @itkoet eusricion, nno Will nH.
d GU, knowledge o! toe matter, ultimately i"lceo u ~.
! projection, bul not in alli,s defor,nity, for It was m"a-
lated in the Globe, Of that word which gave a'A
TO all the others. -.,oss,v
8, The letter of the Sd of September was e5pltssy
written in support of thu, of the 20!h OF June; rnrass.
eompanied by official documents win nnes .,;on As the
GkedIy furnished by General Jesup if - - 1.,,nrss 10
y best evidence. Mr.. Blai, wes summoned u wv a. ~
estshliah that fact. Al first, he Informed ~
voca,e that he would attend on q g'Een'Say' u ,ta, bic
wards wrote to that officer that he wcuid prefer ~ u'
tssiimont should be taken by deposition at washington.
immediately drew up interrogatories, when were guy
transmitted by the Judge Advocate. Ample t''e ".a
elansed when / was last in Court, aud no aES"e!s s',ns
been received the p5'ntea co.nhusrsa altered by me,
and received, in evidence. One important ooJeSt ! "so
In view remains, however, unaccomPlisheo; Ins u'ooe'
Eunder the editorial head, speaking OF my oinclai sep'''s
made ia the field, said, August 3, 1886: "Some were sent
to US Cor publication, as we understood, at his loeheral
Scou'sl instance" Now, ss ] knew TINT this was not
go. and had uniformly denied the ~charge-which, more
over, If true, wouFo nave rendered Tue JustS "eho~'"e'
to the censure of this Court, under the instructions gwen
10 il by the President of The United Slates-one of my
inierrogalories requested Mr.. Blair to inquire INTO the
grounds Of that understanding, and to favor me with his
answer"
q. The three letters of MI. Secretary Cass we're given
in evidence by the Judge Advocate. They had never
been published, nor had ] heard of them Until they were
read in Court. Whether the writer was ever repnkea
By that functionary may be more than doubted. lhey
were certainly net sent back, as they ought TO have been,
or they would not now have been here. l have demo-
minated them official 7yTsvate; for, sir, II is eSident to me
that, when severally written, they were, like the eeie,
bratcd letter to Mr.. Blair, Of the 10Th OF June, intended
by Gen. Jesup, only for prrticula. eyes. Thanks TO the
Chief Magistrate, he made one public by his endorse
meni, and thanks to the justice and manl!ness OF Sr'
Secretary Butler, the other three were not retained IN
the secret pigeon.hole OF the War.ofice. And what Is
the character Of these SO long held official ipriea!s docu'
mcnts' This is not now my purpose TO expose.
1t has been seen that Gen. Jesup says he reported 10
me on the 9th Of June, put the letter in a bundle, ano
forgot it. No wonder. His vanity was too Much nat
tered with the honor OF writing to Mr.'eecrelary euss'
for the eye Of the President, 10 think Of me WHO was
charged, at the moment, win the general direction OF
the war. On the 10Th, he made a report to the Score,
tary, overlooking, as he did me, the Adjutant, General
and the Genera(Iin- chief The next day he made ano-
Their report TO The same frnctionary. In the hrst, lie
saws that he has "abeu. 900 volunteers and militia, and
"about 200 friendly Indian warriors" 81 shsl! move TO-
morrow, or the next day, al The iarlhest, against the hos,
mounted mes" and 'by 200 Indian warriors, and [he]
hoped to strike the enemy in FIVE days But not ell al
fusion 10 Inc, nor to the instructions had given him.
The 18th, from the same place, Tnskeegee, he makes
his second report to Mr.. Secretary Cass. lie says that
he has been delayed. 81 shall move forward to tnoTrow,
however, and occupy e position on the Fort Mitchell
road, about twenty-eight miles in advance, and there
await the arrival Of The Indian warriors UNDER &c.i
"or, if | can find the enemy without Indian guides, at
tack him Immediately"
Now, not a word is said, in either of these reports, Of
his having commenced defensive operations |" for the
purpose of staying the tomahawk and scalpiDg knife
and bf nre yentinp the devastation OF entire settlements
or neighborhoods on the trontler;' nothing OF his haV-
ing ''none ofthat courage that would enable [him] to re-
main inactive when women and children are daily fall.
ing beneath the blows OF the Bavage.' These were
fourishes which occurred to him subsequently,, after |
had rebuked him for violating my orders; for NOV
ing prematuIely, and without notice TO ne, and opera
ting on a line which inverted the plan Of operations
agreed upon between US. From his two reports TO The
Secretary, it is plain that none OF those derastatlons
and horrors were then going on. The frontier settle.
ments of Alabama had been trauquilized and rendered
secure before his arrival at Tuskegee, and every white
~inhabitunt within the enemy's country, who was at all
exposed, had been previously murdered or had escaped
(See General Sandford's answer to my sixth inter.
rogatory. 1t is conclusive on this point, for nobody bet
ter knew the Creek country No, sir, General Jesup
commenced operations on the 18th, without the crying
necessity afterwards invented; without 'ithe altered cir
cumstances of the country" from the dale of my instruc'
lions, (lst of June which he alleges, in his letter 10 he
of the 18th. lie says not a word Of the kind in his two
formal reports 10 the Secretary Of the 10th and llth; but,
on the contrary, suppressing al! alluslon to my inslruc-
tons, shows himself in haste TO take the war into his
own hands; and The Court will recollect how it happen.
ed, no thanks to his toresghto or activity, that he found
the Alabamians amply provided with arms and anraunl-
ton.
The Court has also seen, by the deposition Of Gov.
Schley, under my I'd, Sd, 4lh, 9Th, and 9th, interrogato.
ries, and the answers of Major Kirby to my Sd, 9TH, and
5h questions, that Gen. Jesup not only fully concurred
In my plan Of campaign against the Greeks, without
suggesting a notification, but claimed to have had The
same plan in view as a concep,ion of his own; and
that ! steadily adhered 10 it in all lis outlines and details;
until it was inverted or broken in upon by the isolated
and unexpected movement Of that General. The plan
and its details, so %shamefully denounced with my Flo.
rida operations) in his letters 10 Mr.. Blair, and tpamph.
let, will appear in the sequel.
In my instructions to Cen. Jesup, dated June LIST,
founded on The views so fully and frequently developed
in conversations with him, | directed that he should re-
pair 10 the head. quarters of the Governor of Alabama:
understood to be either at Montgomery or Tuskeegee,
in order that the former, by an interview with the latter
might charge himself with the command of the Alaba-
mians, and the direction of the war on that side OF the
enemy. His FIRST step, after the interview, was TO cause
the volunteers, already called out in sufficient numbers,
to be mustered into the service of the United ,SIates-if
the enemy allowed time TO. that essential measure.
"His Excellency the Governor Of Alabama II said in
continuation] has proposed, in a letter that you have
seen, to the commanding officer Of The Georgia militia,
who might be at Columbus] to commence vigorous "pe'
rations against the enemy, as early as the 9th instant-
You have seen my reply TO that letter, and are we'll &C.
Quainted with all the considerations which have induced
me to propose a postponernent to the 18th. In The mean
time, however, and before the regulars and all The for.
ces Of Georgia shall arrive, ! think something vesy ad.
vantsgeous may be safely attempted from a point at or,
below ~lrwinton, and operating up the country (1le
Court has seen that | then had expectations of rrcriv.
ing at Columbus the arms ordered, by the 18th or
14lh. My letter To General Jesup continues) a shall
wish you, therefore, as soon as you are in command,
to send as many of the Alabamians as can be safely
spared from other great objects [eviden,ly The de.
fence Of The Alabama frontier set,lemenls.1 TO CO.
operate with any surplus troops Of Georgia, that. we
moy have for the field, after guarding the important
points on this river 1.-The Chnttahoochee] What that
cannot speak with confidence; bu, from the expectations
Of his Excellency Governor Schley, l think We shall by
that time be able TO eend to that point from loco to l,50O