Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1842-04-07

Gen. Thomas s Jesup, who vas in he fiQri
da command q ne zine refrrea Is, denies b,
charge tha. : % scori vas paid fsf Wood ilfdes
in pine forest, IS stated y The toTEsEaopdsn
Of the Richmond Whig. The Geusfal sasrIs /.
admit thai ii cos. big price, but doez|de, sss
What i was, and defends he measure IS nn
sonly ibstihable, but oi paramount Duty y.
II him speak for himself as. 70 The mater il
issue. II
He (the correspondentl tells Us ths
forty dollars q cord was paid for wood
and adds that another Interesting cir.
constance connected with ihe wood whs
( tha. il was houghs 10 N. 0rleans and ship.
Eped TO Florida, and landed ia a pine gof.
est, where, in clearing away wood yard
to receive il. they were obliged TO cut
awav more and better wood than. thai
which was imported" Now, the ONLY
truth 10 this whole statement is, that q
cargo Of wood was sent 10 Florida, from
New Orleans, but il neither cost forty
dollars cord, nor wssit landed IN a pine
fores. whore IL was: necessary TO clear q
wood ward 10 receive il. II was sent at a
time. and under circnmstan ces, which
rendered the measure noteniy Instf6abIe1
bu, one OF paramount duty The azfR4
commanded by Governor G i'll was 10 ihe
sfel I'd and lis success vas believed 10 de-
pend upon supplies, reinfofeewenis, and
the means Of land transportation being
sent forward promptly. Several vessels.
4laden with subsistence: forage. and other
stores had been wrecked in violesit gales
on the Gulf Of Mexico. and their carsoes
damaged or LOST The whole Florida
coast east cf/S,. Marks and south Of Su.
wannee except small potion on The
With|aconchee and one at Tampa Bav.
wa%fin ossession Of the enemy. Fuel
faT the steamboats, necessarily employed
could De obtsined only where military
protection could be afforded, and conse,
qnenilytnn where but al lie posts named
A1atnrce sufficient to cut .trp quantity re
qnired could no, be spared. ADD for sexe.
raj weeks there were no teams to .badl il
bad il been .c,i,. Had itbeen piled on
the shore ready .gor NE, there we're DC al,
equaie mears Of plafine II On thffhda
which, owing 70 the shalloRness OF the
water on the coasts and Ia Tie hartors ol
Florida, had to be anchofff distant from
the shore. 1t was not fl.the lposts had
been reinforced, mules, and hprses pur,
chased and brought from Mobile and New
Orleans, and that boats suitable for light
.ers had been bnilt' by The troops. lhst a
sufficient supply Of fuel could BE obtained
TO keep the steamboats, constantly run
ming. Before this had been done, the
delay oft boats in obiainipgtwehty five
cords Of wood. The quantity necessary Cor
"a single return voyage. would have cost
for demurrage alone more thah the high
est estimated cost of the hundred cords
sent from New Orleans. X#
II was under such circumstances that
a single cargo was ordered. III gave the
order, and am responsible for il. Major
Clark. one ofthe MOST, faithful publicser
wants thaLthe country can boast executed
The order. Had ACTED otherwise than /
did, | should have been unworthy the
commission i held More than six wears
have since elapsed and so confident am
| Of the correctness Of my course, that
am willing now to submit NE matter ito
a1y'intelligent Wy Of the country and
if on Investigation, the measure be not
found TO have been not only The very
best that, Under the circumstances, could
have been adopted, but also Tie most eco
I will cheerfully psyths original
cost Of lhe wood as we'll A. IL tranIpor-
Itation.
N To Judge correctly Of The measures At
theyAime, as we'll as Of their cost, the con.
ditiop Of the country should be under
STOOD. The war had continued nearly. a
year; the enemy we're masters Of the
frontier, ana had destroyed all its resour-
.ces; our oVn=trosps 10 abandoning their
posts during The summer bad destroyed
supplies that had been collected at vast
expense every thing. necessary to sue
cess had 10 be created ! had no agency
in producing that stale Of things /; ] fourd
il existing, and had 10 apply TIE remedy I;
and il was only BY extraordinary efforts,
and at a heavy expense, that fhe means
for acampaige against an emyT dispers-
ed over six degrees of latitude could BE-
collected" s {.. III /