The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-17
THE SECRETARY OF WAR AND THE
LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS.

porance 10 claim some further notice. Whether
the clamor against the government and one of It's
depa rtments was well or ill-founded we have con-
sIdered II our duty to ascertain. That we might
form correct opinion ourselves, and enable others
to do So we obtained and laid before the public, in
a former number Of the "Unon, several documents
having an important bearing on the subject These
documents, and those contained in the Gaines cor.
respondenee, published by order Of Congress- will
conduct such disposed to investigate the
matter to right result-s result not unfavorable,
we confidently affirm, to the administration, or the
Secretary of War
Opinions formed in moments Of high excitement
are too often those which least credtabe to our.
selves, and most unjust to others. Such opinions
candid men will always be willing to review.
In the course OF our long experience we scarcely
recolect to nave seen such broad and sweepinR de-
nuneiaton of official conduct as most Of the press
in New Orleans have INDUCED in on this occa-
sion with so much indistinctness and uncertainty
an to the facts Of the case. The sssailants OF
the Secretary OF War in that quarter have pro-
nounced with confident holiness that his con-
duct has been highly reprehen,ibIe, but the facts
on which they rely for the support Of their judg-
ment are neither we'll ascertained nor clearly set
forth. There is great unity among them in the
sentence Of condemnation, but much diversity OF
opinion as to the particular acts of the delinouent
which are seized upon for topics of animadversion.
Wepropose to examine the principal allegations
approximations Of misconduct against the War De-
partment in relation to the Louisiana volunteers.
In the front stands the main charge that the vol.
uneers entered the service for six months that thew
engaged for that term; and the administration was
obliged in good faith to retain them to the end
of the period
The principal error imputed to the Secretary OF
War; is his decision thar their legal term of service
was only three months, and his consequent order for
their discharge at the expirston Of that period Hs
views on the legal term Of service are fully presented
In his letter to Governor johnson Of the 25b ofJun.
To our mind they are sound and convincing. We
have not yet heard Of single individual who has
read that letter, whatever may be the party to which
he belongs, that has questioned the correctness O,
the conclusions 10 which the Secretary arrived in re-
ation to the legal term Of service of the volunteers
and we confidently trust that the same judgment
will be entertained on this point in Louisiana bv
those who give it proper examination. On a
1
cannot be necessary to sustain the secretary by the
authority of great names. We will only adduce
one opinion which should and we trust will, com.
mand the respect Of all. General Taylor was with
the volunteers-was apprized of their extreme So
licltude to serve the entire six months-was des;
rous to crafty them-and was favored with the ar
gumens Of the officers in their behaf-yet after all
this, he came to the same consusion as that which
the Secretary of War felt himself compelled to
adopt, and for which he has been so severely Gen.
sured in New Orleans. In his letter TO the Sec.
rotary of War of the 10Th of July, General Tsv.
or says: my oton vieW certainly is, that alev (he
s'x-months volunteers) cannot be legally held
aver me expiration Of three months ,erpice &c We
must Think then, that it will be regarded as extremely
unjust and ilberal towards the Secretary of War. to
censure him for his decision that the legal t,rm Of
service ofthe Louisiana volunteers was onlv three
months, or for the necessary official acts CONSEQUENT
upon this decision.
Another prominent ground of complaint aeains,
the Secretary of War is that he first gave discre
ton to General Taylor to retain the Louisiana
troops to the end of their voluntary engagement
six months-and Immediately thereafter issued
positive order to have them discharged forthwith
Upon the rash assumption that this statement wss
true-with reckless unconcern whether il was 40
or not-some of the professed friends of the admin
istration, those who should have felt at least the
obligation to do justice to the Secretary of War.
showered upon him torrent of opprobrious epi-
thets and pronounced him wholly ncapacitated for
the position he occupied.
All his orders on that subject, down to the ner.
cd Of the discharge of the volunteers are before the
public To them we refer for complete refuta,ion
OF the grave charge The first instructions to Gen.
eral Taylor on this subject contained in the sec
retarys letter of the 2Sth of May In that letter
Gen. Taylor is informed that the volunteers called ont
by Gen. Gaines had 'been recognised 10 The ertenf of
the number already sent" to him, and he is directed
"to receive them into service" The secretary then
goes on to say, "but "a these troops he volunteers
sent by Gen. Gaines,) as well as those embraced
m your requlsitlon, have been called out I'M
der the act of the 29th Of February, 1895.
which limits their term Of service 10 three months il
is suggested that you organize out Of that number
such as may be disposed to volunteer for the period
of twelve months under the act of the 18th of Nav
inst, until you have force Of that description,
(twelve-months volunteers,) sufficient to meet your
views and wishes, and then discharge and send
home the remaining three-months men,
Thus see that the secretary had written ,o
Gen. Taylor as early as the 18th Of May, that all
the volunteers who had responded to his requsi-
ton, or had been sent on by General Gaines, were
in service under the law of 1895, and that their
term of service was limited to three months.
This letter, in most explicit and unequivocal lam
guage, disproves the charge imputed to the secrea
ry, that he at fret gave discretion to retain the
louisiana volunteers for six months He tells the
commanding-general they in service under tbs
law Of 1875, and by that law they can only be held
for three months He refers, in this letter, to two
descriptions of militia or volunteer troops, and only
| two observation-disclosures who can be hnh 10 ..--;..