The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-17

Of volunteers, nearly all Of which had left when il
was written for the army on the Rio Grands, not
one word Is said-not AN intimation is given as to
the period for which the troops had engaged to serys
Il appeared that they were not organized under tn.
tweye-monlhs law, and the inference was rresist.
BE- that they must have gone into service under thu
provisions of the law Of 1885, for, under no other
authority could they be legally in service. Tbs
secretary belleved--the facts Of the case renuir,
him to beIleve-that the term Of service was tire,
months, aad he had no knowledge to the contrary
before the governors letter Of the 18th Of June wa,
written.
What shall be thought Of the passionate denun.
Citations against the Secretary Of War for having
permitted these volunteers to be organized, mustered
into service for six months, and the seat of
war, without raising objection to the term Of ser
yicei The fact is that the first distinct information
given to him that these volunteers were mustered
into service for six months, and that they would b,
dissatisfied If they were not permitted to serve 10
the end of their engagement was conveyed in the
letter OF the governor OF Louisiana, of the I2,h Of
June, and not received here till the troops had ali
left for the Rio Grande.
As soon as the secretary knew of the expectation
Of these troops, he lost time is..makng known To
Governor Johnson and General Taylor the embsr.
rassmens Of the government the subject, and the
entire absence Of all legal authority to comply with
the wishes Of the volunteers.
The publication Of the documents has, We trus,
exposed another peryersion Of facts which had been
put forth to the injury Of the Secretary Of War. II
has been again and again charged, that his offer to
receive the Louisiana volunteers into service undo,
the act Of the 18th of May, was accompanied with
the threat Of immediate disbandment as the penalty
Of refusal. The letter Of the 25th Of June, to Gov
ernor Johnson, places this matter in is true gh,
The administration was sincerely anxious to CRAFTY
the wishes Of the Louisiana volunteers, and to allow
them the term Of service for which they engaged
The law, however, under which they entered the ser
vice presented an insuperabe obstacle As their term
could not be extended without resort to the &C, Of
the 18Th OF May, an offer was made to aceep,
those who might desire it as volunteers for twelve
months. This has been represented as an Outrage
and Indignity to these public-spirited and chvane
| citizens. We desire TO know what other motive
the administration could have had in making this
offer than wish to crafty the volunteers who
we're anxious for service, and disappointed
at the prospect Of its being soon terminated Wer
the administration embarrassed in raising the requi.
site number Of volunteers for twelve months1 Was
the service offered to them regarded as unacceptable
to others Far otherwise. The whole country
vas anxious to become volunteers for twelve month";
Those States from which volunteers had been 70
qured, not only filed up their quotas, but besough,
the administration TO increase them-mulutudes
we're cruelty disappointed by rejection. States
from which none were called for immediate service
complained of neglect and injustice for being ex.
cluded from the privilege of participating in Ii,
war-eyery mail was freghted with tenders Of ser.
vice from every region of the land--members Of
Congress urged that the wishes Of their constituents
might be grati6ed by accepting volunteers from
among them--delegations travelled from remote
parts Of the Union to importune the government to
extend its acquisitions. All these pressing offer,
the administration was obliged to decline, because
the numbers accepted were adequate to any foreseen
exigency Of the war. Could the Secretary of War
have intended to insult and outrage the Louisiana
volunteers, by offering to their free acceptance that
which had been sought and solicited by more than
two hundred thousand citizens as boom Labored
efforts have been made to give false character to
this act, originating in an anxious and sincere de-
sire to do what 1t was believed would be agreeable
to the Louisiana volunteers, and accepted as pr.
viege denied to the earnest solicitation of 40 many
thousand others.