The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-02-01

,bered for fifteen years past upon the statute book OF
the army, and that its republication now is ca post faao
legislation O Grant that this regulation has umbered
not eleven, but twenty years, as II stated on Saturday
last, or even thirty years, and yet who will say, in
view of the nauspcious publication of General Taylors
letter. and of the inevitable mischief be dreaded from
its revelations, that its awakening has been unseasona
be' Admit, that prior to the appearance Of General
Tayors letter. such regulation had been in existence,
who could question the expedency to say the necessi
ty of speedily enactng such regulation, in view OF the
example now unhapply afforded by the commanding gen.
eral to his subordinates9 We submit the other hand
to the nellgencer that the very evil of injudicous
communications, relative to our military operations,
which this regulation was intended to present. has now
actually occurred in its most perious form II the Intel
ligencer would Justify this publication by the example of
any of the official dispatches which have appeared in
journal, let make direct reference to any statement
contained in those dispatches OF nature to affect inu
rousy public interest by communicating to the enemy
what the enemy ought not to know.
But the ntelgencer entirely error in asserting that
the army regulation, which it views, under the crcum
stances with much repugnance, has been dead or
obsolete letter for fifteen years That journal says that
if twere enforced, it must have been applied in the Sem
mole war, and If challenges US to show an instance Of
such application We accept the challenge, and will
point at three instances in which this regulation
became the basis of action in a military court of inquiry
instituted upon proceedings in the Seminole war in the
single year 1896 The following extract from the pub
lished records of Il military court OF inquiry convened on
the 2sh of November 1885, under the order of Mr. Pon-
sett then Secretary of War; in this connexon COM
mended to the special attention of the federal organ:
h Opinions of the court IN reference TO unauthorized
ports and publications Of officers Of the army
The court took into consideration communication nun
from Captain Hitchcock the llth of March, 1896, the
honorable Mr. Lyon, of Alabamn published IN the Globe
Of the I'd of April 1896, detailing the operations of Major
dams in Florida in 1885, and finds that its publicity
made with the appreciation OF Major General Gaines and
does violate regulation rule of service that il
appears of facts assumed by the writer,
without any comments reflections injurious TO the public
service; and the therefore, that there is
necessity for further investigation into the subject
Of s 5 Of a ap 5slG, s
ton pnrporng be from the pen of Major General Jesup,
on the letter Of capnn Hitchcock Of the ll
Captain Hitchcock the editors OF The Globe and pub
ished in that paper Of the 18th Of June n reply to the pub
viewing the contents of the letter of Captain Hitchcock OF
f "a "e hR be ,o NJ Ten of 81 'hG
March, and contains nothing contrary to the regulations OF
''The court was called consider publication made by
Captain Mccall addressed the editor of the New Orleans
IN the Army ana Navy ie of the h Of August
1850 also postscript or notes to sad @ published IN
1856 A pnpf the ssr and POSTSCRIPT
or narrative of the campaign OF Major General Gaines
The publications ioere made NOR than month after the cam
paign closed the army regulations were not violated
The proceedings and opinions the foregoing have
been submitted the President, and approved.
no ''''' . "'4'''' ]. R. poINsETT,
Secretary of War.