The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-03-24

stant addressed to the aduant general and by hun laid
before pursuant to the request therein is OF such
extraordinary character, and mpeaches IN such unqua
ned Terms ne az , q a. oancn Q. ;ne public
duty order copy Of it to be placed in your hands and
to direct your particular attention TO it.
The avowed object OF General Taylor in presenting
these complaints, rather accusations, against the Quar-
emaser's Department, is to make them matter OF
ord. am extremely unwilling, and ! presume you
not be less than myself that they should there remain
without explanation or investigation.
am fully aware OF the great difficulties unavoidable
in the management of the Quarermasters Department
on the sudden of war; when the country
not prepared for such emergency. General lay
or must be presumed to be well acquainted with all the
circumstances of embarrassment attending the Quarter
masters Department other person, and yet his
aignment Of it is qualified by any allusion TO them
The inference is that, all proper allowances made, he
considers that the management OF the affairs OF the
Quarermasters Department has been such to deserve
censure. Such appears to me to be his meaning, and
such, apprehend, will be the general impression result
ing from the perusal of his letter II this censue is real
" deserved proper that those obnoxious it should
be ascertaned and dealt with their conduct deserves
but it, the contrary it shall be found that the officers
of the Quaemasers Department have done their duty
in proper and efficient manner, trust will be the
case, steps must be taken to the erroneous i'm
preston, and vndcae their official conduct
Very respectfully M yHuE GSed Ssers servant Mt wa,
Major Gen. THOMAS S. JEsuP, Quarternaser General u
s. army
N. B. The copy has been furnished to the quartermas
tel general by the adJuant general
New ORLEANS, December 5, 1916.
SIR: When received your letter of the 2lst Septem-
ber on the subject OF Major General Taylors complaints
apprehensve that neglect omissions had occurred
the parts of more OF the subordinate officers
of the Department. by which his operations had been
riously embarrassed; but have looked into the whole
natter and am bound justice to say that no class OF
officers not even General Taylor and the most dstin
gushed men around him, have better faithfully
performed their duty and # anything has been wanting
which they could have supplied has been because the
proper orders were not given, or timely acquisitions
| made.
to designate the object to be Accomplishment is then the
duty OF the general who conducts the operations to call
for the required to accomplish that object If he
fails to do so, he is himself responsible for all the con-
sequences of his omission General Taylor complains OF
of water and land transportation camp equpage and
shoes for his cavalry horses AS to water transportation
early in May. Lieutenant Colonel Hunt could not at
obtain suitable boat; but he executed the order as
General Taylor considering four boats necessary, APP
pointed his own agents TO obtain them. was at the
time taking measures, Under the orders of General Scott
to obtain suitable boats for the navigation of the Rio
Grande but having no reliable information in relation
the navigation of that river, and believing General Tay
ors agents possessed of the requisite knowledge, pre-
erred that they should execute his orders; and limited
my action in the matter to doubling the number called for
by General Taylor, and authorizing further increase, if
considered necessary by his brother and OF his agents
The number required by the general was believe, near
ly quadruped ultimately, by the officers of the depart
ment AS to the complaint Of the general that the steam
ers from Pittsburg were then September lsD just ar
BY one Of his own agents ' When at Pbug
inquired into the delay Of those boats, and is but JUS
ce to Captain Sanders General Taylors agent, to say
that effort spared to get them into service early
as possible.
transportation, It is proper to remark that there was no
information at Washington, lar as was informed, to
enable me, the War Department, to determine whether
wagons could be used in Mexico. General Taylor,
though he had both mounted troops and Typographical
ton BESIDES he had not, as far as know or believe,
ntimated to any department his intentions wishes in
regard to the means Of transportation to be used 1t
known that he had wagon train amply sufficient for
double the force he commanded before the arrival OF the
vounteers-added to that he had General Arstas
OF transportation and he in country Astounding in
mules, the means Of transportation best adapted to the
country, and the only used by the enemy. gen.
era is expected to avail himself of the Of the
country which he operates if General Taylor failed to
do and without the necessary transportation, he
alone is Responsibilities means were limited only by
his own will He had officers Of the Quartermasters
Department able to have executed his orders, and willing
to carry out his views Hisauhorty alone was wanting
As to camp e9uPage you are aware that the app.opra
that not cent appropriated which could be legally
applied to that object before 9th and 18th OF May When
the appropriations made the officers of the department
were compelled TO obtain materials wheresocver they
could get them, and such they could get. Cotton
cloth necessarily substituted for linen in the abrica
ton of tents have doubt great deal othe mater
al was oil the quay represented by Genera Taylor put
that was under the circumstances unavoidable The Of
cers obtained the best they could get and deserve credit
for their exertons place of the they have
ceived.
somewhat at a loss to imagine why the deficiency
of shoes for the dragoon horses made subject of
complaint against the Quartemaster's Department
blacksmith is allowed by law to every troop of Dragons
is the duty OF every commander of troop to have his
shoeing tools complete, and to have, at all times the
necessary shoe and nail iron and it is the duty of the
reglmental commander to that timely acquisitions be
made. Now, if those officers failed to have what was
necessary the efficiency of their commands, let General
Taylor hold them accountable The Quartermaser's De-
partment is not responsible for their neglects.
Ash came through the western country to this city,
Taylor would have taken forward, TO Monterey much
larger force of volunteers, but for the neglect of the
Quartermasters Department to furnish the means of
transportation In reply to that report respectfully ask
your attention to the letter of General Taylor of the I'd of
July to the Adutan General There eels you through
Monterey; he tells you that he will operate with col
umn of about 5000 men, that he must rely on the coun
try for meat and depot at Camago for bread and adds
the for not taking greater force that column
breeding six thousand cannot be supplied that
route with bread alone.
feel sir that every officer of the department has per-
formed his duty faithfully, if not ably, and that the
charges of General Taylor both unjust and unmered
AS regards myself feel that have performedmy whole
duty, both to the country and to the army and if the
slightest doubt remain that subject it to myself
to demand immediate and thorough investigation of
my conduct, and that of the department, from the
mencement of operations on the Texan frontier, as well
previous to, during the war.
am, sir, most respectfully, your obedient servant,
TIL S. JESUP,
Major General, Quartermaster General.
The Hon. WMsL. MARCY, Secretary of War, Washing