Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-09
Military Insubordmation.

4 aA.s--- !. ~ Y = Z + J + II u r
Military INSTRUMENTATION.
The prying industry Of the Washington cor
respondent of the New York Times, has brought
to light a very sharp correspondence between
General Wool and the Secretary Of War We
publish in another column the letter of the
former, and would gladly give Colonel Davis
tho benefit Of his reply, but for its great length
A few extracts from it, however, win give our
readers a correct idea Of its temper and tone
1t must DO recollected that General Wool was
prominent guest at dinner given to ex-Sen-
ator Foot, BY the people Of San Francisco, a
few months ago, and that he failed to rebuke
some very severe structures which several of
the speakers thought proper to cast upon Brig
adler General Pierce. 1t must also be recol-
lccted that Messrs. Foot and Davis were for
many years past political rivals in Mississippi
These facts win furnish key to the corrcspon-
dcnce:
trt WAR DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, Dec is, 1854.
SIR Your letter Of the 18th October reached
me when was too much engaged in preparations
for the meeting of Congress to reply. was sur
prised at Its contents, although had previously
seen in San Francisco newspaper the same topics
discussed In much the same language which Is used
in your letter. In both, the object Is to make it
appear that you have been exposed to undeserved
ccnsure, and that approval has been withheld for
the faithful performance Of duties imposed upon
you by instructions. Approval or disapproval is a
matter of Judgment not of volition That no
proneness to censure exists, Is shown by the re-
serve with which the department received the an
nouncement of various proceedings which 1t could
not commend. Among the most prominent of these
is the postponemcnt of military duties, to which
you expected to give your personal attention.
This was not satisfactorily explained by the state
ment of your constant occupation In preventing
unlawful expeditions against foreign territories-a
service to which your attention specially called
in addition to the ordinary duties Of the depart
lnent commander. You claim that under your in
structions this duty was = paramount recur-
renee to those instructions and the circumstances
under which they we're given, will aid in under
standing the questions involved.
1t is always delicate matter to attempt TO quote
conversations from memory, and it is unnecessary
to do So when, as in this case, the conversations
resulted in correspondence which covered the
whole subject. shall not, therefore, follow your
example in this, but rely what was written, and
refer to the correspondence in which you made
known your views, and the department defined
your duties.
~ must remark upon this that the purpose for
which you here declare you desired the troops you
had SO urgently called for, viz: to take post in
Utah. is first put forth in this letter. and is irrecon
cilabe with the objects declared In earlier letters
which represented the most pressing necessity for
them in Oregon, Washington, and the northern
part Of California As for your hoping to receive
one or more regiments to be posted In Utah."
can only regard it as . momentary error. The en-
tire addition to the army asked for was but three
regiments; and how could you have expected one
or more of these to be sent to that remote portion
Of the department. when troops were so much
wanted in other parts Of your commando
Having shown on the / 5th June that you had no
means Of disposing Of single company advanta-
geously on the l4th ofSeptember you report that
you have not company available TO establish a
new post represented to be much needed in the
northern part of Washington and, again. on the
23d of October, you earnestly remonstrate against
the 9th infantry being sent to your department be-
fore next spring. On the whole, 1t appears to me
that your correspondence on this subject manifests
a want of definite purpose and system in the dispo-
sal of the troops, which can only attribute to the
devotion of an undue portion Of your time and at
tention to other than the proper duties of your COM
mand. DIX
The necessity for additional store-room at Benz
cha was known before you TOOK command, anu an
appropriation had been asked In the annual esti-
mates for the construction Of an arsenal there You
had building erected before the appropriation was
made, and without taking those measures respect
ing title to the site which the law requires you
certainly anticipated the action OF Congress- but to
do SO you raised money by drawing drafts which
could not be paid, and the protest Of which threw
loss upon subordinate officer.
In conclusion, viii take occasion to say, that,
in the offer Of tho very important command you
now hold, you had the best evidence of the estima
ton In which you ware held. IT, in this field Of
duty, which you orcibly describe equal in extent
dence reposcd In you, II would seem 10 be cause
for regret rather than complaint