The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-09-08
RICHMOND, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER -

RICHMOND, MONDAY,
Umciai Correspondence ON Kunsas fairs.
Az o!oer 70 correct false and exaggerated state
mems resarding the condition of things In Kansas
as ,, sas sets and purposes Of the government Of
10th states, and 70 show the precise truth. In
vo.I s respects. the Union, of Saturday publishea
the following interesting correspoudence.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
~ Washington, Aug. DC, 1856
:, sir The present condition OF the TERRITORY of
rendeis your duties Governor highly re-
spcnsibie and delicate In the instrnctjon. har.
tofere communicated to your predecessor. IA Feb
.uary iast IN the annual message to Congress Of
the T4th OF the previous December and In the or
oens issued from the war department, (printed
mud the policy Of the President flllv presented -
II is, nrst to maintain order and quiet in the terri
tory of Kansas; and second, II disturbanees occur
.nerein, 10 bring to punshment the Offenders
.hns .orce which has been provided to attain
these OBJECTS prove insufficient, you will promptly
make known the fact to the President. that he
may take such measures in regard thereto as ~
him may seem to be demanded by the exigeneies
of the case.
1t is important that the President should be kent
well informed as to the state of things in Kansas
and that the source of his information should he
such as to insure its accuracy you are therefore
directed by him to ocommuncate constantly with this
have early known here-you will cause to be
transmitted by telegraph as well as by mail The
President INDUCES hope that by your energy i'm.
partially and discretion the tranquility of the ter
ritory will be restored, and the persons and prop
erty of our citizens therein projected.
His Excellen,cy John W. Geary, Governor of
Kansas Territory.
In letter to the War Department Of August
S2d, General Smith speaks of exaggerations rela-
nfor, NIL tod h,,t cha
the assurance of both the Governor and Major
Sedgwick, that there are eight hundred armed
men assembled at Lawrence who can be increased
IN twelve hours to twelve hundred, and that it Is
expected they would attack and destroy the Capt.
tai OF the Territory, Lecompton, have ordered
Lieutenant johnston g Second Cavalry to go there
with all the troops at Fort Leavenwerth, excepta
email company, and have ordered all the men
from Fort Riley, except small garrison, to the
same place. l have sent down to have all the
troops, recruits and others at Jefferson Barracks
to be sent here. and will send them and any COM
panies OF the Sixth that may arrive, to reinforce
the command on the Kansas if necessary.
large force may prevent any violeHce-whilst
small one might tempt to the commission of it"
lie further says: II enclose also communica.
toa from an officer of militia on the northern bor
der Of the Territory showing how contradictory
and Inconsistent are the accounts spread over the
country, for the party that Lane brought from
Iowa is on the northern border and on the Kansas
at the same time. Col Summers regiment can.
not now muster four hundred men including Capt.
Stewards company on its way to Fort Laramie,
and detachment, under Lieut. Wheston en- route
for Fort Kearney, with the Sioux prisoners Lieut..
Col Cookies six companies have a little more than
one hundred horses
In letter from Governor Shannon to General
Smith dated at Lecompton, saying he had just re-
turned from Lawrence, whence he had been with
view of procuring the release of the nineteen
prisoners that were taken he also says he saw in
that place at least 500 men, who manifested fix
ed purpose to demolish this town. He remarks
that he knew they intended an attack and that
too in very short time, and that it would seem
that the business of whipping OUT 1t was
called, the pro.slavery party, had been com
menced. Under these circumstances, he requests
General Smith to send from the fort all his dispos
able force
Major General Richardson, of the Kansas Militia
of August 18, says to General Smith: 'Iu addition
to the extra herewith enclosed, / have received
reliable information that state of actual rebellion
exists in Douglas county, and that in other
parts of the Territory within this division robbie
ries and other fragrant violations of law are daily
occurring by armed bodies of men from the North
ern States In the absence of all information from
the Governor of the Territory, have taken the
liberty of exercising the authority in me vested in
cases of invasion, by ordering out the entire
strength of my division to rendezvous at various
points of the division to receive further orders
General Smith, in his ructions for the officer
in command of the detachment of the United
States troops ordered to assemble in Lecompton
on the requisition of the Governor to repress in
surrecton, concludes as follows:
"The General begs and directs you to avoid as
long as possible any appeal to arms. Use every
endeavor in your power to bring those who are in
opposition to the laws to sense of their error,
pecially avoid small conflicts and consider that the
shedding of fellow citizens blood is the greatest
evil that can happen except the overthrow of law
and right, which must end in civil war. But when
the necessity of action and the employment of
force does unhappily arise, employ it at with
all the power and vigor at your command, but
continue it only until you have suppressed the in
surrection and then interfere to prevent any
cruelty from others.
The Governor of the Territory should, if posi-
BILE, take means to keep the prisoners arrested un.
der his authority and such as may hereafter be
taken Their custody embarasses the troops and
diminishes their efficiency.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, Sept, Q 5
SIR Reliable information having reached the
President that armed and organized bodies of men,
avowedly in rebellion against the Territorial Gov
ernment, have concentrated in such numbers as
require an additional military force for their dis
persion, you will have the militia of the Territory
completely enrolled and organized, to the end that
they may, short notice. be brought into the SER
vice of the United States.
Upon rcqusition of the Commander of the Mill
tary Department in which Kansas is embraced
you will furnish by companies, or regiments, or
brigades, or divisions, such number and compost
tion of troops as from time to time you may tind
on his report to you to be necessary for the sup
preston of all combinations to resist the laws of the
United States, too powerful to be suppressed by
the civil authority, and for the maintenance of
public order and civil government in the Territory.
WIN. l.. MARCY.
To his Excellency, John w. Geary, Governor, DE.
Hon. Jefferson Davis to General Smith, under
date of Sept Sd, says: Your dispatch of the 22d of
August and enclosures sufficiently exhibit the in
adequacy OF the force under your command, to
perform the duties which have been devolyed up
ON You in the present unhappy condition of Kan
sas by the orders and instructions heretofore com
municated.
To meet this exigency, the President has direct
ed the Governor of the Territory to complete the
enrolment and organization of the militia as you
will find fully set forth in the enclosed copy of the
letter addressed to him by the Secretary of State
and the President had directed me to say to you
that you are authorized from time to time to make
acquisitions upon the Governor for such military
force as you may require, to enable you promptly
and successfully to execute your orders and to sup
press insurrection against the Government of the
Territory of Kansas. And made the circumstances