The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-05-11

Hence il would DO useless expense TO unload Il Sc Paul
Fort Smelling, or any Other point below Fort Rdgey
cessary supply that post when navigation was closed
the country full Of the and facilities Of tran eor
tson and the people would be CAD 70 do tois work q
would be economical not TO keep Up Fort Smelling
depot Even suppOsng that would have 10 unload
OF PROVISIONS At g. Paul 70 put another oIass
beat 60 up the Minnesota river The only expense would
be unloading and placing 1t Immediately upon another
steamboat or putting INTO commission house for one
night for boss are running there daily For the supply
OF small post ikettat steamboat would take years
supply II there were not the means OF transportation In
The county then might be necessary for the govern
ment to keep up a depot for trains At any expense
Hon. Henry N. Rice, Senator elect from Minneso-
ta thinks the Secretary of War acted with judgment
in dspOsing not only of the reserve but of all the
government buildings upon it. He says:-
II would have been extra penss government
been retained, and they would have been OF no earthly
use was formerly asater 10 the army and have trans
ported an immense amount OF government supplies. The
have 70 be carried Large boats get up the river
any higher than g. Paul In low stages Of waller Goods
there be anshipped into boats which run up tho
Minnesota river and which take supplies 70 Fort Rdx,ey
70 send tbe goods directly from st. Paul would the
trouble Of reshippng at Fort Smelling save the expense OF
hsulpg the goods up that high hill and down again,
the expense OF keeping soldiers there constantly 70 keep
the buildings In repair and save great deal OF tme and
our or vs sAS ss vo sn sss s
from buildings that COO white people, Indians are
now seldom seen there The buildings are Of stone aud
which time eli materials except stone had 10 be taken
in Mackinav beats The buildings we're put up 10 rough
manner, and are out of repair. believe however one
or two buildings have been put up since the fort was
built.
To the undersigned, who have no knowledge de-
rived from personal observation OF that section OF
country, and who can only look at this question
through maps. and by the light which geography and
the testimony of competent witnesses can throw
upon it, there does not occur to our minds one sub
stantial reason why an expensive government es
Enlistment should have been maintained at Fort
Smelling for the purpose of forwarding supplies to
one, or at most two frontier posts. The demands of
our service would not allow of more than one COM
pany being stationed at Fort Ripley, and one at
Fort Ridgley; indeed during the last Summer the
of that one company from Fort Ripley and the total
abandonment of the site. From subsequent ndica-
tons Of discomfort among the Indians, company
was restored aud the fort temporarily reorganzed.
economy in the government keeping up an estab-
lishment which they were able to sell for the sum
Of $4,000, expanding the money every year
required for repairs upon buildings original
ly imperfect in construction and in a
state of decay, maintaining some forty
or fifty employees two hundred head of mules, horses
snd oxen, and the necessary officers in command,
and all for the purpose of supplying two companies
upon the frontier with provisions and clothing. If
that country was destitute of the means and facil
ties Of transportation, it might be military neces
sty to which we should submit. no matter what
might be its cost. But when all the means of trans
portation, both by land and water, are known to
abound in that region when streams, always navi
gable at certain seasons of the year. flow in sight Of
the picket walls Of those forts when the Quarter
master General informs us that he has never encoun
tered any difficulties in procuring in that country the
facilities of transportation when he further informs
us that capitalist of acknowledged responsibility
has rendered to him to transport all the supplies
qured for the troops at those posts at onehaif Of
what it has cost the government, which offer the
Quartermaster General tells us be means to accept
the retention of Fort Smelling, under these circum
stances, and for such purposes, would have been
official msfeasance, meriting the rebuke Of the re-
representatives. Of the people.
II il still more remarkable now since this property
has been sold that there should be deemed urgent
an occasion for its a depot, as we learn that
prior TO ts sale, and when the private facilities for
transportation were far less abundant than they
now, the government could SO well accomplish all its
purposes OF supply to those two frontier posts with
out the aid of Fort Smelling. THIS is most curious
and interesting fact and deserves to be further elu
cidated.
Listen to the clear and conclusive statement Of
Colonel Francis Lee on this point
was In command OF Fort Smelling between three aud
four yeasfom the spring Of 1851 10 tho summer OF 1854
why Fort Smelling should have been retained cannot
conceive that s Of any Importance ~ military station
Fort Smelling In on . high bluff. and never will be- and
provisions and supplies To be sure provisions and sup
plies have been furnished 70 other posts from there be
cause that post has been reduced and there large
quantity on hand But all the supplies for the upper
posts have been sent from 81 Paul 70 Fort Ripley and
directly up the river 10 Fort Rdgley.
Question 164l From whereS
Aps~er Prom the points where the Contractors fur.
nshed them. We contract for the delivery OF provisions
directly 70 The military posts and u would be an sesurdy
10 sop and deliver provisions 1t Fort Smelling would
rather transport provisions from Fort smelling up 10 Fort
Rdgey, II the waters we're up, than 70 carry them up
from the river, and put them In the storehouses.
4
the frontier stations could be supplied by tho government
upon cheaper terms by sending the supplies direct than
BY making Fort Sneliing depot for suppIiess
Answer. Certainly. IL has always been done II has
never been done otherwise
Again: Captain J. b. 8. Todd states:--
While command there for several years the
supplies for Fort Ripley, 125 miles above, never
transported from For Smelling they we're landed At 81
Paul. and shipped from there sthoa, going 10 Fort sned
ing sm under the impression that the same thing
done In regard 10 Fort Rdgley which IA situated about 125
mics up the Minnesota river I re,otlect tina, they
we're landed 81 Paul and reshpped 70 the fort direct
In 1898 and 1854.
Again, we learn from the Hon. Henry NJ. Rice:-
suppled Fort Ripley for several years from 81 Paul
from there 70 Fort Ripley direct, Rigey Icsunot
speak have been absent from s. Paul considerable
portion OF the time since that fort vas built know ths,
last spring sav great many teams at - Paul Tor sup
plies for Fort Ridgley. Whether they purchased
there OF not, do not know.
There Is but aspect Of our national policy, a.
We WINK, IN whicn " could be maintained that the
government should have held the control and pos
session Of the Fort Smelling reservation, and that
would have been, to have met a requirement not
called for by the existing military system Of the
country. Within the last twenty years practice
has grown up, founded in error stimulated by local
interest, and too much favored by Congress OF 10.
eating posts In advance Of settlement, and Of dis.
trbuting our troops at numerous posts IN small gar.
risona Experience has shown that these small
posts are nearly poweress beyond their own limits,
whilst they enormously multiplv the cost of transnor
tation. involve the frequent construction aud aban
donment Of posts retard discipline and impair the
efficiency of the troops. The present system is con.
demned by the most enlightened officers of the
army. Secretary Davis, in bis annual report OF the
LIST Of December, 1856. argues with much force and
ability in favor OF change OF the present policy;
urges the selection Of few points, accessible by
steamboat and railway, from which strong detach.
ments should annually be sent out into the Indian
country during the when the grass will suffice
for the support Of cavalry horses, and beasts OF
draught and burden. He cites with commentator
the occupation OF Algeria by the French present