New-York daily tribune., 1861-11-02
ASSISTANT -QUARTERMAsTER DAvIss
BLANKETS

tt Brig Gen L. TSOxA Adut.ni Gen. United s,.,ss Army
SIR: 1t is important should correct, without de-
lay some errors reference to myself, which And
in your published report to The Secretary Of War,
under date Of Oct. 28 1861.
Gen. Fremont did not give me any contract for
blankets, or for sny thing else. As regularly hp-
pointed Assi,ant Qusrtermhster by the President,
nominated and, by and with the advice and consent
Of the Senate, appointed by him tss my commission
states presume l was legally competent and BY
law bound, TO mako such purchases a. my command.
ing General ordered mo 10 do. The blankets you re-
fer to we're q portion Of my purchases. The
{" Board that condemned them did not report that
they were rotten "ard worthleta" When the re-
port reached Gen. Fremont be sent for me, and,
pressing grest dspleasure, required that the blankets
should be retained. l assured him that there must
be some mistake in the report, and requested him 10
suspend his approval Of it. reexamined the samples
by which the goods were bought, found them not 10
be rotten and worthless, but, commercially speaking.
sound. A some Of the goods cost not much over q
dollar blanket, and the lot, "a an average, about
81 40 each, Is near ~ 1 can remember, and were
part cotton they could not be strong service
able 81 goods composed only Of wool aud costing from
three 70 four dollars each.
Although mortified By the report, I was satisfied
the purchase was good one, that the goods were
sound, and that il hey would nA suit for oDe pm.
po~e they would for some other, where they were
equally needed by the Department. manifested my
opinion with some earsestness TO those with whom
came in contact, made written report to the GeEeral
Of my view Of the affair, and asked that committee
Of merchants should bs appointed to examine tho
blankets. While the commanding General bad my
request under consideration one Of the Board" who
lad condemned them came to my Office. and said 70
NE, the Board Of Survey would like the General -
allow them 10 reGxamine the goods. This was
granted by the General, snd q new survey was or.
dered by Assistant Adjutsnt-Gcneral Kelton. WIS
present, and We found that while some of the blan-
kets. those weighing from 6vs to six and three.
quarters po1nds per pair could not bs torn by NJ tho
lowest. priced ones couN. One member Of tho Board
who seemed to have the most objection 30 receiving
them, said that what he meant by che word ro%teD"
in the original report, was not fl for soldiers il the
iety was that each soldier should have an sll-woo
blanket, not 10 weigh leo than four pounds, and to
be army standard In ize.
The blankets were "a veil suited fer the use Of the
army during the lest three nontbs as standard blank
ets will bs for tie coming six. do not know what
the second report was, but ~ wss informed come
days after the second inspection, by the Assistant
Quart crmaster, who wss at shc head Of the Clahisg
Department, that ooald now have seceipt fss the
blankets and that hey bad been Issued, 1 consid'
erod the affair satisfactorily eealed. do not sfsoic
that they were not sent to the hospta, but upon
fuller examination, think il win DO found thas they
were not. Bus even II they were. do not zoe thai
this should reflect dscredit upon those Engaged ots
transaction.
In Exhibit H., published by you, mad my nams
IN the list az one Of tho ofcers Of the body guard.
From your Report infer thst your information
comes from the PnymaseIs office. II 10 entirely In.
correct, az you may ascertain from Cd. Andrews, il
you think proper to inquire Of him.
lean only account for the misststements you have
made In reference TO myself, from the fact that when
you wcss IN 81. LOUIS was eontnet to my bed, and