The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1862-07-31
he White House.
Why Go Lees House was not Oc-
cupied.

u Oecrola OlanlOn lateIy lalu Delore
Congress. answer to the resolution Of
. inquiry ofe House of Representatives,
: the full coepondeuce in relation to Gen.
: Mcclellan protection Of White House,
Virginia.
On the 7ult. Secretary Stanton sent a
telegram toen. Mcclellan, stating that
urgent comlints were being made rela-
tive to the rejection afforded TO rebel
General Lee property. called the White
House. ins!sd of using it as a hospital for
our woundedoidiers; and that it was rep
resented thathirsty. wounded and suffer
ing soldiershad to purchase water for
drinking pposes, when it might have
been obtaiI from the White House
grounds. Tohis Gen Mcclellan respond
ed as follows
"Your Gis,tch Of 1920 P. NJ to-day
is received, Ad l must confess that its
contents havnot only struck me with as
tonishment. II have given me much pain.
The care of5ur sick and wounded has
tasked the unmitted energies of the whole
medical corpin this army, as well as oc
cupied a gret share Of py attention from
other imponnt duties. and l feel con-
scious that eerything has been done for
their comforthat human efforts could ac-
complish.
The WhiteHouse of the rebel General
Lee, referredo. is a small frame building
Of six rooms worth probably fifteen hun
dred dollars and the Medical Director
states that it 'ould not accommodate more
than thirty piients lie has tents where
the patients ire comfortable, and he has,
therefore, neer conceived it necessary TO
call for the ue Of the house as a hospital.
GAS TO the tory abou: the thirsty. woun-
ded. sulferiy soldiers having to buy a
glass of watr, is only foundation proba-
bly, originate in tie fact that some civil
ian, who waste indolent to go for The WA
ter himself, nay have paid II negro for
bringing it tehim.
The foil wing extract from dispatch
just receivedfrom Col. Rufus Ingalls,. the
Chief Quartrmas:er in charge at White
House, will gve you some light upon this
subject. and pe-haps satisfy you as to the
motives Of the individuals who make the
urgent complaints in question:: No one
ter, unless he vas too drunk or sick 10
drink it. We nave water in unnecessary
abundance. The springs are numerous.
the water is vgy fine. and no prohibit ion
has ever been laced on the free and un.
limited use of /. The author of this re-
port TO the conra,y must be simpleton
or a malicious lnave.'
81 have given special directions 20 pro-
ect the proper! of the White House from
any unnecessary injury or destruction, be
cause /: was ONE the property OF General
Washington, ard | cannot believe that Y you
will regard this as cause for rebuke or
censure. | Potec, no house against
use when they are needed for sick or weun-
ded soldiers. Persons who cndeavor TO
impose upon you such malicious and un-
founded reports as those alluded to are not
only enemies to this army but TO the cause
in which we al. now fighting"
Stanton replied that he WAS glad TO re-
ceive this explaration, which would enable
him to correct the misrepresentation on
the subject Subsequently, General Me-
Clellan received communication from the
War Department recommending that he
should make the order requested in a let
ter from the Surgeon General. which let
ter was as follows:
at has been represented to me by re-
sponslble gentlemen that The White House
and the inciosed grounds are admirably
adapted for hospital purposes. The water
used by the sick at present ID very bad ;
that OH the White House grounds, on tie
contrary, is excellent The location is
moreover an admirable one for hospital
camp. have therefore respectfully TO re-
quest that the house and ground be turned
over to the medical authorities
Gen. Mcclellan. in respo nse, forwarded
reports from Quartermaster Ingalls,, Medi-
cal Director Tripler. and Medical lnsrec-
tor Vollum, showing that the house was
unfit (from its size rs well as from other
causes for medical purposes, and that the
spring on the grounds bad a very scan,y
supply Of water. which, however, had AL.
ways been at the services of the sick. Az
ter giving these reports. Gen. Mcclellan
made the following remarks, with which
tie correspondence closes:
The only order ever given by me in
regard TO this property was that on the