Maryland free press., 1862-12-05
Letter from Ex-President Blu
chanan-RepIy to 1t. Gen. Scott.


Scott; and in his tScotts) rejoinder he has not
called in question any of his (Buchanan'sl
statements, with single exception. This has
reference to the garrissoning ',f the soeshern.
forts, and Mr. Buchanan adduces many addit-
ional facts and figures in support of the decla-
rations made in his original letter, and to
which General Scott responded.
=, We have room only for the following ex-
tracts from the ex- Presidents second letter.
Tt will be seen that they meet certain new al
legations made by General Scott
"I should have nothing more to add had
General Scott, in his reioinder, confined him
self to the topics embraced in his original let
ter. He has extended them, and now for the
first time, and in a sarcastic and no kindly
spirit, refers to the alleged stealing of public
arms by Secretary Floyd, and their transpor-
tation to the South, in anticipation of the ro-
belion. The most conclusive answer to this
allegation is that, Notwithstanding the boast
ing of Mr. Floyd at Richmond evidently
with the view of conciliation his new allies
cited by the General as his authority, no pub
lie arms were even stolen. The fact is estab-
lshed by the report of the committee on mill
itary affairs of the House of Representatives,
now before me, made by Mr.. Stanton, of Ohio
their chairman, on the 18th of February,
1861. and to be found in the second volume of
the reports of committees of the House for the
session of 1S60-'61. This report and the tes-
timony before the committee establish.
81. That the Southern States received in
1860 less instead of more than the quota of
arms to which they were entitled by law !;
and that three of them-North Carolina, Mis-
sissippi and Kentucky-received no arms
whatever and this simply because they did
not ask for them. Well may Mr.. Stanton
have said in the House 'that there are good
deal of rumors and spceulations and misappre-
hension as to the true state of facts in regard
to this matter" e"
"2. Secretary Floyd, under suspicious cir
cumstances, on the 22d of December, 1860,
and but few days before he left the Depart
mcnt, had, without the knowledge of the
President, ordered one hundred and thirteen
(113) columbiads. and eleven IN thirty-two
Founders to be transported from Pittsburg to
Ship Island and Galveston, in Mississippi and
Texas. This fact was brought to the knowl-
edge of the President by q communication
ately thereafter countermanded the order of
his predecessor and the cannon were never
sent. The promptitude with which we acted
elected a vote Of thanks, dated on the 4th of
January, 1861, from the select and common
councils of that city "to the President, the At
torncy General, and the acting Secretary of
War; tMr. Holt) e. 81 .s.s.. p.
"After this statement, how shall we ac-
count for the explicit declaration of General
Scott that, accidentally hearing carly in March
that under this posthumous order THAT of
Mr.. Floyd of tho 22d of December) the ship
ment of these guns had commenced, COM
municated the fact to Secretary Holt, (acting
for Secretary Cameron,l just in time to defeat
the robbery ?" And this is the same Secreta-
ry Holt who had counter1nanded the posthu-
nous order, in the previous December. And
strange to say these guns, but for the alleged
interposition of General Scott, were about to
be sent so late as March from the loyal States
into those over which Jefferson Davis had then
for some tire presided !
Glad General Scott reflected for moment
he could not have fallen into this blunder.-
1t is quite manifest he was without printed
document and my (his) own official papers
50. The government had on hand in the
year 1859 about 100000 old rnuskets, which
had been condemned 'as unsuitable for public
service under the act of Sd of March, 1925.
They were of such character that, although
offered both at public and private sale for 81
80 each, purchasers could not be obtained at
that rate, except for q comparatively small
number On the 8Oth of November, 1859.
Secretary Floyd ordered about one fifth of the
whole number t105 5,ooo) to be sent from the
Springfield armory where they had accumu-
lated, to five Southern arsenals, Sin proportion
to their respective means of proper storase.'--
This order was carried into effect by the Ord
nance Bureau in the usual course Of adminis-
tration and without reference to the President.
1t is but justice to say that from the testimony
before the committee there is no reason to sus-
pect that Secretary Floyd Issued this order
from any sinister motive. Its date was
months before Mr.. Lincoln's nomination for
the Presidency, and nearly a year before his.
election, and whilst the Secretary was still an
ayowed opponent of secession. Indeed, tie
testimony of Colonel Craig and Captain May.
nader, of theordnance, before the committee,
is wholly inconsistent with any evil intention
on his part ,.t.
i .sAnd yet these condemned muskets, with
a few thousand ancient rifles of a callibre then
no longer used, are transformed by Gen. Scott
into s1l5, 900 ertra aaskets and rites, seih
all heir implements and aaansunition. This
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