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

i''ihetiespohseS TO all the allegations Of Ger
+ Scott; and in his (Scotts) rejoinder he has no
: called in question any of his (Buchanan's
statements, with single exception. This ha
t iiefefence to the garrissonin the fe.ssl.-.
: forts, and Mr. Buchanan adduces many addit
ional facts and figures in support of the decla
rations made in his original letter, and t.
which General Scott responded.
We have room only for the following ex.
tracts from the ex- Presidents second letter
1T will be seen that they meet certain new al.
legations made by General Scott
81 should have nothing more to add had
General Scott, in his rejoinder, 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 re-
,bellion. 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-
! lished by the report of the committee on mill
itary affairs of the House of Representatives,
now 2,,r before me, made by Mr.. Stanton of Ohio
the reports Of committees 18th 16ft Of February,
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 Kentucly-received no arms
whatever, and this simply because they did
not ask for them. We'll may Mr. Stanton
have said in the House 'that there are a good
b1l bensMdnr M as ts R4 faeesastions and sappre-
to this matter"
90, Secretary Floyd, under suspicious cir
cumstapces, on the 22d of December, 1850
and but few days before he left the Depart
ment, had, without the knowledge of tbt
President, ordered one hundred and thirteen
l13( columbiads and eleven (11l thirty-twc
Founders to be transported from Pittsburg tc
Ship Island and Galveston, in Mississippi anc
Texas. This fact was brought to the knowl
!, edge of the President by communication
from Pittsburg, and Secretary Holt immedi'
ately thereafter countermanded the order o
his predecessor and the cannon were neve
sent. The promptitude with which we actec
elected q vote Of thanks, dated on the 4th o
january. 1861 from the select and common
6 councils Of that city "to the President, the AT
I torney General, and the acting Secretary 0
War;. tMr. Holt) ~ .f /.
: "Aiter this statement, how shall we ac
a count for the explicit declaration of Genera
). Scott that, accidentally hearing carly in Marcl
that under this posthumous order THAT c
n Mr.. Floyd of the 22d of Dccember) the ship
ment of these guns had commenced, | com
municated the fact to Secretary Holt, (actini
j, for Secretary Cameron,) Just in time to defea
the robbery ?" And this is the same Secreta
!, nv Holt who had countermanded the posthri
= nous order, in the previous December AND
strange to say. these guns, but for the allcge
: interposition of General Scott, were about t
be sent so late as March from the loyal State
into those over which Jefferson Davis had the
! for some tire presided
.GfIad General Scott reflected for morncr
he could not have fallen into this blunder.-
1t is quite manifest he was without a printe
!. document and my (his) own official papers,
50. The government had on hand in tn
- year 1859 about 100000 old muskets, whic
!, had been condemned as unsuitable for publ
= service under the act Of Sd of March, 1925
They were of such character that, althoug
offered both at public and private sale for S.
d so each, purchasers could not be obtained
> that rate, except for comparatively sma
: number. On the 8Oth of November, 1856!
Secretary Floyd ordered about one fifth of tn
whole number t105, ,000) to be sent from ti
Springfield armory where they had accumr
lated, to five Southern arsenals, 'in' proportio
= to their respective means of proper storage. :
n This order was carried into effect by tho Orc
~ nance Bureau in the usual course Of admins
n tration and without reference to the Presiden
20 1t is but Justice to say that from the testimon
d before the committee there is no reason to SUI
l. pect that Secretary Floyd issued this ord'
ot from any sinister motive. Its date WI
N months before Mr. Lincoln's nomination Il
re the Presidency, and nearly year before b
in election, and whilst the Secretary was still
ID ayowed opponent of secession. Indeed t.
Il testimony of Colonel Craig and Captain Ma,
er nader, of the ordnance, before the committe
is wholly inconsistent with any evil intentie
on his part.
Of "And yet these condemned muskets,' wit
n few thousand ancient rifles Of n callibre the
10 no longer used are transformed by Gen. SEQ
he into '115, 900 ertrG muskets and rifles, 'c'
all their implements and ammunition. Th