Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1862-12-13

Another E4eftcr from Lieut.. Cen.
Scott.

Scott.
To the Editors of the National Inteliscnccr
An official report of mine made to
President Lincoln, March 30 1851, on our
southern forts, was published on the 21st of
October last. To this ex-Prcsidcnt Buchan-
an replied at great length in the same month
\ short rcioinder from me followed early in
November, and here is another paper from
Mr.. Buchanan, dated the 18th of the same
month, and on the same subject A brief
notice of this paper shall terminate my part
in this controversy.
Mr. Buchanan has intimated that have
actuated by feeling of personal ill-will to-
wards him. This is unjust. had no pri-
vate rcsenJimcnts to crafty. On the con
trary, | have well remembered the many
official Courtcsics received from him as well
rs from Mr.. Floyd, both as Governor of
Virginia and Secretary of War but to vim
dicatc justice and the truth Of history is
paramount obligation.
l had said that, with q view to the mcdi-
tatcd rebellion, Secretary Floyd had ordered
10000 cXtra* stands of muskcts and rifles
from northern repositories to southern arse
nails To this Mr.. +. now replies in substance
i. That the transfers were made under IN
order datcdncarly year before Mr. Lincon's
election to the Presidency. True; but if
Mr.. b. has persuaded himself that the revolt
had not long before been planned, (depen-
dent on the election of any northern man,
it is not likely that he will make second
convert to that opinion. ,. lie only gives
lO5,OO as the number of arms transferred,
emitting the 10000 rifles. 3. He saws that
the muskcts O0jOO0) were condemned and
that purchasers could not be found for many
of them at - 80 each. Now, here is an
official statement, made to me eighteen
months ago, Gust received from my papers
at WashiugtOn,l showing that O5,00O OF
these arms were "ycrcu7Sion MUglcts,' pro
badly entirely new, and 1000 Others. termed
"muskcts altered to percussion, with 10000
percussion riiiCs'-n0t one of the 10000
was ever CONDEMNED" but all precisely like
most Of the small arms issued to our troops
Irregular and volunteer in 1861. /. Mr.
Buchanan further iutimatcs that those arms
were transferred to Cquali2c, in some degree,
deposits among the different States, as if
these had any State pride in allowing storage
to the property of the United States within
their particuarlimitsi If so, why not establish
storage places in the great States Of Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois, within which the
United States has had no deposit of arms
and no arsenal >. Mr.. B. supposcs me to
"stolcn.' In my rgioindcr TO him Iuow here
use the term, because knew the transaction
though very quietly conducted. was officially
recorded, and the freight paid for by the
United States, whose property the arms
continued to be in their new repositories
Mr. buchanan mixes up-perhaps ought
rather to say seams to c0aJCHH8-quitc Il
different class of arms with the FOREGOING,
viz the Quoutas Of arms distributed among
the several States under the annual uppro-
priation towards aTminc the whole body of
militia Of the Union. Thus he says: THE
southern States received in 1850 less instead
of more than the quotas of arms to which
they were entitled by law This is most
strange, contrasted with information given
to me last year, and a telegram just received
from Washington and a high otlicer-not
of the Ordnance Burcau-in these words and
figures
"Rhodc Island, Delaware. and Texas had
not drawn at the end of eighteen sixty CISCO
their annual quotas of arms for that year,
and Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Kentucky
only in part; virginia, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mis-
Sissippi, and Kansas were, hy order Of the
Secretary of War, supplied with their quotas
for eighteen siXty-oUe QSGD in advance, and
Pennsylvania and Maryland in part
This ddcaace of arms to eight southern
States is a sufficient commentary 10y itself
on the transfer, about the same time, of the
10000 muskets aud rifles.
In respect to the heavy cannon ordered
from Pittshurg to the Gulf Of Mexico, Mr..
Buchanan has shown me that / was in error
in saying that their shipment WAS counter
mandcd in March instead of January, 1861.
This was the only immeterial part Of my
statement: for l was correct in his deciara-
tions that gave information TO Secretary
Holt that the shipment had commenced, and
that he ordered the guns to be rrlauded, and
stopped the robbery.
WINDFIELp SCOTT,
New York, Dec, ., 1852.
*Oyer and above the usual deposits in the
southern arsCuals