The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1862-12-11
T,,e gcotf-gucnauan gyamcuIfy.
To tie Editor Of the Eattor,ag InseiItgenccr:

to President lincoln March 80, 1861, Oh
our Southeril forts, was pubii he'd on the
2lst of October last 10 this ex President
Buch anan replied, at great length, in tue
same month. A shore rejoiDdet from ME
followed early in November, and here Is
another paper from Nj. Buchanan. dated
the 18th OF the same month, and on the
same subject. A brief notice Of this pa
per shall terminate NY part IL this con
/ troversy.
Mr. buchanan has intinlated that I
have been actuated by feeling Of person
| al ill-wil towards him. Ihis is utj just
| had 30 private resentment to crafty
| On the contrary, have we'll renem bered
| the many official courtesies received fIom
him as we'll as from Mr.. Floyd, both as
Governor OF Virginia aud Secretary Of
War; bat to viudicate justice aud the
truth OF history IS a paramount obi5a-
ton.
/ had said that, with view to the
meditated rebellion, Secretary Floyd had
ordered 10, coo eXtra* stand Of lnuSkets
aud rifles from Northern dcpositogiesl 10
Southern arsenais. To this Mr. y. now
replies in substauce-1. That the trans
ters were made under an order da,cG
nearly year before Mr. LincoIn's e!cc-
ton to the Presidency True butif Mr
Il. has persuaded himself that the revolt
had not long, long before been planned,
(Gcpendeut on the election Of any North
ern nan) it is not likely that lie viii ever
make 4 second convert 10 that opinion. l.
He only gives lU5 900 as the number of
arms transferred, emitting the 10000
rIhes. 5- he says that the mu.kets
(IO5, 5,UOu) were condemned, and that pur
chascrs could not be found ior many OF
them at 81 50 each. Now, here is au
Otlcial statement, made to me eighteen
months ago, just received trCm my papers
at Washington showing that 80, ,UUU OF
these arms were "percussion muskets,
probably entirely new, and 10 900 others,
termed "muskets altered to percussion,'
With 10000 percussion rifles, rot one
OF the 10 coo was ever "condeuned'
but all precisely like most Of the small
arms issued troops (regular and volunteer)
IN 1861. 4. Dir. Buchanan further init
mates that those arms were transferred to
eQuallze, IN some degree, the deposits |
among the different States, as If these
had al.y State pride ia allowing storoye 10 |
their particular limits. 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? 5. Mr. |
B supposes me To brand thc transferred |
arms with the cpithet stolen" In ny |
reJoinder TO him | nowhere use that term. |
because | knew the transaction, though /
very quietly conducted, was Officially e.
corded, aud the freight paid for by the /
United States, whose property the arms
to be in their new deposito-
ries.
Mr.. Buchanan mixes up-pcrhaps l
ought rather to say, scCnsS to c0ajoua}-
quite different class OF arms with the
foregoing: the quota 0: arms distributed
among the several States under the annual
towards arming the whole
body OF the militia Of the Union Thus
he says, The Southern States received
in 1860 less, instead Of more, than the
quota OF arms TO which they were eutitled
by law" This Is most strange, .ontrasted
with information given to mc last wear.
aud with telegram just received trom
" ashlngton and high oficer-not Of the
Ordnance Burcau-in these words and
j cures
Rhode Island, Delaware, and Texas
had not drawn at the end Of eighteen
sixty (Io0U) their annual quota OF arms
or that year and Massachusetts, Tennes-
&c, and Kentucky only in part Virginia,
south Carolina, Georgia, florida, Alabama,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kansas were,
'y the order Of the Secretary Of War,
supplied with their quotas for eighteen
'lxty one QS6D in advance, and Penn
ylvania and Mary land in part"
This 0dcGnce Of arms to eight South,
'rn States is a sufficient commentary by
tself on the transfer, about the same lime,
u the ! 10, 200 muskets aud rifles
In respect TO the heavy cannon ordered
rom Pittsburg to the Gulf of Mexico,
'lr. Buchanan has shown me that | was
n error IN saying that their shipment
vas countertuauded in March Instead OF
January. 1861. This was the only iun,a-
cr'al part OF my statement; Tor I was
orrect In the declaration that | gave
niormation to Mr.. Secretary Holt that
he shipment had commenced, and that
e ordered the guns to he relanded, and {
topped the robbery.
WINFIELD SCOTT,
New YoRK, December 2, 1862.