, 1862-01-28
THE POTTKR INVESTIGATING
(I)NNITTEE,
DfSLOYALTY OF GOVERN.
MENT EMPLOYEES.
GlinlpSeS Of Men W'isa Love
Slavery Better tiian
the GniGn.

"S&AS2 42Atkkl
the t:nien.
Army OFFICERS WHO DEE;u
AB0LITI0NISTS WORSE;
THAN REBELS.
From the lengthy report of the Potter H.
yest1s2tin. Committee, on tllc disloyalty Of
Government employees, W. make room this
morning 5or Ike following extracts:
OFFICERS Or TIL: ARMY AND OTHERS IN
The EMPLOY " THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
LlEtr-soln>-1. wN. MAYSAD1ER
This officer holds the responsible post OF
Assistant to the Chief Of Ordnance. Tie pria-
eiral charges III citing his loyalty arc, Fsxt-
1slat IL: was Il party to thc effort in December
last, OF John L. Floyd, the Secretary of War.
to transfer cannon to the South Under lii:
prctence Of arming fort!ications at Galveston
and shlp islind, which, in fact, had no exist
cncc. hut i'll reality 10 furnish the munitions
oi war tur the intended reh,:llinn; aud second
that llc was priTy tn the sale by FLOYD OF 1U3,-
GO OF more mnskcts to 4. \. Bclknap, and
A,o0o TO Other parties III violation of
Law, .;ln'' TO tic great dvtrimcnt Of tc public
fcTvicr--tfte object being to disar;,l the Guy
crnlnent aud arm its rcbel enemies.
Tie first Of 1hcsc charges was formally r'e-
tcrrvd by Col. Craig OF the GrJu1nce DEPART
1rcnt in June last, :eainst Major Mayu.slicr, to
which The latter answered in Il letter 10 Adiu-
tant General Thomas, dated the .lst oc lie
same month. He Eays
Il was moi called on fpr any information a. to
The condition Of any f"r1itIcatiyns on thu ti:.lr
coa-t. The Secretary Of War sent for mc anI
gave mt !" positive order IL sclld the cannon per
tanning tv1he armament Of the forts On Ship Island
erd At Galveston TO those forts. kllew not and
IL did not become NE to inquire into the REASONS
order clearly within luis province. Ny duty wt.:
Incidence Eot Incstioning. and simply oGcrrsl.
Ia a*cer:3i'ed M from thc ENGINEER Department VII It
King and ca!iber "f @uus composed the arl,lau.cl,t
of1hose forls and thu proper kind 20 a:ccrtaincd
Wers Greeted t. 10 BE- scnt Ari'lc a. Ordnauce
permanent iurtiicatfons will be specially dreCted
BY the Secretary Of War.
Tle chief witness Oh this Charge is Gen. Il.
=. Wright, ct tile Engineer Corps. He swcars
that M:ior AI:.snadicr applied to him for infof-
nation regarding the number Of guns for for
iltca1ions ii G;tlyes on and ut Ship Isls1ltl and
Lis :.1lsWcr W:ls :as follows: "Capt Marnalier
called At lly Office and stated tllat lie wished
TO ascertain the number, kind aud culture Of
the ordnance designed for the fort ut Ship
lsla'ad, and the fort ut Galveston, 10 cua5le
him to execute an order lie had received FROM
Lie Secretary OF War to send tie ordnance to
those works. My reply to the question WAS
III effect tilst the works referred to were in no
conus'lon to receive their arlnanent-tAlt the
13iSl 4htHtlOHtt1 A'S uol ItitIlslplt, DtluE
Prepared for its first tier uf guns, aud that IT
Ii: second: tic g,""na J"' laying TIC f,aa1a,ious
Il Tie 7f5t hnd af J'tH t1UIru-and fully tilt
inc "i:ns would not only be useless there bit
!" TIC 'sy ot any operations OF construction.
Stated to illi!i. moreover, that thc dt,pc4.ul
y fh.: 1"t'thx hd nr'fy' 5<t4 fire1 hY The d,u,1-
snfnf Lard and willie could rive him the
'H'tthes TT guns the plans contemplated, I
could lot give him thcir fulitie. Ia answer to
this he stated IN elltct that hc had tue positive
order Of The Secretary Of War to send the
guns, and that Willie hc was bound to obey tue
oitter, ilc WAS not responsible for its prupricty
and 1t';utstcd Inc IL give the Information lie
wanted THIS request [ so far complied with
as to show him the plans Of the works, to
count tue number ii pieces Of ordnance for
which tl:ey were designed, aud tu give linn my
nl,infs" as IL What the kind and c;.liDrc should
be-
In reply to questions the wltnrss further
stated tDat at rre: uincd that tie pllrpusc Of
the thc1, Secretary If War, Nj Floyd, was to
place i large number Of heavy guns in posi-
ton WAerc they could lc seized ty the rcbe1s
or dlslIctttd authorities Of the Gulf States
as c"uld sec no utitrr purpose in scndin. the
Guns 10 1nost places ii 1i1at tiu1t Was so
fully Impressed witt t!ais idea that presented
Inc WE"le matter TO t;cn. j. &. Tottcil, at that
1lne Ill this city. but not then OH duty in the
EnsiEttr department, and he submitted
statement Of The facts III note to Gen. Scott.
Nhat further a:ticn WAS taken in the matter
;un unable to state positively, but undur-
stand that tile detention of tile guns ut Pitts
burg, grew out u Gen. Scott's action
MAJOR Naynadier dwe11s upon the fact tue
duty oi urderln. the armament of f,rtifc:a-
tons tciongs TO the Secretary Of War, hut
Capt. tnow GcneraD II. G. Wright testities
before The Military Committee, us to tile usual
COURSE that 'tllc Engineer Department re-
ports to the Secretary Of War thai thc partic1,-
lar work is ready ior the while or 4 part Of its
1rTlE1DfNf HrItrfhfr1r tim ,rY, dial
1t thea remains for the Secretary Of War to
order the armament to be sti ipplied, OF not ls
ne may sec lit. Tie order goes to the Ord
nance Department, l bc1icvc,:' Col Craig, for
ten Year, at the head Of the Ordnance Depart
menf, statrs on cath before the same Commit
tee, that "whcn for:iticatioas *rc ready for
armament the usual prictic,: is FOR the Chief
Engluccr to notify the Chief Of Ordnance that
the fortificItion is resly for it$ g1ns, ua,n:is
1nt Elnd. Ills communication Is referred to
inc srcrstaTy OF War, who directs the execu-
tion Of it,
1t therefore already appears that the pro
&, Gccdlns Vas lis Irregular as it WAS trea5ona',lv
1Als IS the testimony Of hi"h officers Of tic
aruJ, and it leaves no doubt that Major Nav
nadicr i'll executing, Or attempting to execute,
TIC order CT Floyd for the Transmission Of one
hundred and fo,ty-one Of the largest cannon
from Pittsburgh to TIT Gulf Of Mcxiro, did it
with lie full knowledge tt1at one Of the forts
vas unfinished, and the other no; even begun
1t Is scarcely 1css clc:ir thar Mayuadirr iilu.t
have known or believed that The o!,;e,t Of
f1oya, III giving the order, was 10 disar:n the
Government and arul its rebel enemies Ucis
conceded to bt ore Of Lie most intelligent men
IN tht army, a1id Las BEEN IN the arms aul h:s
uecn Ill the ordnance department as Assistant,
lof nearly twenty years. He speaks with ey;-
dent pride in the letter quoted above and yhirh
wil''rl':intcd a: lIrsc in the evidence, of the
con1lds,;ce fcposea in himself by Jefferson Da-
Fls and Floyd, CT their frequent consultations
with Kim. the assistant, in preference to uI5
superior, Col. Craig. and it i therefore not to
tc tclcsed that he would have withheld al
t,piE.o1l IRON the Secretary Of War in rcrarl to
Inc improperly Of sending cannon II the
6nll coast, to arm fortilicA.ions which had no
ez1stEcc. from motives Of mere modcsty.
He says that his duty was obedience and not
Iues;ioning.''- This i general rale is cor
reel but IN case Of pa}pablc treason on the
part ot high officer, passive obedience il,
Tie Inferior ceases to le !, duty and becomes
cy;mr.
The following facts, stated BIZ Ma}or Mayua-
dler himself. in his letter of excGlpation to
AuJutant. Gencral Thomas, will show his rcla-
HOLE with Jefferson Davis and FiuvJ; and he
makes it quite evident that he WAS a fayoritc
with e:scl of those distinguished traitors. H
eavs; ~ never criSe aid Or counsel to the evil
designs OF Secretaries Davis or Floyd, or any
utl.cr Secretary Of War. = Each Of
these Secretaries was distinctly informed Dy
nlc that it was embarrassing 10 nc and wJs
contrary to military pTopricty to consult nr
IN regard to tho affairs Of the Ordnance Bn-
reau when the Chief Of tile Depart1nrnt VIA
present, and that requested TINT it 1nirht not
nc done 1 may add that cach Of then, replied
in substance that they lad right to obtain
information pertaining to tie War Department
from any officer of the army; that Col, Crai.r
either did not understand lis professional bu
slness, or could not explain it intclliyentiy.
and 1iat they should exercise the right Of SEMI
ing for and interro@ating ME, Whenever they
thought proper to do so. Whenever they did
80, gave them my views honestly, and tbej-
decisions or acts, after hearing these views.
arc their own, and am in no wise responsible
for 1hcm''
This statement shows that Ma]o1 MayDadjcr
cnicyed the confidence Of Davis and Of Fioyd
to high degree; and the actual displacement
Of Col Craig as Chief Of Ordnance, Oh tue 18th
November, 1850, in order to make rooul for
bayradicr, at the moment when tho work of
dlsarMing the Government and arminy the dis
u:ectcd States vas to he coDs:l1unlatcl by the
traitor Floyd, is most significant fact, which
cannot hc lost sight OF in this investigation.
From the letter Of Major Maynadicr to Ad.
tut;nt General Thomas, the committee have
alseady cited tho following passage: "Iaser-
tat'ed f1o''a the Engineer D3artoacnt sehat kind
ara ra'ore q l"'* c"n,po:ed The armament tf
Mese J"rf@, and The proper Kind 60 asctrtaincd
we're directed 10 be SENT In llia report TO
Secretary FLOYD, dated December 2Ist, 1880.
ne says: y have ordered forty-two colum.
biads and four 32pounder guns to be sent to
the fort on Shfr Island ,3c, .o...x-