Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-02-05
MORE DEVELOPMENTS OF TREASON

| speaking of the report, says:
Charges against more than five hundred per-
sons have been investigated in many cases
! the evidence was so unsatisfactory that it was
only sent to the proper authorities to warn
them against possible danger, and it has been
| suppressed in the report. The testimony
| against the clerks is of a uniform character.
| They are charged with uttering the most dis
| loyal sentiments, speaking against the war,
expressing sympathy for the rebels and their
cause. Numerous cases are brought up and
considered in the report, and it is unnecessary
to quote them.
The most important case in the report is
! that of Lieutenant Colonel William Mayna-
dier, which with two three minor cases,
send in full. This officer holds the responsi-
! bic post OF assistant to the Chief or Ordnance.
The principal charges affecting his loyalty are
| -first, that he was party to the effort, in
December. 1860, of John B. Floyd, then Sec
retary Of War, to transfer cannon to the South,
under the pretence of arming Notifications at
Galveston and Ship Island, which, in tact,
had no existence bat, in reality, to furnish
the munitions of war for the intended rebel
lion and, second, that he privy to the
sale, by Floyd, of 100, 900 or more muskets to
A. A. Belknap, and 10000 to other parties, in
violation of law, and 10 the great detriment of
the public service, the object being to disarm
the Government and 10 arm its rebel enemies.
Lieut.. Col. Maynadier, in executing or at
tempting to execute the order of Floyd, for
the transmission of one hundred and forty one
of the largest cannon from Pittsburgh, to the
Gulf of Mexico, did it with the full knowl-
edge that one of the forts was unfinished and
the other not even begun. 1t is scarcely less
clear that Mayradier must have known or be-
lieved that the object of Floyd in giving the
order was to disarm the government, and to
arm its rebel enemies. He is conceded to be
one of the most int telligent men in the army,
and hoe haap in thf. RI Dpnartmppt
an assistant, for nearly twenty years. He
speaks with evident pride of the confidence
reposed in him by Jefferson Davis and Floyd,
OF their frequent consultation with him in pref
erence to his superior, Col. Craig, and it is
therefore not to be believed that he would
have withheld an opinion from the Secretary
of War in regard to the mpropriety of send
ing cannon to the Gulf coast to arm fortifca-
tions which had no existence, from motives
of mere modesty. He says that sshis duty
was obedience, not questioning" On the
18th of September following Col. Craig was
lieved from duty head Of the Ordnance Bu-
reau, and on the 23d Maynadier substitu-
ted in his place. The day preceding the ap-
pointment proposition was made to Floyd
by A. A. Belknap ssto purchase of the depart
ment from one TO two hundred and fifty thou
sand of United States flint locks and altered
percussion muSkets, and to have the same de-
livered to ME or my agents in New ork City,
.
tore the Military Committee of the last House
of Representatives, report No. 50, which your
committee have felt at liberty to use in this
connection.
ssAs originally wrtten,'' says Belknap, ssthe
proposal was for two dollars per gun, but the
words sand fifteen cents'' were interlined be-
fore the paper was presented TO the War De-
partment.'' On the back of said letter is the
following endorsement ssThe within propo-
sition is accepted to the extent of one hundred
thousand muskets, and many more up to the
maxidm number as the service will spare"
Signed, j. B. Floyd, Secretary OF War.
subsequently Floyd. by a,strange freak, pro.
fessed to discover that the price for which the
arms were sold was less than he supposed when
he accepted the bid, and said that they should
not be delivered for less than 81, 80 per mus
ket. Belknap leaves to infer that the new
terms were accepted, and says that sSecretary
Holt refuses to give me the guns"
Lieut.. Col. May nader speaks oil this transac-
tion as a mere bid on the part of Belknap, and
declares that 'sNot single musket has been
sold to Beiknap at any price, According to
the testimony of Col. Craig before the Military
Committee, l00, 900 muskets were sold to G. B.
Lamar on the 24th of November, 1868 900
to the State OF Mississippi on the 4th of De-
cember, and 5000 to the State of Louisiana on
the 5th of the same month after the removal of
Col. Craig and the appointment of Lieut.. Col.
Maynadier, and Immediately subsequent to the
appearance of Col Crag's report, in which he
protests against the sale of more small arms.
Col. Craig states that only 1000 of the 14I,
600 arms sold during Floyd's administration of
the War Department were advertised, as requir- |
ed by the law of 1925, and that he protested a
ganst further sales. The consequence was his
removal, and the substitution of Lieut.. Col. |
Manayder, under whom these immense sales
were made to aid the cause of treason by cor
rupt violation OF law The q, 900 last mention |
ed were sold to parties and to States in open or
threatened rebellion against the Government, |
and the fact was as well known then that they |
were to be used against the Government of
the United States as it is now.
In the evidence of Belknap, he mentions
George Saunders, "a well known traitor as one of /
his advisers in the purchase of the 100, 900 mus
kets. The whole conduct of Floyd leaves not
doubt that he believed he was making sale to
parties in the interest of rebellion, and it were |
afiectation to suppose that IN annulling the |
original agreement at the rate of 81, Is, he was
actuated by honorable or patriotic motives. |
The only rational explanation of his conduct in |
cancelling the contract ,therefore,is to be found
in the supposition that he discovered that a |
mistake had been made, and that his fellow
could not obtain possession of
the arms.
Here then we have eincontrovertible evidence
that within month after Lieut.. Col. Maynadier
was placed at the head of the Ordnance De-
partment, twenty thousand stand of arms were
sold to the rebel enemies of the country and |
that one hundred to two hundred and fifty
were bargaIned for, evidently with |
the expectation that they were to go into the
same hands. Yet, Liout. Col. Maynadier
made no protest not entered complaint in any
and indeed, has not attempted to
show that he was not fully conscious of the
reasonable object of the sales to which he
was privy.
r., r,.nr trua word 10 spoE in |