Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-02-10
From the New York Tribune.
United States Officers Trading Contra
band Goods and Negroes for Cotton.

received IN Washington, from persons of the
highest character connected with the army in
the southwest. They are introduced by the
following statement dated Helena, Ark, Jan.
Is, 1868.
While in Memphis procured document,
copy of which enclose, marked A. | then
went on to Helena, determined to follow up
the case of Col. Hovey, of Illinois. l went
In search of the boat and crew that did the
business. | found two of the crew and took
their statements, of which | inclose copies,
marked b and c. Gen German came to He
lena the LIST of December, to take command
of this post. He forbade all persons going
outside Of the lines or down the river to buy
cotton. After a few days it was said he was
going to establish military post at Friar's
Point, at the mouth of the White river. He
with his escort, went down the river a number
OF times for that purpose, it was said, but the
boats seldom or never returned without cot
ton.
The White Cloud is the boat the general
used for himself and staff, but the steamer
Evansville got the most cotton. They always
had large stock of whiskey, salt, quinine,
and other contraband articles, on board going
down. spent a number of days quietly
looking after them, and went on board several
times to see what they carried. BY and by
should go on board without permit. This
cut me off, but | kept a lookout. On the
10Th day Of December, Gen. German with
his staff and part of the I'd Ohio battery on
the w hte Cloud, and the 29th Wisconsin in
fantry on the Evansville, started down the
river to establish a military post They
stopped at Frar's Point. The general ap-
pointed lieutenant provost marshal The
soldiers, with government teams, were order
ed BY the provost marshal to draw cotton to
the boats. The. colonel of the 29th remon-
strated against having his soldiers do that
kind of duty, and sent an officer to the gem
eral to ask what rightthe provost marshal had
to take a company Of his men against their
will to draw cotton. The general replied by
an order putting the colonel under arrest, Ids
sword taken from him, and he sent prisoner
to Helena to await further orders, all of which
was accordingly done.
The soldiers were there about two weeks.
They collected good deal of cotton The
greater part of it was paid for in contraband
goods. When they returned the Evansville
had lis bales and As bags of cotton, valued
at $4,000 The captain of the boat said a
part OF the cotton belonged to him The gov
ernment paid the crew and furnished fuel for
the boat
inquired if the government had no agents
to attend to such business, and was informed
that L. II. Yeatman of Cincinnati, now in
Memphis, was special agent of the treasury
department. | sent him notice to come down.
Before he arrived Gen. German had ordered
the cotton to be put on the government wharf
boat Some OF the government stores had to
beput outside to get the cotton in. Mr.. Yeat-
man seized the cotton and put man in pos
session OF 1t, but the man is a cotton specula-
tor, and have no confidence in his integrity.
Since Mr.. Yeatman left the cotton has been
put on board a steamboat. The government
is paying the boat $50 per day, and using it
to store cotton.
On the 10th of January Gen. German gave
verbal permit to a man living in Mississippi
to take colored men in Arkansas and carry
them out of the state. The general told the
negroes to go, and ordered the captain of
steamboat in the United States service (the
boat being owned by the United States) to
take them from Arkansas to Mississippi with
out pay. 1t was done. The following are
the statements to which l referred:
HELENA, ARK, Sept. 81, 1862 General
otefle, commanding army Of the Southwest,
Helena, Ark. General, Two transactions of
very singular and grave character have come
to my knowledge, which feel it my duty to
make known to you, that the interests of the
government may be protected, its honor vim
dlcated, and the guilty parties exposed, pun
lshed, and disgraced. Previous to Sept. 3D.
1857, sixteen negroes were taken from plan
ter living about twelve miles below Lacona,
Miss, and carried to the encampment of Col
Charles E. Hovey, SD Illinois volunteers,
about seven miles below Helena, Ark. On
the Nth or 25th of September, these sixteen
negroes were placed on board the government
steamer latan, taken back to their owner and
exchanged for forty bales of cotton. By this
extraordinary proceeding this cotton became
the property, or, rather, was placed in the
possession of some officer or Spectator.
ask, general that this matter be thoroughly
investigated, and if it is proved that Colonel
Hovey effected or connived at this disgraceful
exchange, that he be dismissed from the ser.
vice of the United States, and branded with
the infamy Of the crime before the American
people.
Another affair of a less heinous nature, but
unJustihable upon any principle of justice and
right, is probably traceable to the same officer.
On the 10Th of September some two hun
dred troops were sent from Col. Hovey's
camp to Friars Point, Miss, about five miles
from camp, and occupied the town, while
small force, consisting of cavalry, infantry,
and artillery, started from a point Immediate
ly opposite the encampment on the Mssissip-
pi side of the river to the interior of the state
About twenty miles from the river some $50
bales OF cotton were seized, placed on govern
ment wagons, and hauled to the river bank,
arriving on the evening of September 9th.
The troops at Friars Point marched up the
bank OF the river, and arrived about the same
time. These $50 bales OF cotton were marked
confederate States" or &c. S. A." and
were believed by unintereated parties to be
cotton subscribedto the rebel war fund, col
lected by some agent of the confederate
place where it was seized.
a private individual named Grant, think.
offered to sell the cotton at 35 cents pound.
This would indicate that the public property
of the confederate states to the value of $50
600 or 100000 had been captured by United
States troops, under command of Col. Hovey,
transported twenty miles in government wa
gons, and then, by some mysterious arrange
ment, fell into the hands OF some cotton spec
ulators, without any compensation to the gov
eminent. | ask that this cotton be siezed and
placed in the hands of some honest quarter
master, to be sold for account of the United
States, If the facts above stated are found upon
examination to be correct. The results of
TINS singular movement to the army were as
follows Capt. Christi of the 18th Wisconsin
ana three privates, captured at Friars Point
on the 10Th OF September, and paroled next
Jay sergeant Mason of the 33d Illinois, killed;
capt. fotter and five privates OF the same reg
iment wounded.
Inc officers and men of this and the llth
Wisconsin declare they will 90 on no more