The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-02-13
VOL. XXVI.

complish much. The reiaforcsasesls you msn.Ian
(sisned,) JsE. Joaxs.on.
Atthts point In the corfespoaaeace, the President
wrote letter 10 Gen. Joa,asssn n which he re-
viewed at length ali the points n issue between
them. lie aliudes 70 the iasies's assignment to a
defined geographical comusnd, b. Special Order
No 275, which order Described the command as
faciading portion Of Wesfesn North Carolina
and Northern Georgia, the Ssnees Of Tennessee,
Alabama, and Mississippi, and thas portion Of tho
Sta'c OF Louisiana east Of the elississ!pPi. We
make the following extract from tAis letter:
When learned that prejudfcs and nsalignity
had undermined the confidence Of the troops Ut
Vicksbnrg In their commander "a 70 threaten dtsas
ter deemed the circumstances each as to present
the case foresecn In Special Order No 255, that
command whenever your presence might be for The
time necessary or Desirable"
You were therefore ordered, On the 9th Nav 10
"proceed at once 70 Mississfpr and take chief
comn,m of the forces, giviaR 10 those In the
field, far practicable, the encouragement and
benefit Of your personal directi0DS'
Some details were added about sesnfOrcements,
bat not word affecting, In the Fcfacest degree,
your authority TO command your Gsographicai dis
trlct.
ON the 4th June you lelegsaphsd to the Sccre,a-
Fy of War In response 10 his iaqaisy. saying s'my
only plan Is to relieve Visksburg. My force il far
crease it, and how much" To which he answer
ed, the 5th, 81 regret inability TO promise more
troops, az have drained resources even to the
danger Of seyeral points You know best con
ccrning Gen. Brgg's army; but fear to Withdraw
more. We are too far ou,nnmbered In Virginia to
spare any" SC, &c.
On the eth Juas the Secretary &hs more expii
cit, If possible. lie said ado you advise more
endorsements from Gen. Braeg? You, as COM
mandant OF the department, have power so 10
der, il you, In view Of the whole case, deter
mine"
ON the 10Th June you answered that 1t was forthe
Government to determine what department could
fura.sh the reinforcements; that you could not
know how Gen. Bragg's wants compared with
yours and that the Government could make the
comparison. Your statements that the Govern
mcnt H. Richmond was better able 10 judge Of the
relative necessities of the armies under your com
mand than you were, and the further statement,
that you could not know how General Rrags's
wants compared with yours were considered cx-
traordinary but, az they were accompanied by the
remark that the Secretary's dispatch had been i'm :
perfectly dcciphered, no observation was made on
them till the receipt of your telegram 10 the Seere
ta.y OF the 18th inst stating 81 have not consd
cred myself commanding in Tennessee since as
sgnment here, and should not have felt authorized
to take troops from thnt department, aiicr having
been informed by the Executive that no more could
be spared"
Ny surprise at these two statements was extreme.
You had never been ' assigned" to the Mississippi
command. Yon went there under the circtin-
stances and orders already quoted, and no justt-
cation whatever IL perceived for your abandonment
Of your duties as commanding General Of the geo
graphical district To which you were assigned.
Orders As explicit as those under which you were
sent 90 the west, and under which 20" c"niinned
| 10 act up TO the 9Th May. when you were directed
to repair in person to Mississippi, can only be i'm
paired or set aside by subsequent orders equally
| exp!iciC and your announcement that you had
ceased To consider yourself charged with HE
trol of affairs in Tennessee, b cause ordered to
repair IN person 10 Mississippi, both places being
within the command 10 which you assigned,
was too grave to be overlooked. and when to this
added the assertion that you should not have
felt authorized draw troops from that depart
men, {rennesseej 'afier being informed by the
Executive that more could be spared, - was
unable to account for your language, being entirely
confident that had never given yen any such in
formation.
shall now proceed to separate your two state
mpnts and begin with that which relates to your
''nOt considering yourself C Gnlahdiug in Ten
nessee since assignment "heTe ii. T., in Misss
sppi
Juae informing you that ''lhe orders 10 go to Mis-
sissppi did not diminish your authority in Tennes
SET, both being in the country placed Under your
command In original assignment" accompanied
by inquiry about the information, said to have
been derived ifOm me, restricting your authority
to transfer troops, your answer on the 10Th June
was ssI meant to tell the Secretary OF War that
] considered the order directing me TO command
here limiting my authority to ttiis department,
cspecialiy when that order was accompanied by
| war Department orders transferring troops from
| Tennessee 10 mississippi"
This is, Ia substance, repetition % the previous
staten. nt without any reason being gwen for it.
The fact OF orders beiGS selt to you 10 tfaGsier
| some of the troops in your department. from oha
point To another, to which you were proceeding In
| person, could give no possible ground for your
s'considering" that special order No. 215 was re
| secluded OF modifled.
! Your command of your geographical III trict did
| not make you independent, of my orders your
tad ht-
to take troops with you 10 Mississippi, your con
troll over the district U which you were assigned
| was in no way involved. But the statement that
troops were transferred from Tennessee to Mssis
slppi by orders OF the War Eepaf .men, when you
were directed to repair 10 the latter State, gives
but half the fact for, although yen were ordered
to take with You three thousand good troops, you
were told 10 replace them by greater number then
on iheis way to Mississippi, and whom yon were
requested 10 divert 10 Tennessee. The purpose
being 10 hasten reiniOrccmehis TO Pemherton, !,
without weakening Bragg This was in Difference
tn your own opinion that Bragg coud>nOt be safely
Weakened-Bay, that he ought even to be rein-
forced ut Pemherton's expense, for you had just
ORDERED troops from PembcrtOn's command to re
iniUrce Bragg differed In opinion from you, and
Thought Ficksburg far more exposed TO danger than
Bragg, and was urging forward reini0rcements TO
that point both from, Carolina and Virginia, before
you were directed to assume command in person IN
Mississippi.
find nothing, then, either in your dispatch of
the 10Th June, nor In any subsequent cOmmuniea-
tiOn from you, giving justification for your say
ing that yOn 'had not considered yourself com
manding in Tennessee since assignment here,' IT,
e.. in Missssppi) Your dispatch, of the 5th inst /,
is again substantial repetition of the same state
ment, without word OF to justify it. You
say, 81 considered my assignment to the Immediate
command in mississippi as giving me a new posi-
tion, and limiting my authority to this department."
/ have characterized this As grave error, and. In
view of all the facts, cannot otherwise regard it,
| must add that a review of your correspondence
shows constant desire en- your part, beginning
early in January, that should change the ofaer
placing Tennessee and Mississippi in one command,
under your direction, and constant indication
on my part, whenever wrote on the subject, that,
In my Judgment. the public service required that
the two armies should be subject to your control.
In the conclusion Of this letter the President
says:
In no manner, by no act, by no language, either
Of myself of the Secretary of War, has your an
thOriiy draw troops from one portion O your de-
parment TO another been withdrawn, restricted, or
m0dified
Now. that Xicksburg has disastrousiy fallen, this
subject would present no pressing demand for at
tentiOn and its examination would have been post
pOned to future period, had not your dispatch OF
The 5th Instant, with Its persistent repetition of
statements which had Informed you were errO-
nsous, aud without adducing single fact 10 sus-
taia them, induced 10 terminate the matter at
once by review Of all the facts The original
mistakes In your telegram Of the l2th June would
gladly have been overlooked as accidental, II ac-
knowDedged when pointed out.
The perseverance with which they have been
insisted on has not permitted me to- pass them by
mere oversight, or by reffainns from an answer to
seem 10 admit the justice OF the statement.
The remainder Of the correspondence has refer
ence 10 the operations Of our own and the enemy ;
forces subsequent to the fall Of VieksbQrg.
the LEGISLATURE.