The daily confederate. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1864-1865, 1864-02-25

The JOINT select CtultnIltcc w ''' 'Eh"V
md House Of Representatives, '&ppolntet t.
Investigate the administration Of the Nav,
Department, under its represent head, witt
b ,wer to seud for persons and papers, aud t
fppor, the result Of said invests atiUn to TIKI
vo Houses, respectively" ask leave to re
bort
7 hat in accordance with the instruction
contained in the resolution for their appoint
nent. they have called before them many
persons engaged in the naval and military
ervice, and rs contractors and employees. q;
yell as others in civil life, supposed to have
nowIcdge Of the matters to be investigated
nd have examined many papers among tht
rrhives Of the Navy Department, in order t.
Yorm themselves rs 70 the manner in which
he Department has been administers Ell. -
hey have sought information wherever they
Imposed it could be found. and have invited
from all who could give it. The large
umber Of witnesses and voluminous records
kamined, protract.d their sittInrs until
err the close of the last session Of Congress.
hen they found it necessary to print the
ksfimony. that each membe- might review
before making a report, and that the two
uses might be enabled to decide whether I l.c
mtnittee had formed just Judgment aud
taiued aproper conclusion. All the testi-
|ony deemed material and proper to be pub
%hed will be found in volume of nearly
DO pages, printed dnrug the lat recess Of
ongress, which they herewith submit as part
this report. The various laws relating to
T. navy, the reports of the Secretary, (Which
i've been conflentially communicated to
nareSs J and the rules and orders given by
In, although coming under the review If
|e committee they did not think it necessary
PFC per to print.
II committee confined their cxamina ton to
domestic operations Of the Navy Depart
cut They intended to investigate its foreign
Berations also, and to inquire who were sent
agents to foreign countries to purchase
ssels, what instructions were q wen them,
bat funds were furnished them, what obstacles
eT encountered. and what were the results Of
cir respective missions. But the Secretary
the President dceped it inconsistent with
G public interest and the good faith of the
,vernment to furnish such information, as it's
lblication would imperl those in our service
broad, arrest their laber3 and defeat their
orts to serve us; and the committee ccncurrng
those views did not press such inquiries.
1t Is due, in this connection, to state, that the
(cretary Of the Navy offered to send before
foreign contracts and Of the correspondence
atng 10 them, who uld inform us. conf
ntially, Of their character and results, and
pc he offered all information under his control
every facility for obtaining it he could en-
~ touching the domestic affairs of the navy,
bcnever called for by the committee.
IL will appear in the printed testimony here-
in submitted, TINT the committee have nqtlir-
into everything relating to the materials
tile operations Of the Navy within the Con-
crate States /; the means and resources for
ding navy the efforts TO purchase or build
Fsrls and to obtain ordnance and ordnance
res the number aud kind Of vessels purchas-
or built, of whom purchased or by whom
1t; the contracts for them and how complied
th ; the contracts for war vessels now pend
the vessels owned by the Government when
} Navy Department was organized and the
mber and kind now owned by it; the naval
fences Of the Mississippi river and especially
New Orleans, Of the Cumberland, Tennessee
James rivers and of the city of Norfolk;
circumstances connected with the dastruc-
n of the Virginia the Louisiana, the Missis-
pI, the Arkansas and other gunboats; the
lses Of our naval disasters and of the failure
our navy to meet the public expectations.
rbe committee do not deem it necessary to
lew all the facts relating to these topics,
to express their conclusion upon each of
IN, as the testimony is herewith presented,
may be read by all who desire the informa-
1T furnishes. They think they will dis
urge their duty by expressing the general
ult of their Investigations. They are graft
that they can state that, after long, patient
careful investigation, they have found
hing in the administration of the Navy De-
Ftment that justifes any censure Of Mr..
(lTory.
Mr. Mallory assumed the Office of Secretary
the Navy at the beginning of the Provisional
vernment, and organized its Navy Depart
nt. 1t then had no navy, vessels Of war,
indeed, not vessel of any kind. There
re but two navy yards in the Confederate
ties, and but little ship timber in them We
but small number of shipwrigbts or Of
sons possessing the skill or handicraft ne.
sary TO the construction of vessels of war.
mad out few seamen, and no commercial
DOL for training seamen. We were especial
deficient in the machinery for propellinp
am vessels, and in the means for its construo-
p. We had not the iron, the iron works
ioundrles or rolling mills, the work shops or
Skilled workmen, essential to the completion
formidable ships of war But seven steam
vessels had been built in the States now
ming the Confederacy since the war of l-12.
glnes for but two of these were contracted
IN these States, the heavy forgins of which
necessarily contracted for elsewhere. The
Ire machinery for such vessels had not been
pstructed In these States. Our means and
ources Tor building navy were SO small and
considerable, compared with the naval power
resources of the enemy, that many patriotic
~ doubted the wisdom of an attempt to
hstruct navy.
While orr means of building hulls. engines
machinery, and Of equipping and man
9 efficient ships Of war were thus limited.
immediate and hourly demands upon all
workshops Of the country for ordnance
ordnance stores reduced them still more.
Us the shops at Norfolk navy yard, after
y came under the control Of the Secretary
the Navy,were largely engaged in the man
(cture of gun-carriages, shot, shell. &c.
the army, and IN mounting and supplying
rs
We have had to labor under the most mn.
ward and embarrassing circumstances.
Pa had been employed as ship-wrigbts
pO had never served an appranticaeb;