Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-02-24
Tmn 80 nEFaETmaNT.
Report from she sofnt EeIecs Csu1EAsasee
10 EHvessfanse she lsanageEueE1 81 the
Nnvv sbenaYElnelg.

EHEHEtlG4FB the uhIUst E11GEA 81 inc
Navy Department
The joint select committee Of the Senate and
House Of Representatives. appointed to iDYez-
tigste ihe administration Of the Navy Depart
ment, under its present head, With power TO
send for persons and papers, ard to report the
result of said investigation 30 the two houses,
respectively" Gsk leave to report
That in aceordsacs with the instructions con-
isined IN tie resolution for thsir spp0intment,
lhey have called before them many peTeons en-
gseed IN the naval aud military service, and IS
contractors aud employees, as well as others IN
civil lfe, supposed 10 have knowledge OF the
matters to be investigated, and have examined
many papers among ike archives OF the H2Fy
/ Department 10 order to inform themselves OF
the manner in which the departments has been
administered. They have sought iniorslstlon
wherevef.tbey suppoEed it could be found, ana
I have invited it from all who could give it. The
| Largo number OF Witnesses and voluminous re-
/ cords examined, prosracted their siitings until
near the clcHe Of ihe last session OF Congress,
when they found il necessary 70 PRINT the tesil-
mony, that each member might review il before
/ making = report, and that the two houses might
/ bs enabled 70 decide whsther tho COMMITTEES hsd
/ formed lust judgment and attained proper
! egFclusion. All the testimony deemed material
/ and proper to ba published win be found in
volume Of nearly 800 pages, printed during tho
| last recess OF Congress, which they herewith
submit as part cf this report. The various laWs
relating to the navy, the reports of the Secreix-
/ n, (which have been coD6dentisllY communities.
ted 20 Congress, and the rules and orders given
/ By him, although coming under the review Of The
| committee, they did not think it necessary or
proper to pint.
The committee confaed their examination to
/ the domestic operations Of the Navy Depart
| nent They intended to investigate its foreign
! operations also and to inqniT8 who were Ssns az
/ arsptB TO foreign countries to pHrcbRee VUs sels
what instructions were given them, what funds
| we're inrnished them, what Obstacles they en-
4 eouniered, and what were the results of their
! respective missions But tee Secretary and the
/ President deemed It incon5isleat with lhe public
/ interest and the good faith Of the Government to
/ furnish such information, s. its publication
G7oud imBeril those ia cur service abroad, arrest
their aboTa and defeat their eff0Ttseto serve us
/ aud the committee corcurriBg IN those views
| did not press such inquiries
L is due, IN this connection. to state, that the
Secretary Of The Navy offered to send bsfoTe the
committee 8 gentleman who had charge of the
foreign contracts and Of the correspondence rela-
| ing 10 them, who eouid inform US, confidential
| ly of theiT character and results, and that he
/ IF red 81 information under his control and
/ every facility for obtaining il be eo1ld employ
| touching the domestic affairs OF theanavy, when
/ ever called for By the committee.
/ L will appear IN tho printed testimony here
I With submitted, that The committee have in
qairad into everything relating 10 the materials
/ ard the operations Of the navy within ths Con-
| federate Slales; the means and resources for
building navy; the Efforts 70 purchase OF build
| vessels and 10 obtain ordinances and ordnance
stores; the numLer and kind Of vessels pur-
| chased or built Of whom purchased or by whom
built; the contracts fer hem and how complied
with; the contracts lor the war vessels EOR pend
ing, The vesssis Owusd by the Government
/ when the Navy Department was organised and
the nunber and Find now owned by il; the
naval defsBses OF ths Mississippi river and es-
pecaly Of New Orleans, Of the Cumberland,
] Tennessee and James riYona, and Of the cify Of
| Norfolk the circumstances connected with the
destruction Of the Virginia, the Louisiana, the
/ Msssnppi, the Arkansas and other gunbos.s;
the causes of cur naval disasters a8d of the
failure Of cur navy 20 meet the public expeeIa-
tons.
Tie committee do not deem II necessary to
review al the facts relating to thege topics, or
/ 10 express their ccnclusion upon each Of them,
| ss the testimony is herewith presented, and may
be Tesd by al who desire the Information it fur
nishes. They think they viii discharge their
duty by expressing The general res sult Of their
investigations. They are gTatifed that they can
slste that, after long, psiiont AMI careful in
vestigstion, they have found nothing in the adj
ministaiion Of the Navy Department that justi-
[ 6es any eensuIe Of Nr. Mallory.
Mr. Mallory assumed the Ofice Of Secretary
of the Navy st the beginning Of the Provisional
Government and organized lie Navy Depart
| ment Il then had no navy, no vessels Of war,
sRd, indeed, not vessel Of any kind There
were hus TWO navy yards in The Confederate
| States, and but little ship timber in them. We
| had but q small number of shipWTights, or Of
persons possessing the skill or handieTsft neees-
sary 70 the construction Of vessels Of WGF- We
had but few seamen, and no commercial school
for training Besmen. We were especially de-
! fcient in the machinery for propeiliBg steam
vessels, and in the means for its construction
We bad not the "a, the iron works, the found
rieS-0r rolling mills, The work shsps or the skilled
w0rkmen, essential to the completion Of foEmid
sble ships of war. Bat seven steam war vessels
3 had been built 10 the ates row forming tbs
Cenfedsraey since the war OF 1872. Engines fol
but t8o Of these were contracted for in these
States, tho hesvy foYgings Of which were neceE
ssrily contracted for elsewhere. The entire
; machinery for such vessels bsd not been con
slructei in these States Our means aud re
sourcss for building navy were so small sn(
7. uncomfortable, compared with the naval poWe
and resources Of the ersmy, that many pBtTioti
men doubted the wisdom Of an attempt to cen
struot 3 navy.
! While our means of building halis, engine
and machinery, and Ct equipping and manning
< efficient 5hiDs Of war weIc thus limited the in
mediate end houTly demands upon al the work
shops Of the country for ordnance and ordnane
stores reduced them stiil moge. Thus the shop
st Norfolk navy yard, sheT they came unde
tis control of the Secretary Of the Navy war
largely engaged in tho manufacture of gun
2 carriages, shot, shell, sc, fsr ihe army, and i
| mounting and supplying guns.
! We have had 30 labor under shs most unto
I d ufsr r4fr.s
. had been employed as sbip-wrighls, who Ia
a never served an apprenticeship, nor buiis yes
= sci, or even worked on one, because skill an
experience could not be commanded. All tn
n labor or materials requisite to c0mplgio aB
! equip war vnssel could not be commanded :
any enc point Of the ConledeTacy; bat the me
4 ehinery for pr0Peilipg il, or some part OF it. Q
a the ordnance or ordnance stores, had 10 be iTans
n ported to the Ysrious and distant points wher
If the halls were being built. Tins ia The con
d struetion Of the Mississippi Of New Orleans, ia
] labor, skill and resources Of different paTis 0
= tho ConfedeTacy were necessarily invoked he
a iron was rolled At Atlanta, portions Of heE ms
y chineTy and equipments were made at Norfolh
i ghle-the main shaft snd ordnance and ordnnHc
4 stoTes wore made at Richmond.
n il oTdor to sheath Tie halls ef gunboats, "
Is have been obliged to use such scrap iron, ol
s0d rejected sugar mills, and other discarde
. iron as could bo gathered up; and to pT0pel theI
q have been constrained to use The engines an
! boilers Of dilapidaied steamboats,. Hence il Ia
+ happened that some Of our gunboais hay
y proven inefficient because Of the impeTfectio
y Of thsir machinery and shsathing.
y Besides Inc deficiencies aad difficulties, v
Or have been absirucsed in our operations by Il
es invasiona CT tho enemy, whereby we mot onl
lost our navy yards and much Of sheiE mschii
ly cry and ship timber, but were compelled 70 d
q ssroy gunboats quite completed, and ssssmboa
d qEhoss machinery might have seryed us, to pr
4 vent them from being oept9Faa BY the eaen
,n Hence lhe destruction Of the FiTglDie, Louis
d, ana, Mississippi (ihe vessels in Lake -Poueha
Id train, Bkyon 81 John, the Yaz0o and AissisSii
ge pi rivers and alsewheFe)
% Bat bad 40 been able to command all Il
worishous and material, artisans and sssme
rl..al IN asa