New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-11-04

ADJ ~ na e nf,Imstion was given to the Treasury
Agent No permission was given TO any Peos condi
Heo nniv t such persons whose public ptsl
ton seemed to be a full guarantee aeans e,v I've re.
privilege aSd whose requests couiu Of The public
fused. They given to ie,ou rhnse troons
press and 10 prominent officers of States WhoSo ''0VP'
were in the field. , J., oafoors of the Treas.
NV benartment at Alexandria, that there WOulu w
diiiculty in receiving sucn properly exp. ieGa
Treasury regulations OF io nronnleated Tor that
,,,ro. NJ Alexandria and at New.Ofieans lhese
srders were strictly enforced by all oheeIs connec,cu
with or representing the eImy. mere ~us DO az
,misson whatever given to any person 10 uade 10 ais
nose OF OF transport private propeityi no piVeeeo'
This kind recognised unuer su! cncups1aHoN ~
Every dollars worth of properly that caue INTO INC
hands of the army during the campaign was ethet up
pTotiated to its in kind by the.proper officers oil
The ComnissaIy and QEarternasters department le,
enfs hoinq given therefor transmitted To the Chief
nattermaster at New Orleans, and by hm tnlned over
TO the Treasury Agents TO he disposed OF accoI9lhs 10
the laws of Congress and the orders OF the Govern
ment When cotton other property lnteriefod WIN
The transportation Of any material OF the army or OF
refugees negroes troops upon the evacuation OF th
ccuhtry il was thrown from the boats and Abandoned
upon the river leyees TO the enemy.
! intend this statement TO be as comprehensive upon
the subject language can make It, and 10 cover on
possible methods direct or indirect. by which officers
or citizens. public or private parties, or any par YES
whatever could evade violate those orders. on inc
rlyer or at New Orleans, or appropriate by any means
public or private property to private uses OF
advantage or TO deprive the Government or inalVlu
uals Of any property, which by any hteIpetSoHd o o
belonging justly and properly TO them r >, ri,
Gen. Grover commanding the port; Col. = ID. iola
bird, Chief Quartermaster at New-orleans ara we
Hon b. T. Flanders supervising special agent Of the
Treasury Department, VIII be able to account 10 Wv
eminent for public or private Ir9peit! eolins i,'o
their hands during this campaign was enbd6eu upoH
the uT coast hopne by the capture Of Galveston ana
Mobile 10 pat ny command in readiness ior an eneeuNe
cooperation By Mobile and the Alabama River with
Gen Sherman, precisely in accordance with the cam,
paign suggested by the Lieutenant General commhhu,
Ing the armies in lis dspat hes OF the 10Th ana ost VI
March when received Instructions to communicate
with the Admiral and general officers commanding tLe
fleet and forces Of the Upper Mississippi upon the SUD
jeet Of the campaign against Shreveport. nv,
Immediately complied with these orders 1hey
had received similar Instructions and IN answer 10
my communications expressed their readiness anu uc
sire to enter upon the campaign: uih the toTce: posea
and the cooperation Of the feet lis was reason
ably certain; under such circumstances cOud not
cline cooperation with them at once aoandoheu , ~,
other enterprises gave my whole attention 10 lhs
service.
The first difficulty encountered was in the naVga-
tion of the river Sixteen days delay, caused by the
inabty of the feet 20 pass the Rapids q. Alexanufla
and three days delay at Grand Eeore III wal.lIg We
rise Of the river, enabled the enemy TO concentrate S
forces and rendered impossible that eeie'! o. ose
ncnt BY the army which the success OF the eApedIoh
demanded Eight days OF the delay at AIeAHuuila
would have been attributable TO the taIdy olganNauon
and movements of Franklins commands but the meet
os unable 10 mass the Falls until eight days after his ar
rival at Alexandria This delay doubtless ing 10
the mpraeticabe navigation OF the Tver pul IL y NV
are enforced upon all men in the daily affairs Of me-
would have fol hidden an attempt TO ioee nee, VI 20
much importance to the free navigation OF lhe Ailsss
sippi 10 point from which could never hope 10 escape
except upon the theory that the llyer ought 10 or ht
Use The movement Of the navy, IN dispatch OF ear
Admiral ID. D. Porter. TO which the Secretary OF tne
Nav has given official publication and sanction is at
tributed to the request of Gen Banks, VINO deemed
tbs cooperation of the gunboas essential to success
that be (Porter) had TO run some RISKS ana MAKE uh
usual exertions 10 get them over the faiis:
This implies that the respo sbity OF his action rests
Az hut ia not
The cooperation of the navy was an ndlspensape con
1ion and basis of the expedition MAJOR Gen. halee
Navy Department that Admiral Porter would DC pre-
nared TO cooperate with the in its movements an
fhe Admiral himself informed me, Feb 20 that De wa
"nrenared 10 ascend the Red River with large flee
of grnboa,s" and to cooperate with the army at an
fiuie when the water was high enough Inc meet wa
rs necessary 10 the campaign as the army; mao
been left to ny discretion, should have Reluctantly
undertaken, in campaign requiring but elgnt or te
Eght draft gunbOats force 20 heavy iron cIGds ~
miles upon river proverbially treacherous as u
Rebels who defended it. ard which had given notice 0
reports, "all other rivers were booming
There better for the disregard @! the pal
pabe difficulties of navigation than the overzeaIou
subsequent dispatch Admiral Porter says ttat q al
my vessels nsvigated the river TO Grand Ecore WIZ
ease. and with some Of them reached Springfield
Landing the place designated for the gunboais to NEE
the army. NJ part successfully accomplished. IN
failure Of the army proceed and the retreat to Gran
Ecore left me almost at the mercy of the enemy" III
and fery ardor Of this statement The fleet did nc
reach the place appointed until two inll GAYS ate
occupied four days in moving lOi miles on what b
calls rising river" with good water TO the pat
appointed Gen. I. Kirby Smith states that the fee
made 90 nef on The 7th 81 miles on the Sth IL m'
the 9th and miles on the 10th Of Aprl-total Il
miles. Tie failure of the fleet 10 move up the rive
with ordinary expedition together with the fact tht
the gunboats were upable TO pas Grand Eccre unit
the It'll justified the belief that its advance had bee
prevented by the low stage of water. and governed th
army exclusively in its retrograde movement TO Gran
EeOre, 1t did in every important operation oil th
campaign. The Admiral's dispatch does not Inentio
the fact that in addition 10 the mercy OF the enemy
he bad the support of Gen. T. Kirby Smiths divisio
of 800 men, whose most gallant and honorable part j
the preservation Of the feet Of gOnboas and trans
ports is not referred to in what the Admiral call
'this curious affair between (the enenys 81 Infantry an
gunboats."
In view Of the published dispatches of Admiral Por
ter 1t is proper Or TO that every position of dill
6cuty in which the army placed in this campaig
was the Immediate and direct consequence OF delay u
che operations of the navy. This may have been iney
stable, and entirely justfable from the condition G
tie river. 1t is not my province 10 pass Judgment apo
its operetis1s but the fact remains nevertheless.
During mn term OF service it has been nvariabi
rule of condact from which have never departed, 4
forar the ex preston Of opinion complaint upon th
official action ,of others; but feel 10 be sOefa
dufy 10 saw in this oficsl and formal that Ad
nira Porters ublished official statements relating q
She Red River campaign are at variance win Inc Truth
of heh there ar many thousand living witnesses ant
do foul Injustice the ofhcers ana soldiers OF the arm
living and dead u, whom the Navy Department owe
exclusively the Dir. seryation and honor OF Its fleet
The partial disrt egratOn OF the several command
assigned 10 this EXP edition was eause OF
Major Gen. Steele, (which was informed Dy MAJOR
Gen. Sherman would e about 10 wv men, was IN lac
but 1900. and operati g upon hhe several buhuIe'
miles distant with pu poses and results entirely On
known TO me- February s. i was Informed by Gen
Steele that If any advan &c was 10 Dc made II must b