The weekly standard. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-23
PORT GIBSON MISSISSIPPI DECEMBER %, 1866. 49, -


sion.f' BY the same order 100, 600 0
the old purcussion rifles Of the calbre
OF 54-100 were removed o.these arse
mails. These constitute the LIE, 900 extrs
lmuskets and rifles, with all their nipple
ments and ammunition, which, accor-
1ding to Gen. Scots ! allegation nearly
three years thereafter, had been sent
South to furnish arms to the future in.
surgents. We might suppose from
this description, embracing 4ammuni-
tion,8 powder and ball, though nc
where to be found except in his own i'm
agination, that the secessionists were
just ready. to commence the civil war.
His sagacity, long after the fact, puts
to shame the dullness of the Military
Committee Whilst obliged to admit
that the whole proceeding was official
lly recorded, he covers it with an air Of
y
suspicion by asserting that the whole
transaction was very quietly conduc-
ted. !" And yet it was openly eonduc-
ted according to the prescribed forms,
and must have been known at the time
to large number Of persons, inclu-
ding the general himself outside either
OF the War Department, the SPRING
field armory, or the southern arsenals.
In truth, there was not then the least
motive for concealment, even had this
been possible. te....,...;-....s t.,,.;,..
The general pronounces these mus
kets and rifles to have been of an sex
tra'' quality. It may, therefore, be
proper to state from the TESTIMONY
what was their true character. S s.,
ei In1857 proceedings had been insti-
tuted by the War Department, under
the act of 3rd March; 1926, oto author
Hize the sale of unserviceable ordnance.
4Ffss 49,.
arms and military stores. Statute at
large, 1871 The inspecting officers
under the act condemned 100000 of
the oldmuskets 'sas unsuitable for the
public service. and recommended that
they be sold, In the spring of 1859,
$4,000 of them were offered at. public
sale. 'The bids received Il says Col.
Craig, fEwere very unsatisfactory, rang
ing from II 1-2 cents to So except one
bid for small lot at So SO. In sub
mitting them to the Secretary, I re-
commended that none of them be sac-
cepted at less than ST. An effort was
then made to dispose of them at pri-
xate sale for the fixed price Of SO SO.
Such was the estimate in which theeyy
were held, that this price could not be
obtained, except for 1,610 of them in
parcels, It a. curious fact! that all
though the State of Louisiana had purl
chased LIZ, 900 of them at 50 so she re-
fused to take more than $500. On the
5th of July, 1859, MI. "a. 6. Fant pur- u
chased Q large lot Of them at So so
each, payable in ninety days; but in
the mean time he thought better Of ii,
and like the State of Louisiana, failed
tocompy with his contract. And Mr..
Belnap, whose bid at 81 10 for 11O, 900,
Of them intended for the Sandman
government had been accepted by the
Secretary, under the impression it was
$3.50, refused to take them at this
price after the mistake had been cor
rected. Col. Craig, in speaking ofthese
muskets generally, both those which
had and had not been condemned, tes-
titled that, 1t is certainly advisable to
get rid of that kid of arms whenever
we have a sufficient number of others
to supply their places, and to have all
our small arms of one caibre. The
new gun is rifed. A great many of
those guns flint -Iocks) altered to per-
cussion, are not strong enough torife,
and therefore are an inferior gun.
They are Of a different cahbre from
those now ma manufactured i BY the gov
ernment. 81 eoe45
Had the cotton States at the time de-
termined upon rebellion, what an OPP
portunity they lost Of supplying them
selves with these condemned ssextra
niuskets and rifles of Gem Scott. Il
NJ II DapsBo6k.
[Fromthe Metropolitan Record.
A Christmas In the COnfede-
-A -. I'acy. ,~ss.
e54