New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-06-28


that would have been sent also.
w. II. EMORY.
New Orleans, June IL, 1874.
[Copy.l
NEW ORLEANS, May 81, 1874.
To Lieutenant G. NJ Wheeler, Uni1el S lates Army,
cara Of General Humphrey& 9hief Engineer,
tyarsed States Army, Wa1AN, District of
Columbia: 1890
DEAR SIR-Some one 6esS6nt me copy
Of the New York Iribuncs4H May IL, 1874,
containing notice OF your valuable ex-
sloratiOns in the Western country. The ac-
count is introduced by what is stated to be
a brief resume of facts obtained from you.
Under the head of early Explorations
at the West" this writer, under what is
Gfles0ed as given on your authority, makes
uasution of all the officers of the army who
cave in any way contributed to those ex-
C1lorations. Among them are several whose
contributions consisted only of hasty
sketches, without ever taking an observa-
ton of latitude and longitude or making
any instrumental measurement whatever.
] state this, not for the purpose of dspre-
ciating these contributions. but for the pur-
pose of calling more pointedly to your
notice the singular fact that your resume
ignores absolutely and entirely my contr-
buttons and labor in that same field, where
passed several years in the most arduous and
exposed labOrs, and contributed many hun
Gred fixed astronomical points to the
geography of the interior, based upon many
thousand astrOnimcal observations made by
myself and assistants, but principally by
myself. Your study OF the reports of your
own distinguished corps, or those Of the
Typographical engineers, now the same,
should have shown you that these observa-
tons corrected the longitude Of some points
interior as much as one degree in longitude
= ,,vh< al fl,,% y
formation furnished by my reconnaissance
of 1867 that the Territory of Arizona was
purchased, to make practicable the location
OF the Southern Pacific railroad
These astronomical points extending on
one line from Fort Leavenworth to San
Diego, California (see my notes of military
reconnaissance of the Arkansas, Gila, ETC.,
$4,000 of which were published by Con-
gress); and on another. from the mouth of
The Rio Grande to the Pacific Ocean, form
the basis for the projection of all the south
ern part of the map which you allege to
have been prepared and compiled by Lieu
tenant, now Major General, Waller. That
map was first projected by me under the
orders of the War Department and the
chief of Typographical engineers, and if you
will examine in the records of the engineer
Office any of the old editions of that map,
say that Of 1854, you will see that it was so
prepared. The design was to put down
only what was known and subsequently, to
Ill 1t up with surveys and "Reminiscences
as fast as they came in.
The reduced map, which accompanies nv
report on the Mexican Boundary Commits
sion. contains all the astronomical points
determined up to that day, collected from
all sources and collated with the most scru-
pulons regard to the correctness Of the OBJ.
servations and the character of the observ-
ers;- and l do not see that any material
corrections and alterations have been made
III the projection or in the leading geo.
graphical points in the more recent editions
not even on the still reduced edition with
which we are favored by the Tribune of
May IL.
1t is q misfortune for American geogra-
pliers that no discrimination is made be-
tween map copied hastily with the penta-
graph and map projected from tables and
observations involving elaborate calcula-
ton and infinite labor. provided the map
be illuminated with the different colors Of
cAe rsinbow and Ornamented with fashy
Letters. / have no objection to stand by
and see my own work ignored by fugitive
newspaper writer or by commercial map
makers, but regard this communication in
the Tribune as of very different character
a1d as indicating the record proposed to
- made up into an official report published
eanhtI bHe auspices OI Ule HONeInlH6nC,
Cinder bureau in which served arduously
and for a long time.
do not intend to lay claim to be the
of the map which is referred to
n so pointed manner by yourself. The
idea OF forming such map was originated
by the lamented Mr.. Nicolet. and the pro-
sections were based on tables computed by
him, with the assistance of officers of the
engineers. | only claim to have aided in
10 sry,, j.
projections of the first map from those
tables, and to have collated all the as
Economical points known up to that time
tI85l), some of which were determined by
myself. l also claim the merit of obtain
Tag from the War Department its sanction
so construct the map, and the adoption of
the rule that nothing should go upon the
official map but what was authentic.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient
servant, w. II. EMORY,
Colonel and Brevet Major General, United
States Army.