New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-20

records OF the war of0 Kept.
Aside from those records pertaining to
battles and tho mOvenents Of armies, there
is mass of material sett,ng forth tbs won
derful history of supplying tho great ar
mics. The same is true of tho papers
showing tho engiaeering attending the
Transportation Of eupplies, the bridges
built and the roads constructed, in periods
which seem httle short Of mlracul0ue to
those who have never seen largo bodies OF
men at work. Tho medical department has
already made known its results. and placed
very front rank by the admissions of all
great nations. The quartermsster's ser
vice, including in thls term all the branches
Of supply, and the engineers operations,
together will form o history scarcely less
interesting than that of the battles.
Besides the records OF the late war, Cen
eral Belknap has lately come into the pos
session of valuable collocticn: OF records
hitherto unknown to historians. They are
nothing less than the complete official
papers Of Timothy Pickering, Quartermas-
ter General of The patriot army. They
we're found in the garnet of IN old house in
Philadelphia, whence they were about to be
taken, when the house was being demol-
ished, to paper mill, and their character
and value accidentally asOertained. The
0eCIcC0Ey UuU0 I0tOGIcU W tuOlu Az lis
address before the graduating class at West
Point:
"Within q short time the War Depart
ment has been placed In possession Of vast
amount of documents of the revolution,
consisting largely Of letters Of Washington
and other prominent military men. Among
them is . letter from Arnold, written thirty
four days before he consigned bis name to
intamy and while the prOmptings of his
L aks 1Mvu ~ thu nf tho
Colonies. Writing from West Point to
Colonel Pickering. Quartermaster General.
at Philadelphia, be states that 'there is not
q tent or any kind Of camp equipagei
at this poverty -struck plase;' that the
quarterm aster's department is entirely
empty and that there is only one camp ket.
tie to eighty or one hundred men, He COM
plains bitterly of Ohio situation, and begs
Colonel Pickering to apply . remedy, add
not quire of paper Or IN article of station
cry 1t this post or In the department.
Colonel Pickering lreplies, II am unhappy
to inform you that have mot yet reCeived
one farthing of money for any purpose
Whatever, nor can get any. there being none
in the treasury, and the articles can not be
supplied. You shall hear from me again -
soon as I get to headquarters, which shall
be when can obtain money enough to de-
fray the expenses OF my Journey How
much this tells Of the privations and trials
of the men of early days. and how it illus
trates the POVERTY through which the nation
worked it's way to fieed0mw l
On the three hundred and ffty-ifth page
of the life Of Timothy Pickering, by bis son,
Octsvias Pickering, 10 the following refer
ence to these records Of the revolution, cup
posed, until the purchase by Secretary Bel.
KNAPP, to have been lost:
"A memorandum BY Colonel Pickering,
dated the tenth Of November. 1898, con.
corning that peper says:
''In letter from John Lowell, Eco, to
my con, John Pickering, was tho following
statement in my handwriting, done at Phila-
delphia, in l78a. Ecepy it now because my
letterbook and papers relative to the quar-
termaster's department are not to be found.
When, in 1857, moved with my family
from Philadelphia to Wyoming. l left in q
chest, or chests and trunks, oil those books
and papers in the Office of commissary of
military stores, then kept at Carpenters
Hall. SAMUEL HODGSON.
''COmmisssry."
To this the author attaches the following
note:
1T seems probable that they wore dspos-
tied in the Office Of the Secretary of War,
and were consumed when that building was
burned down in 1900. If not destroyed, it
ia remarkable that the ardOr of historical
research respecting the Revolution has not
brought them to light"
The second tvOlume of this "ife of
Colonel Pickering" was, upon the death of
Octavius Pickering, finished by Rev. Charles
w. Cpham, and to the latter gentleman
General Belknap lately addressed the fol.
lowing letter in relation to them:
SEPTEMBER IL. 1874.
Rev. Charles W. Upham. Salem. Massachusetts:
DEAR SIR have been latterly reading
your lite Of the Hon. Timothy Pickering,
and have been very much Interested in it.
In the first place see upon page 355 of the
first volume, by his son, there is q letter by
Colonel Pickering, in which he states that
the letters, books and papers relating to the
quartermaster's department are not to be
found.
You will be interested in knowing that
about year since purchased for the War
Department. those books and papers, and
have them now in my Office. There is q
large quantity Of them and they are very
/ am now having them indoors |
ed. They were really the property of the !
government, - they were official papers,
but rather than lose them or have any
trouble about them, paid for them Q large |
sum.
l am given to understand that some
years ago they were found BY the father of |
tho party from whom purchased them in |
The house of Gneal descendant Of Samuel |
oommissary. Of military
stores and Colonel Pickering's principal |
to whom reference Is also made |
n the letter above referred TON old |
boxes, with every indication of having
ain undisturbed long time. Also, in
he fourth volume Of the work. on the
hree hundred and tenth page. find that
here is statement of Colonel Pickering's
hat his portrait was painted by Mr.. S. C.
Waldo, Of New York. As l discover in the
york no other mention Of . portrait, pre-.
ume | have in the War Department the
ne to which he refers. / purchased it in
tew York month since. 1t is evidently.
n original, and have placed it in the de.
artment with the collection of portraits of
reviOus Secretaries Of War.
Yours, very truly.
The Secretary will present this whole
ubject Of preserving the records by print
,g to Congress. together with statement
what he has done, and what he intends
, do, provided q sufficient appropriation is
lade. In vigorously prosecuting this work
Q will doubtless receive the cordial Co
peration of General Garfield, chairman of
le Committee GU Appropriations. who,
lore than any other member Of either
Ouse. has made our war history . study.
nd interested himself ext1nsfvely in all |
10 questions which the printing Of the
rchives involve.
What to Teach our Daushters.
Give them Q good substantial common
lucation. Teach them to cook good meal
vIctuals. Teach them to darn stockings
nd sew on buttons. Teach them how to
AXE bread. Teach them all the mysteries
the kitchen, the diningrO0m and the par.
r. Teach them that the moro one hves
thin his income the more he will save.