The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1874-04-24

All the property Of Confederate citizen
applicable to military purposes was there
fore under their absolute control. Th'
bad and Indifferent officers impressed
what they were called upon TO furnish
in the manner least convenient to them
selves, usually on the nearest plantation
or farms, or those where opposition wa
not to be apprehcndcd. The farms oI
soldiers were generally under the man
agement Of women, and therefore, wer'
not usually drawn upon for more thar
their proportion. Hence il was not un
common for a soldier to be written to b,
bis wife that so much Of the food he hat
provided for herself and his children ha,
been impressed; that il was necessar,
that he should return TO save them from
suffering or starvation. Such n summons
it may well be supposed, was never un
needed.
The sufferings Of the soldiers them
selves, produced by the want Of prope,
clothing, drove many Of the least hard,
out Of the ranks Want of food is ais,
said to have had the same effect, espe
cially in the army before Richmond IL
the last winter Of the war.
II was by such causes, all due to ar
empty treasury. that our armies were Sc
reduced in the last months Of the war
As to the charge Of want of Loyalty OF
zeal in the war, ! assert, from as mucl
opportunity for observation as any indi
vidual had, that no people ever display
ed so much under such circumstances
and with no tagging for so long tim,
C ,ntinuously.
An error in relation to the state o
preparation tor war Of each of the tw,
sections of the country in the beginnin,
Of 1861 has prevailed in the North sinc'
then. refer TO the belief that when III,
Southern Confeleracy was formed th'
arms that had been provided by the gov
ernmcat Of the United States for th'
common defense were IN possession Of th'
seeded States.
This belief was produced by the mos
malignant and indus,riously circulate,
,lanelcrs by which the reputation of an,
public man in the Uuitod States eve
suflered-the accusation against John Il
Floyd, of Virginia, that while Secrctar,
of War he had all the public arms re
moved from Northern to Southern arse
nal. to disarm the North and arm tn
South for the impending war. Thi. ac
cp-ation was so extensively circulated a
to lead to an investigation by a commit
tee OF the House of Representatives il
January, 1861. The chairman Of tha
Committee was one Of the most respec.e,
membcrs Of the Republican party il
that House-Mr. Stanton, Of Ohio. Tn
report Of that committee completely ex
oneratej Mr.. Floyd and reiu,ed the cal
umny. Yet il continued 10 be circula
ted and believed, while the reiutation
although, by such body, was unnoliced
and believe, l. now forgotten,
The facts that were distorted into tha
calumny are clearly stated in the repor
of the committee, and must be wei
known by the principal officers Of tn
United States Ordnance Bureau and re
corded in that bureau, for the orders il
question were given through that, tn
proper channel. They are briefly these
Previous to the year 1919 the iniantr,
arms manufactured under the direction
of the War Department had been accu
mulating in the Springfield armory, il
consequence Of the neglect of an ol'
rule Of the Government which require,
the distribution of these arms in arse
mails constructed for the purpose in tn
different sections of the country. In tn
beginning Of that year the accumulation
had filled the places of deposit at Spring
field, where the newly adopted improve,
arms were made. To make room ther
for the new arms as they were finished
MIR, Floyd ordered the removal of abou
10000 mussetst and 10000 rifles T.
empty Southern arsenals, constructe,
many years before to receive them, un
der the laws of Congress. There wer'
old fashioned arms that had been dis
carded by the Government ON accoun
Of the recent improvement in small arm
and the adoption by it of the "rife'
musket." About 400, 900 of the old dis
carded arms and all of the new and i'm
proved were left in the North. Abou
a year later 1900 rifed muskets wer
offered for distribution to the States un
der an act of Congress, Only 700 o
them went to the South, however, be
cause even then there was SO little appre
hension of war that several Southerl
States refused or neglected to take thei
portions. Mr.. Floyd's orders, as hav,
said, were given before secession ha,
been thought of, or war apprehended, b,
the people of any part of the Unite,
States.
! The seeding States, in general, mad,
no preparation for war by procurin,
arms-none of consequence that is I,
say. | believe that Georgia procurec
20, 900 old fashioned muskets, and Vir
ginia had 10000 made in State armo
ry more than forty years before. The,
had. of course, flint locks, Each Of III,
other Southern States ON seeding claim