The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-05-10
REBEL ARCHIVES.
What General Townsend Has to Say
About Tllom..T11iFtoon volumes
Already in Type, and stxty-Seven
More Coming. - go H-lsl -rls
washington Post.l

inspection Of every one. especially late
" since public attention has been
attracted to the subject by the spat
in the house between Reagan and
Wiilets The papers are all 10 charge
of E D. Townsend. adjutant general
of the army, and from this Office the
Post obtained the following information
last evening: 1ts- s--Lltt,-.
In reply to tho question. "Wiiy are
those archives kept from public inspec-
tion7 the general said: For the
Union war records are held. as official
secrets. It is for the protection Of the
government and the people,"
Elbow are they protected by such q
course Z"
"In this way !: If persons were 81
lowed to come in and inspect the mus
ter rolls. one 90 disposed could draw off
the exact history Of . soldier, for in
stance, and personate him in procuring
pension He would make his applica-
ton, state his services, etc. and when
in the ordinary course of business the
war department. received letter from
record. of course its reply would agree
ment would be defraaded. The open
ing Of the Union records to the public
would at once destroy the safeguards
and checks designed for the protection
of the government and the people,"
"But is it SO with the Confeder ate
records p
Eyes, to q very great extent. In one
wsy aud another they have cost the
government q large sum. Appropria.
tions have made for their compilation
and printing" and whenever Congress
wishes to publish them it can do 80.
Up to this time some thirteen volumes
ready. These include the battle records
up to about 1863. And when they are
Published maps of the battlefi.lds and
positions Of the troops have been pre-
pared to accompany them. The matter
ia go arranged that the historian will
find the history of each battle complete
by ITSELF"
"Who will get these books 2"
1.-THE purpose, as understand it, is
to print the usual number for members
of Congress-, public libraries aid in
stitutions of learning. aud besides this
q number for the people. perhaps suit
cient when sold to reimburse the
government for its outlay in the pur
mot much concealment in that
plan p
mo, and concealment ia not the pur-
pose. Why, for two days the late Con.
federate postmaster general was engag-
ed in an examination of the archives.
A few days ago Col. Mosby requested
q copy of one of the papers relating
to battle OF j. E. b. Stuart's. and it
was promptly furnished him. The
Hon. Mr.. Scales and Mr.. Vance, Of
North Carolina. asked for copies of
papers and they were given, as well
as to other members of Congress-, and
any respectable editor in the country
can get copy of any paper he asks
government and the people are interest
ed for its protection"
what sort OF papers are those 2"
"They belong to the class having ia
legal value-papcrs containing ev idence
may be called for in the court Of claims
or by the Southern claims commission.
There are those who have claimed to
be Union men during the war, and,
when asking for payment from the
government for damages sustained,
the archives have revealed evidence
that they had been once compensated,
or that they were not Union men at
all. 1t stands 10 reason that hundreds
of claim agents and Spectators would
be glad to come in and copy of these
documents /; and then again there are
publishers who offer large sums for
the privilege Of ransacking the archives
and making selections. No wonder
that complaints are made that access
to the archives is denied but they
come from persons. rs q rule, who have
q direct monetary interest in obtaining
copies. For all legitimate purposes,
copies of papers can be obtained of the
class that will finally be printed"
And about what proportion is that"
"Why. nearly all In the end only
a few will be held back"
"What is being done with our own
records ?"
"Ihe battle records are being COM
piled and arranged for printing, side
by side with those of the Confederacy.
but they are more abridged than the
latter. The two will make, when com
pleted, perhaps 100 volumes, embracing
more complete history of n war than
was ever written before, and furnish
ing Tor the historians of the republic
nnbonnded material. Infinite mains
nave been taken by the compil.rs to
nave al! the names and dates correct
and will be pushed just as fast nv Cnn.
greae furnishes the MEANS"
HAS much of the matter been ,r;,.
ed 2" "oen PRINT