The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-18

would be glad under the CIRCUMSTANCES t 70
take charge of the Department OF south
Carolina and Georgia. II you VIII pe satl g,
fed with that arrangement. 1t might be well
1Spnedl JEFFERSON DAVIS.
The next day Dune 49, the telegram next
following "a portion of which not material TO
the subject Is omtted) was sent by GOV.
Pickens to President Davis:
mo. g., COLUMBIA lJunel IL.
just received telegram from Gen. Beaure..
gard Sans his presence absolutely required
81 he ARMY. This is bad, as things are dis
'0Di lsje mo F.W. P1oRHNs.
One sentence of the above Is italicised on
account Of Its bearing upon what is to follow.
Meantime urgent reasons appeared Tor
sending Gen. Bragg to another field OF duty
and the following was sent to him on the
fourteenth Of June--Onh day after the date OF
the above dispatch from Gov. PickenS
mo 81 RICHMOND, June IA, lB6z'
Gen. Braxton Bragg Tupelo Miss:
You will Immediately proceed to Jackson,
Miss. and temporarily assume command OF
the department. now commanded by Gen.
Lowell After Gen, Magruder joins, your
further services there may be dispensed Wlti1'
The necessity is urgent and absolute.
(Signedl JEFFERSON DAVIS
mo. 41 TUPELo June Il, 1869.
10 JbIeESOn DHNlE, EIbHiueAhs
Your order received and will be promptly
obeyed. .
lSgnedl BRAxToN BRAGG.
Why the order was not obeyed is explained
In the next dispatch, which was sent on the
same day by Gen. Bcauiegard to the War De
partmont. This dispatch Is given in part by
stEv" but 1rith The omission Of certain clauses
one of which. OF least, is highly significant ana
important. The words suppressed by that
writer are here inclosed in brackets:
mo 81 TuPEhp, June IA, 1861
Gen. Bragg has just communicated to me q
telegram sending him to relieve, temporarily,
Gen Lowell His presence here | consider in
dispensable lat this moment, especially az
am leaving for awhileon surgeons certificate
flor four months. I have delayed obeying
their urgent recommendation In that respcct.l
desire to be back in time to retale the often
sive as soon as our forces shall have been or
ganized. ] must have Il short rest
lSigned) G. T. BEAuREGARD.
This is dated. it will be observed, the next
day after the government had been informed,
through Gen. Pickens, that Cen Beaurcgard
considered ''his presence absolutely required
In the army" Is it not reasonable then, to
presume that 1t was unexpected
mo, g. Turnbo, 10 lJunel
TO Jefferson Davis:
Gen Beauregard, whose bad health requires
him to leave here soon, declines to relieve me
until he hears from the department. | await
the reply.
tSigned) BRAXToN BRAGG.
The next In order of date, 1t will be OBJ
served, was sent by President Davis, then at
Raleigh. n O., who seems, when sending It,,
not to have received the last preceding.
ENo.7l RALEIGH, N. O., June 16, 1862.
Cen D. Bragg. Tupelo. Miss:
NY telegram to you was so absolute and
for such immediate action. that | hope you
have not permitted yourself to be interfercd
Inn
of your presence depends mainly upon It's be-
ing immediate. It was not expected to be
more than D temporary arrangement.
(Signed) JEFFERSON DAVIS.
mo. 81 TuPELO, June Is.
TO Jefferson Davis President:
Your dispatch, sixteenth, received. / was
detained bys Gen. Beauregard, who left here
to-day for Mobile on surgeons certificate,
turning over the command to me. Gen.
Lowell was here, and left with him, returning
to jackson. 1T will be very unfortunate for
this army II | leave now under the altered
circumstances.
The next, although dated the day after,
seems to have been dispatched before No. 8
was received, and was probably in answer to
the Information given by Nos. 8 and e. 1T is
dated. but bears no record Of the place from
which sent.
mo, 81 JUNE 10, 1862.
TO Gen. 3. Bragg. Tupeo. Miss:
am disappointed at the failure to execute
my orders, and fear that the loss of time
which has occurred may produce irreparable
injury. Send Gen Van Dorm with all possible
dispatch to assume command OF the Depart
ment of South Mississippi and East Louisi-
ana. He will be regarded as temporarily de-
tachcd from his division.
(Signed) JEFFERSON DAVIS
mo 1o,l RICHMOND, June 20, 1862.
Gen. il. Bragg, Tupelo. Miss:
Your dispatch informing me that Cen
Beauregard had turned over the command 20
you and left for Mobile on surgeons cert1ll,
cate was duly received. You are assigned
permanently to the command OF the depart
nent. as will be more formally notified to vc,..
by the Secretary Of War. oh will correspond
| directly and receive orders and instructions
| from the government in relation to your
| future operations.
! (Signed) JEFFERSON DAVIS.
| These dispatches furnish certain "hard, in
controvertible facts" from which we learn
/. That on, or very shortly before, the
twelfth OF june 1869, Gen. Beauregard, on
account Of the state of his own health and the
Importance of the administrative duties per-
formed by Gen. Bragg, objected to the as
sgnment of the latter to q command in South
Carolina which it was proposed to confer
upon him.
3. That the President (who knew Gen. Beau
regard to possess in an eminent degree the
confidence of the people of South Carolina
then indicated q willingness to relieve him
from the arduous responsibilities Of his com
mand Of an army in the field and to transfer
him to the lighter duty IN South Carolina, II
: he was willing to accept it.
g. That, on the thirteenth Of June, Gen
Beauregard objected to this last mentioned
, proposition for the reason that has presence
aras absolutely required with his own army;
, 4. That, on the next day, June H. an ordel
) was sent to Gen. Bragg, assigning him to
+ duty Of urgent and immediate importance
but that the execution of this order was ar
! rested by Gen. Beauregard, who turned owe
his own command to Gen. Bragg, and an
= nounced his intention of withdrawing from
{ active duty on q surgeons certificate Of disa
. biity for four months. (The element Of tim
9 in this case, which Coy" fails to state is o.
' essential one)
. 5. That, on receipt Of this information, tn
: government-which had been three time
} thwarted within three days, twice, in sugges
/ tions and once in q positive order-ratitie
: the action already taken by the commanding
| General in turning over his command t
!, Bragg, and made it permanent. Could
i properly have done otherwise?
q The statements made in nv first artici