The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-10-24
WAR RECORDS.
Some lMtcrc sting Details. Manner in
Which Missing Records are Being
KccOVcreL--rhc Union aud
Confederate Records 10 he
Published separately.
W ashiuw:on Star.l

official records OF the late war are being
compiled. Gen. Marcus J. Wright, who
is engaged collecting the records of the
Confederate side, was found in his
Office, and he gave the reporter an ac-
count of the work aud its progress.
Said he: every many OF the most val
liable official papers Of the Confederate
army were lost or destroyed in the gem
crai breakup and surrender. Our pur-
pose is to get copies Of all such papers,
anu thus make complete the official
record of that side. Such OF the papers
as were preserved were obtained by the
Government, and was appointed to
procure duplicates of these thnt were
lost"
Star--''lsut how do YOU get these
duplicates :''
the Confederate army. They preserved
copies of every report, every othcial
paper they sent to Richmond, and
many OF them kept copies of every Of
fetal letter they wrote"
Star-"Do the eX-Confcdornte officers
give their files up to you"''
Gen. W.-''Oh, yes. AS general
rule they give them to US, but where
any OF them have papers they wish to
keep, they would allow us to make
copies of them and we return the Origi-
mails. Gen. JOSEPH, T.. Johnston turned
over to us his entire records, contain
ing all his reports, official letters, and
| reports of his subordinate officers. l
| have also all Of Gen. Pcmberton's pa
| pcrs, and that gives us a complete Of
fetal record of the Nicksburg campaign
as conducted on the Confederate side
| Star-ssDid they turn over their pa
pers entirely to the Government"'
| Gen. W.-'sYcs. We preserve the
papers, and they are accessible ut all
times to osegentlemcn, if they should
| wish to sec them or make copies. They
give them to us very willingly, rs it
relieves them OF the trouble and care of
keeping them, and does not deprive
them of any use they would want to
make of the papers. We take every
prccaution against loss by fire or other
wise of the papers we get. We have
printed copies Of each one made, and
eighteen or twenty Of these copies are
| distributed around among It's many of
the departments and other government
buildings, SO that in case of fire we are
certain not to have them all destroyed.'
Star--''GcneraI, these records are to
be published by the Government, are
they not:"'
Gen. W.-"Ies, sir; that is what we
are collecting them for. The purpose
Of the Government is 10 make up
complete official history OF both armies
of the civil war. The record for the
year 1861, of both sides, will be ready
for publication about the time Congress
meets. Tho volumes will be printed
by the Government as any other public
documents, and the usual number dis
tributed among the Departments and
members of Congress. Then the law
provides that the work shall be sterco-
| typed and sold to the public at the cost
price of printing, SO that any one can
obtain tho work ut comparatively little
cost
Star-"\Nill the records of tho two
armies be printed scparatcly:"
Gen. W.--"ics; separately, and in
consecutive vnlumrs.'
| Star--sWiIl the records be cuitcd?'
| Gen. W.--"No, not ut all; simply
complied so as to present, in the order
in which they were issued, the official
! reports, letters, orders, etc, of the war.
| Tho compilation is in charge of Cot. II.
N. Scott, of the Third Artillery, United
States Army, and n man better quail
fed for the work could not have been
selectea.''
Star-"IIow long will it talk" to fin.
ish up the entire work."
Gen. W.--"It will require several
years Ii'Ec W toIIII'ittc tht NoIh ioI
all the years of the war;
Saskatchewan you recently return
cd from collecting tour in the Soutli?'
Gen. W.-ssYcs, sir; 1 got back a
few days ago, and ] obtained Il number
OF very valuable papers. first went
to see Gen. Joseph Wheeler, in Ala
bama, who commanded the cavalry of
Bragg's army. lie gave me his entire
file of papers and reports, covering the
time from his entry into the Confcder-
ate service until the close of the war.
next visited the Indian Territory,
and got set of papers covering the
military operations of the Confeterates
! in what was called the District of the
Indian Territory. The district was
commanded by Gems. Albert Pike,
! Maxey (now United States Senator
/ from Texas and ID. FL. Cooper. These
records are quite important. l also got
all the official papers Of Lieut.. Gen. II.
s. E.wcll (since dead), who held an i'm
portant command in the Confederate
army. ] next visited General +. Kirby
Smith, who commanded the trans
Mississippi department, and got his
records. During the war his depart
| rpenf \yas for n LONG firpp prptfy Cffpt,-