Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-04-23
ANNALS OF THE WAR.
Confederate Archives Collected by
Marcus ]. Wright.
The Work I'm Which He is En-.
gagged.
PHILADELPHIA Times, April 1O.l

NOpdA tuChAf NAlSA hdN bOCh ouAANhN
cred to him by Gen. Joseph f. John
ston, at Charlotte, North Carolina, on
the 18th of May. On the ID Of May,
1865, Col. R. d. Cults, aide-de-camp
of the military division Of the James,
forwarded from Richmond seven box
es Of confederate military papers, and
the third of the same month be for
warded forty eight boxes, and subse-
%Quently. he sent to Washington thirty
other boxes. On the 3lst Of the same
month Major Robert N. Scott, assist
ant adjutant general, forwarded a box
of military papers, and Lieutenant
Colonel II. p. York, provost marshal
Of the district of Savannah, Georgia,
forwarded eleven boxes of confederate
notes and bonds and a letter book of
General G. 7. Beauregard. General
Gilmore, commanding the depart
ment of the south, sent forward some
papers captured in Georgia, and on
the 24th Of June Gen. j. H.. Wilson
forwarded the records of the provis-
ional congress of the Confederate
States and the records Of the
treasury department and ord
nance office. A collection of
military papers of the trans .Missis-
sippi department was purchased about
this time, and a number of confeder-
ate treasury papers known as the
Broadwell papers. Other smaller and
less important collections of records
we're sent in by various officers com
handing in the southern states. The
accumulation of these important rec
ords at the war department, deter
mined General e. D. Townsend, the
adjutant general of the army, to ar
range them methodically, and take
steps to make the collection as com.
plete as possible. both for the purposes
of history, and for the protection
of the government against improper
and fraudulent claims, Accordingly,
on the 2lst of July, 1865, on the sug-
gestion of General Townsend, an
order was issued by the secret Try OF
war for the collection and safe keep
ing in the adjutant generals Office,
and for the publication of such Of
these archives as had came into the
possession Of the government. A
chief and assistant, and necessary
clerical force was provided, DR., Fran
els Lieber being placed in charge.
THE PICKETT PAPERS.
A subsequent order of August @
attached the archive Office 10, and
placed it under the general regulations
of, the ad~jutant generals bureau, aud
styled it the "Archive Office Of the
war department.. Various changes
we're made in the personnel of the Of
fee up To the establishment of the
publication office, and Mr.. A. =.
Tasker is now, and has been for sew
eral years, the chief clerk in charge Of
the archive Office, under the direc.
tiOns and orders of the adjutant gen.
eral. A great many articles were
written and published in the news
papers in relation to the delivery Ia
the United States government of what
we're popularity known as the Pickett
archives.
The papers known as the Pickett
archieves are not military papers OF
records, but embrace the diplomatic
correspondence and history of the
confederate states. These papers were
placed in charge of Colonel Pickett
by an obscure person, who in some
way had obtained possession of them
and had successfully secreted them
for several years. The president in
the meantime having issued his
amnesty proclamation and his princi-
pal urging a conclusion, Colonel
Pickett entered into negotiations with
cabinet officers and the southern
claims commissioners, and concluded
the transfer and delivery of the papers
for the sum OF $4,000, having first
made complete copies Of all the pa.
pers, which copies he retained.
Out OF the sum paid Colonel Pickett
received his stipulated fee-a great
part of which he distributed to needy
widows and orphans of confederate
soldiers. He did not think that thC
confederate government should b.
ashamed of its records, and if thei
publications should by chance injurl
any individual citizen, this was sim
ply the fate Of war. Colonel Picket
was the confederate commissioner t,
Mexico and afterward served as chic
of staff with General John 9. Breck
enridge in the war.
OTHER RECORDS.
In June, 1874, Congress passed al
act which was approved by the pres
ident, ITO enable the secretary 0
war to begin the publication Of th,
official records of the wal of the rebel
lion, both union and confederate.
There have been printed for the us,
of the compiler thirty.nine volume
OF union records, including thirteeI
volumes Of battle reports, three o
military correspondence, one of wa.
department letters received, one 81
war department letters sent, six 0
kilograms received, four of telegram
sent, five of General Halleck's tele
grams received, and four of the sam.
sent, and one volume of summary o
military operations. OF coniederat
, records twelve volumes have bee
printed, comprising four volumes O
battle reports, one each of war de
partment letters sent and received
one each Of war department telegram
: sent and received, one of adiutant an
inspector generals kilograms sent, on
Of adiutant aud inspector. general
orders, one of military correspondent
and general and special orders, an
one of troops rendered the war d,
partment.
On the first of July, 1874, | was al
pointed by the secretary Of war a
nUanf offhn tuop doYortu,.u4 r. a