The Coconino weekly sun., 1896-07-23
BOARDING ONE OF THE FLEET.

manager to offer obstacles to the move. merits of the armies. It would have been somewhat hazardous, for men wcie frequently convicted of disloyaity and sent to prison on slight provoca. ton. When the life of the nation was views or opinions of individuals. We went right ahead and did business in our own way.
 T do not now remember how many transports were employed in carrying the expedition of Gen. Banks around to New Orleans, but it was big job. There were naval vessels accompanying the expedition to protect the trans ports; but, of course, I had no control of any naval vessels. The transports carried all of the troops in Banks ex- petition, all of the horses, cattle, bat ;eries, hard tack and other food, and it cost lots of money. 1 don't remember anything about the total amount, but it was immense.
 Then there were two expeditions against Fort Fisher: one under Gen. Butler, and the other under Gen. Terry. | moved the Eleventh and Twelfth corps from Virginia to Tennessee. l sent the Ninth corps to the relief of Knoxville. fioated Schofieid's Twenty-third corps over into North Carolina. In some of those movements, and they were in a hurry. I had to grab cars and boats wherever l could find them. Then when my cars went west loaded with troops I had to chase aft"r them with my most vigorous assistants, in order to get them back for future movements Oh. if we didn't work in those days, no fellows ever worked. The men in the field never knew how it happened that things went so smoothly. When Gen. Sherman reached Savannah he found my fleets outside awaiting him with mails, provisions and ammunition. The old man compiimented me very highly afterwards, and said that he did not expect to get any assistance for week or ten days after reaching his destina- tion. But there was my fleet; and wherever a regiment, brigade, division or army corps was to be moved l had the transportation ready at the time and place designated in general orders from the headquarters of the army.
 II have signed many a check for S1O0,O0O to S50O.OOO, and handed it over to my assistants to disburse in accord ance with specific orders previously written by me. During the last year of the war signed checks for S1,000,000. And how much do you suppose l lost during those busy and trying years of civil war? I settled my accounts with the government without having single cent missing or unaccounted for. That is what I am most proud of in my mil itary career. Of course it was great commission. responsible position, and any man might feel proud of having been placed in such supreme command. But the system of business was such that not a cent was lost in the dis bursements of all those millions; and that is certainly something that man may be proud of, and may even be ex- cused for bragging about"
 While was chief quartermaster or the army of the Potomac l signed all By order of Maj. Gen. Me Clellan,' and thus the general com the army was responsible for everything done by me. Several years after the war was over, Gen. Mcclellan wrote me from Orange, \. J.. saying that the treasury department demand ed SG0 from him. on account of dis bursement which was not strictly Tn with the army regulations. I looked the matter up, found that un- der strict constructions of the regula- tions the order was not proper. No one but namby-pamby would have found fault with the disbursement. NO soldier would have objected to it. But as the critical clerk in the treasury objected to that small amount I sent Gen. Mcclellan my check for soo' and let the matter go without taking the trouble to go to the treasury de- partment and explain the matter. ! don't often talk about war times put you fellows have made me loqnaclo"S because you arc sucb good listeners;
 SMITH D. FRY.