The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-28
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Orig Gen. w. sooy Smith, chief Of
cavalry. Nashville, Tenn. November
70, 1861. 10 Major Gen. Stone. chief of
cavalry bureau, Washington. Series
l., Official War Records OF the Rebel
Y lion, Vol NSSI., Part I'LL, p. s6i,)
rupon my assignment to iutylas
chief % cavalry In the military division
otlthe Mississippi, / Inspected the cor.
rails In this city containing the horses
sent here for issue TO the cavalry OF the
department OF the Cumberland. 1found
many OF them totally unfit for service.
from detects 40 manifest az TO compel
the conviction that purchasing quarter
masters and inspectors are guilty Of n
fraud upon the government. which
would DO consummated by permitting
such animals TO be issued, Many Of
them were over fifteen years old, some
blind and some badly spawned. Moth
lEs but uniform failure could be nn,lc:
lpated from cavalry mounted on such
animals. ] reported the facts to
Quartermaster General Meigs, and took
Assistant Quartetmaster Donaldson
through the corrals. that he might see
for himself Many OF the horses We're.
ordered condemned at once, and efforts
are belug made TO ascertain by whom
they were purchased, II has been .sug-
gested that each Inspector be required
TO brand Il private mark on the hoof
OF every horse he p9ssses, fac smile
of this mark to be sent to the head
quarters OF the department for which
tho horses were purchased. In add
ton to this. permit me to suggest that
all inspectors shall be required to give
bond III sums sufficient to mike them
responsible for any amount to which
they might have 1t In their power 10
cover their frauds upon the govern
Inent, Then every horse passed by
them and unit for service by reason OF
manifest defects of long standing shall
be charged back TO the Inspector. with
all expenses named added. Some such.
system as the one roughly sketched
above WIZ have to be adopted before
such horses, and such only, are pur-
chased for the cavalry service as are in
every way fitted for It. It Is sufficiently
difficult to compel volunteers to take
care OF good horses; those manifestly
unfit for service In the beginning they
Will kill as soon as possible"
tFrom Major Gen. sherman's General
< Order No Q Headquarters Departs
nent and Army OF the Tennessae.
Iuka, Miss. October %, 1853. Ibid.sp.,
1919 s!p
1T IL represented that officers, pro.
vost marshals and others in the mill
tary service are engaged In business or
speculation on their own account, anu
that they charge fees for passes, per-
mits, etc. All this Is breach of honor
and law. Every salaried officer OF tho
army service owes every hour OF his
time. every thought OF his mind, to his
government, and II he makes a cent OF
profit beyond his pay. he is corr,int and
criminal. All officers and soldiers in
this department are hereby Commanded
to engage In no business whatever save
their sworn duty TO their government"
(Rcar Admiral David D. Porter'to Ma
jor Gem w. T. Sherman. dated Flag
ship Black Hawk. Cairo, October %,
1853. Ibid. p. 1So)
congratulate you on your accession
OF honors in having the command of the
department OF the Tennessee trans
ferred to you. I am sure you will do
Justice to the position. it ,Is one re-
QuirlEg considerable address Just now.
for our secretary of the treasury has
started two or three systems OF trade,
uIi as NarlOuS.as the nueS OF the cha
meleon. Gen Grant ana myself recon-
meIded q very simple plan by which
all parties would have been satisfied,
and Mr.. Melien. the treasury agent, was
sent out here to set the bali in motion.
The plan was 10 make everything sub
ordinate TO military necessity In those
states that are not actually In the
Union. ard the general :. commanding
was to decide when the line OF trade
should commence. and when Il was to
end. l was to see that the regulations
were carried out on the water. a big
circular was issued by the treasury de-
partment, and an army of treasury
aides appointed to carry out the trcgu-
lations.L A greater pack OF knaves
never went urlhuns, !; Human nature is
very weak, and the poor aides, with
their small pay. could easily be bribed
to allow n man to land 100 barrels OF
salt. when he only had permit for two,
and so on with everything else. The
thing Is done now so openly that the
guerrillas come down to the bank ard
purchase what they want. Sometimes
they, take what Ii necessary for them,
and then burn the boat, as they did last
week with the steamer Mist that land
cd without the cover OF n gunboatr-
New York Post.
j x. a.g..riH slr's5r-3 s.5s
PlttsburEli's New surveyor. q