The Washington herald., 1914-03-29
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
March 1S6-Ths Fderak Gen. Banks Red Expeisa
Were Engaged Ggsnie Cotton Gathering Campaign, Being Assisted
BY Number Of Enping Speeu-Pa Taken BY the Army and
the Navy in o-Caled "Cotton Stealing" .-.f
written expressly for The HeraidJ

Fifty years ago today the FedersIs on
the Red River expedition were engaged
| at Alexandria, La. In a gigantic cot
ton gathering campaign. being assisted
by a number of enterprising specula-
\ tors.
This business, out OF which grew
charges and counter charges. idle stories
and others with some foundation. many
Of them intended to throw discredit on
| Gen. n. p. Banks, commanding the ex-
| pedition. was made possible by the ecOno-
mic conditions created by the war. The
North needed cotton for its mills. Great
pressure was brought upon the Federal
| government to get cotton out OF the
4 Southern States. The Washington au-
thofities wished to get all the cotton that
could be got without strengthening the
enemy-for cotton was the Confederacy's 5
cornerstone. For that reason permits
were given individuals to buy cotton in
| territory occupied by the Federals.
while both the army and navy had
| the right to seize all cotton belonging to
the Confederate States.
! For various reasons the Banks expe-
dition gave great promise Of returns in
cotton That bribery and fraud should
appear in a situation which led un-
| scrupulous men to attempt to seduce Of
| ficers Of the army and Of the navy to
their own purposes is natural: and that
the requirement Of cotton, for public
and private account. should form pre-
lude to the fighting OF the Red River
expedition. was inevitable.
There is no evidence, however. that
Gen. Banks profited a penny by the cot
| ton transactions on the Red River. He
came out OF the campaign as poor as ne
went into IL.
Navy. Cotton Prize.
Before Gen. Banks arrival at Alexan-
dria the naval forces had opened the
campaign by an effective ard Systematic
gathering of all the cotton in the gins
| along the lower reaches OF Red River.
| In many instances wagons were sent well
out into the country and returned with
great loads of cotton seized on tn" plan
tatiOns All cotton taken was supposed
| to he the property OF the COnfederat"
! government hut il the sailors found n
| plentiful store Of privately owned bales
| they did not hesitate TO brand thcm ''.
| $. A." on one end and then put the
navy mark upon the other. Cotton so
seized was sent I" Cairo. Ill. for ad-
judication in a naval prize court, as prize
of war.
When the first NJ the military section
Of the expedition. under Gen. A. ]. Smith.
reached Alexandria from NtcksburE "n
March Is. the soldiers found that the
marines and sailors from tho fleet had
already visited the warehouses and load
ed the cotton found therein upon the
gunhoats and empty coal harGes
Col. J. G. Wilson. Of Banks staT. was
dining one day with Admiral ID. u. Por-
ter and asked the admiral IL he knew
what the letters G. s. A. and L. s y.
as branded on cotton bales by the sail
ors and marines. meant. Porter said
| no" whereupon Col Wilson remarked
that they stood for Cotton Stealing
Association. United States Navy At
which Porter laughed.
In spite Of the great activity Of the
navy in this respect. Admiral Porter
and other officers Of the feet credited
the men Of the army with the most eN-
tensive cotton gathering. and declared
that the naval forces did not seize any
great quantity until the Confederate Hu-
thOrities began to burn il. However.
II is clear that cotton burning hy the
Confederate authorities did not begin
until it was learned that the men from
the fleet were not respecting the rights
OF private property.
Spectators Rusy.
From a mass OF conflicting testimony
given before the Congressional Commit
tee on the Conduct of the War il is
difficult To determine where the
sponsibility for irresularity in cotton
gathering lay.
Gen. Banks evidently was sincere in
his determination to prevent any I'm
authorized private speculation. and went
TO considerable pains to see that cotton
SPECTATORS were left behind when the
expedition set out for the Red River.
Yet spectators. fortified with passes from
Washington. accompanied him from New
Orleans to Alexandria.
His transport. the Black Hawk. also
id 1
implements used in cotton packing. This
was the property Of Treasury agents.
a few of whom came with him from
New Orleans.
Gen. Banks always declared that what
little cotton was gathered by the mill
taTy forces under his command was taken
in a proper way. receipts being Civ
en- TO the parties from whom IL was
secured. and that the bales were then
turned over to the Treasury agents to
be disposed Of for tho benefit OF the
government: that whenever vessels used
to send cotton to New Orleans We're
needed in military operations. the cotton
was promptly thrown out into the river:
that the gathering Of cotton in no way
interfered with the progress Of the army
toward its objective
Yet private cotton spectators Piled
their trade in and about Alexandria
while Gen. Banks was there. Admiral
Porter testified that there WAS a civilian
named MCGEE there who seemed TO he
experimenting the cotton gathering. He
was usually occupying a prominent place
on the levee and giving orders to the
negroes regarding the disposition Of IN"
bales.
Some curious stories Of tho so-callCd
cotton campaign are preserved in the
records.
Capt. r. X. Breesc. who commanded
Admiral Porter's flagship. furnished AM