a vote of thanks, dated on the 4th of January, 1861, from the Select and Common Councils of that city "to the President, the Attorney General, and the acting Secretary of War," (Mr. Holt.) After this statement, how shall we account for the explicit declaration of Gen. Scott that, "accidentally hearing early in March that under this posthumous order (that of Mr. Floyd of the 22d December) the shipment of these guns had commenced, I communicated the fact to Secretary Holt, (acting for Secretary Cameron,) just in time to defeat the robbery"? And this is the same Secretary Holt who had countermanded "the posthumous order" in the previous December! And, strange to say, these guns, but for the alleged interposition of Gen. Scott, were about to be sent so late as March from the Loyal States into those over which Jefferson Davis had then for some time presided! Had Gen. Scott reflected for a moment, he could not have fallen into this blunder. It is quite manifest he was without a printed document and my (his) own official papers.' 3. The Government had on hand in the year 1859 about 500,000 old muskets, which had been condemned "as unsuitable for public service," under the act of 3d March, 1825. They were of such a character that, although offered both at public and private sale for $2.50 each, purchasers could not be obtained at that rate, except for a comparatively small number. On the 30th of November, 1859, Secretary Floyd ordered about onefifth of the whole number (105,000) to be sent from the Springfield armory, where they had accumulated, to five Southern arsenals, in proportion to their respective means of proper storage." This order was carried into effect by the Ordnance Bureau in the usual course of administration, and without reference to the President. It is but justice to say that from the testimony before the committee there is no reason to suspect that Secretary Floyd issued this order from any sinister motive. Its date was months before Mr. Lincoln's nomination for the Presidency, and nearly a year before his election, and whilst the Secretary was still an avowed opponent of secession. Indeed, the testimony of Colonel Craig and Captain Maynadier, of the Ordnance, before the committee, is wholly inconsistent with any evil intention on his part. And yet these "condemned muskets," with a few thousand ancient rifles of a calibre then no longer used, are transformed by Gen. Scott into "115,000 extra muskets and rifles, with all their implements and ammunition." This is the first time I have heard certainly there was nothing of the kind before the committee that ammunition was sent with these condemned and inferior arms to their places of storage-just as though they had been intended, not for sale, but for immediate use in the field. The truth is, that it is impossible to steal arms and transport them from one depository to another without the knowledge and active participation of the officers of the Ordnance Bureau, both in Washington and at these depositories. It may be observed that Colonel Craig, the head of the Bureau at this period, was as correct an officer and as loyal and as honest a man as exists in the country. Yours, very respectfully, JAMES BUCHANAN. WHEATLAND, near LANCASTER, November 17, 1862. To the foregoing letter of Mr. Buchanan, General Scott published in the National Intelligencer of December 5, 1862, the following reply: TO THE EDITORS OF THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER: An official report of mine made to President Lincoln, March 30, 1861, on our Southern forts, was published on the 21st of October last. To this exPresident Buchanan replied at great length, in the same month. A short rejoinder from me followed early in November, and here is another paper from Mr. Buchanan, dated the 17th of the same month, and on the same subject. A brief notice of this paper shall terminate my part in this controversy. Mr. Buchanan has intimated that I have been actuated by a feeling of personal ill-will towards him. This is unjust. I had no private resentment to gratify. On the contrary, I have well remembered the many official courtesies received from him, as well as from Mr. Floyd, both as Governor of Virginia and Secretary of War; but to vindicate justice and the truth of history is a paramount obligation. I had said that, with a view to the meditated rebellion, Secretary Floyd had ordered 115,000 extra1 stands of muskets and rifles from Northern 1 1 Over and above the previous and usual deposits in the Southern arsenals. (Note by General Scott.) depositories to Southern arsenals. To this Mr. B. now replies in substance1. That the transfers were made under an order dated nearly a year before Mr. Lincoln's election to the Presidency. True; but if Mr. B. has persuaded himself that the revolt had not long before been planned, (dependent on the election of any Northern man,) it is not likely that he will ever make a second convert to that opinion. 2. He only gives 105,000 as the number of arms transferred, omitting the 10,000 rifles. 3. He says that the muskets (105,000) were condemned, and that purchasers could not be found for many of them at $2.50 each. Now, here is an official statement, made to me eighteen months ago, (just received from my papers at Washington,) showing that 65,000 of those arms were "percussion muskets," probably entirely new, and 40,000 others, termed "muskets altered to percussion," with 10,000 "percussion rifles "-not one of the 115,000 was ever "condemned,” but all precisely like most of the small arms issued to our troops (regular and volunteer) in 1861. 4. Mr. Buchanan further intimates that those arms were transferred to equalize, in some degree, the deposits among the different States, as if these had any State pride in allowing storage to the property of the United States within their particular limits. If so, why not establish storage places in the great States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, within which the United States has had no deposit of arms and no arsenal? 5. Mr. B. supposes me to brand the transferred arms with the epithet stolen." In my rejoinder to him I nowhere used that term, because I knew the transaction, though very quietly conducted, was officially recorded, and the freight paid for by the United States, whose property the arms continued to be in their new depositories. Mr. Buchanan mixes up-perhaps I ought rather to say seems to confound -quite a different class of arms with the foregoing, viz., the quotas of arms distributed among the several States under the annual appropriations towards arming the whole body of the militia of the Union. Thus he says: "The Southern States received in 1860 less instead of more than the quotas of arms to which they were entitled by law." This is most strange, contrasted with information given to me last year, and a telegram just received from Washington and a high officer-not of the Ordnance Bureau-in these words and figures: "Rhode Island, Delaware, and Texas had not drawn at the end of eighteen sixty (1860) their annual quotas of arms for that year, and Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Kentucky only in part; Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kansas were, by the order of the Secretary of War, supplied with their quotas for eighteen sixty-one (1861) in advance, and Pennsylvania and Maryland in part." This advance of arms to eight Southern States is a sufficient commentary by itself on the transfer, about the same time, of the 115,000 muskets and rifles. In respect to the heavy cannon ordered from Pittsburg to the Gulf of Mexico, Mr. Buchanan has shown me that I was in error in saying that their shipment was countermanded in March instead of January, 1861. This was the only immaterial part of my statement; for I was correct in the declaration that I gave information to Mr. Secretary Holt that the shipment had commenced, and that he ordered the guns to be relanded, and stopped the robbery.1 NEW YORK, December 2, 1862. WINFIELD SCOTT. MY DEAR JAMES/ TO MR. HENRY.2 WHEATLAND 22 November 1862. You I have received your favor of the 19th Instant, & am happy to learn that my manuscript is safe in Mr. Schell's hands. suggest that it might be proper to extend it so as to embrace the history of my whole administration. I fear I am not able to undertake the task. Besides, this would require my presence in Washington, or that of some trusty person to collect and arrange the Documents. Judge Black at an early period offered to undertake the work, but has some time since abandoned it. Things move on as usual at Wheatland. Judging from the number of letters & papers I receive, I infer that my letter to General Scott has been well received by the Public. I expected ere this to have seen in the Intelligencer a short reply which I made to General Scott's last. I probably should have made no reply, but for his introduction of the "stolen arms." Yours affectionately J. BUCHANAN HENRY, ESQ. JAMES BUCHANAN. 'For Mr. Buchanan's reply to these statements of General Scott, see his letter of Dec. 11, 1862, infra, to the National Intelligencer. 2 Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Partly printed in Curtis's Buchanan, II. 598. MY DEAR SIR/ TO DR. BLAKE.1 WHEATLAND 27 November 1862. I have received your letters of the 24th & 25th Instant; & am placed under additional obligations. I am already so much in debt to you & have so little means of payment, that I shall have to take the benefit of the Insolvent law. I am also greatly obliged to my old & valued friend Col: Seaton for his fairness & kindness. The cause of the delay is curious; & was entirely beyond your control. I should be sorry if General Scott would pursue the controversy further. I do not charge him with intentional misrepresentation, for of this I believe him to be incapable; but his memory is more impaired than even I had believed. He has got a great many things jumbled together, & does not seem to have any distinct ideas of what has passed since he came to Washington in December, 1860. I was rejoiced when he left the command of the army, though things do not seem to have much improved since. I do not see Forney's Press; but I understand that he is on a new tack of downright falsehood. He announces that political assemblies have been held at Wheatland, & even mentions the names of gentlemen present, without the shadow of foundation. Judge Black & Wm. B. Reed are always two of the Dramatis persona. It is months since I have seen either, though I often hear from the latter, though not from the former. I have taken no part in party Politics since my return from Washington, further than to express my opinions on current events to a few personal friends & to give my vote. They— the Forneyites-have now got me up for Senator, when they well know that there is no office which I should think for a moment of accepting. I am in my usual health. Miss Lane is not at home this evening, or she would send her kindest regards. I send you the $2.00 which you paid for the Intelligencers. DR. JOHN B. BLAKE. JAMES BUCHANAN. 1 Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Printed, with omissions, in Curtis's Buchanan, II. 598. |