^ • y\ '-mm/ . ^^ ^^ 'WW/ .j'^ --^p/ . ^'^ .0^ '^o,. *'Trr*' <\ .»* .0^ .° ^*''°*- V ^* / % •- ^^ ^ ,/%. ^^•n^. "^ A> *bv= \/" '%^<* .:^\ It is only surprising to me that, with the means at Mr. Glover's hands, he and the committee and commission did not fabricate more calumnies than they did ; and I am astonished that, after all their labors, their attorney could represent to the Government that I liad been guilty of none but the following alleged offenses, viz : 1. That I paid too much for horses, and could have bought them for less. 2. That horses were offered me at a lower price than f 119, and that the owner was compelled to sell them to a contractor, because I would not give him an inspector. Similar charges are made about mules. 3. That I paid too much for camp kettles, mess pans, and tents. 4. That I bought bad shoes. 5. That I gave an undue price for axes, &c. These, I am informed, are all the accusations which Mr. Glover, unscrupulous and unprincipled as he is, was able to produce. It will be seen that no one of them imputes fraudulent conduct to me, but, at the worst, they amount merely to charges of carelessness, or want of judgment. A sufficient answer to them would be a com- parison between the prices paid by me and those paid by my prede- cessors and successors in this market, and by other Quartermasters in other markets. And it is a singular fact that the practice pur- sued by me, in transacting the business of the Quartermaster's department, which has been made tlie theme of so much misrepre- sentation and abuse, has been followed by my successor ; and, further, I make bold to state, without fear of successful contradic- tion, that the vast purchases of army supplies made by me, under the most difficult and pressing exigencies of the service, were at prices more favorable to the Government than were paid at the same time in any other department ; and, that the prices paid by me do not, as a general rule, exceed those paid by my successors for army supplies furnished to this department under more favorable circum- stances. I do not fear to challenge investigation and comparison. After all that has occurred, been said and done, and left undone^ I shall be excused, I trust, if I go further than at the first blush may seem necessary, and notice the more prominent calumnies that have been attempted to be heaped upon me by the Van Wyck Committee, and the Commission on War Claims. It will be recollected that the method of business adopted and pursued by me is made the subject of comment in both the reports referred to. It is alleged that I violated the law and usages of the Quartermaster's department, by making purchases without first advertising ioY proposals. As this is the groundwork upon which the greater portion, if not all the ac- cusations are based, I will speak of this matter in this connexion. I will remark, in the first place, that this method has had the sanction of the Government since the commencement of the present war. At Washington, at New York, at Philadelphia, at Cincinnati, at Louisville, and all other places where large quantities of supplies liave been bought, it has been found impossible to procure them in any other way ; and, it is another singular fact, that I, of all the Quartermasters in the United States, am the only one in whom the practice is thought, by these wiseacres, to be reprehensible. Pre- vious to the outbreak of the rebellion, St. Louis had not been a depot for army supplies. It was a point at which purchases had been made, under the orders of the Quartermaster General to fill the requisitions of officers at other posts. Timely notice of these requisitions was always given, and no injury to the service, or in- convenience to the troops, was occasioned by strictly pursuing the course of advertising for proposals, and afterwards making con- tracts for the articles to be purchased. This was invariably done while we had a regularly organized force of a known limit — and, under similar circumstances could always be done ; but the circum- stances under which I deviated from that course, made the deviation necessary, and it was always, cither under express orders, which I was bound to obey, or was authorized by the army regulations. The President's proclamation of April 15, 18G1, asking for seventy- five thousand three months' volunteers, and the subsequent call for volunteers for three years, or the war, worked a radical change in the character of the business to be transacted in this department, as was the case, no doubt, in others. A few weeks sufficed to crowd the city and the arsenal with new levies, who were entirely unequipped and for whose unexpected ne- cessities no preparations had been made. I was destitute of every thing required for their use. I could expect little or nothing from the East, as the energies of the Government were then taxed to sup- ply the wants of the vast army collecting in the District of Columbia and Virginia. My quarterly abstract of property for tlie quarter ending June 30th, will bear me out in the assertion that on April 15th, 1861, I had no clothing, camp or garrison equipage on hand, and no horses, mules or wagons for the supply of these troops. The respective governments of the loyal States aided largely in procuring outfits for their own volunteers. In Missouri, this could not be done. The State Government was disloyal, and many of its citizens were in open rebellion against the Federal authority. To add to the embar- rassment, I had no money with which to make purchases, and the Government could not go into the market and buy on credit as responsible individuals could. I mean tliat small dealers, or even large ones, who were compelled to turn their capital over frequent- ly, or to be certain of receiving their dues at a fixed time, would not sell to the Government on credit ; but the same parties would have gladly made time sales to any leading mercantile house of reputed solvency. I was not able to assure any one, that I could certainly pay him upon any fixed day or in any given month, and without such as- surance merchants were generally unwilling to part with their wares. For the same reason it was useless to advertise for proposals, and often times the " public exigency " (Rev. Regulations § 1048, p. 155) would not permit the delay. The credit of tlie Government was low and tlie state of the market was such that proposals would have been made only by those much abused " middle-men" who could raise the means wherewith to buy for cash and wait indefinitely 9 for their pay. It seems hardly necessary to remark, that proposals under such circumstances would certainly not be as favorable to the Government, as bargains which could be made privately with the very parties who would become bidders. It certainly appeared to me then as it does now, that to employ these men of capital, or who could command capital, to step in and aid the Government by mak- ing purchases either for cash or on their own credit, and run- ning their own risk as to the time of payment, and a possible depre- ciation of the public funds, with the promise of a fair mercantile profit as their compensation, was the most judicious and economical plan to pursue. The above remarks apply to a period subsequent to June 30th, 1861 ; for during the whole quarter ending on that day, I purchased nothing but four thousand canteens, four thousand haversacks, eight hundred and forty-seven blankets, one hundred and thirty-two com- mon tents, four hundred camp kettles, four hundred messpans (the two last items by the way were bought of 0. D. Pilley, one of the " Committee of Safety,") some axes and other hardware. The demand for these things was sudden and pressing ; a day's delay would cause suffering or retard operations ; and the " public exigen- cy " was such that I would have violated my duty had I not bought them as I did. I was expecting to receive from the large government depots at the east, clothing, camp and garrison equipage and to have prepar- ation made for transportation, before General Lyon would move his troops. There appeared to be no probability that he would take the field until these supplies could be obtained in the ordinary man- ner. Gov. Jackson by his declaration of war, on June 12th, 1861, caused General Lyon to send Sigel's column to Springfield, and to proceed in person with another up the Missouri river, on the 13th and 14th of the same month. Their land transportation had to be hired, few tents and no clothing had been issued to them, and in July, and from that time onward, their requisitions called for such immediate attention that there was no time at which the " public exigencies " did not demand the purchase of the articles they need- ed, as quickly as I could procure them. In July, too, before Gen. Fremont's arrival, troops were dispatched, from the city and arsenal, to points threatened with danger, at a moment's notice. It invari- ably happened, that the first intimation I would receive of a contem- plated movement, would be a requisition and order for the instant supply of quartermaster's stores. 10 I have it in my power to show not only what efforts I made, and how cautiously I proceeded, but how strictly I obeyed my orders, and how fully my course, in this matter, was sanctioned by my superiors. I will call attention to the following copies of letters, written prior to July 26, the date of General Frdmont's assumption of the command : By Telegraph from Philadelphia, April 27, 1861. To Major J. McKinstry, A. Q. M. My orders are to furnish the Militia with such fatigue clothing as can be spared. The Militia of this State and others are making clothing for themselves. I cannot send you the thousand (1,000) suits of fatigue uniforms at present, and cannot say whether I shall be able to do it or not. You are hereby authorized to furnish the regular supplies of camp equipage, including tents. If you have them made in St. Louis write me fully, and telegraph if you can procure the camp equipage. (Signed,) CHAS. THOMAS, A. Q. M. General. Assistant Quartermaster's Office ) St. Louis, Mo., April 29th, 1861.' \ Sm: I have the honor to enclose herewith an estimate of funds. Demands are daily being made upon me, by the volunteer regiments mustered into service in this city and the State of Illinois. To enable me to meet them, and in the absence of a precise knowledge of what they want, my estimate is general, for so much money. If it is decided that I am to to furnish the clothing and camp equipage they require, the business would be facilitated by orders to the department in New York and Philadelphia to meet promptly my estimates for tent cloth, &c., &c., to be sent by express. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. McKINSTRY, To the Quartermaster General, St. Major, A. Q. M. U. S. A., Washington, D. C. Assistant Quartermaster's Office, ) St. Louis, Mo., April 30th, 1861. ) Colonel : A tent manufacturer here says he alone holds the right to make the Sibley tent, and that his prices are the same as those charged in Philadelphia, with transportation added. I can make the old army tents at reasonable rates, and shall proceed to do so. Clothing could be manufactured here by the wives and daughters of volunteers in the service, at reasonable rates, provided the materials be sent me, from 11 your city or New York. I understand from the Hon. Mr. Blair that he has suggested this arrangement to the Secretary of War. If the pressure upon the department at Philadelphia is too great, to enable it to meet the wants of this department, and if the above arrangement meets your approval, I can get to work immediately upon the receipt of the first consignment of cloth. I am. Colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. McKINSTRY, Col. Chas. Thomas, A. Q. M. General, Bvt. Major, A. Q. M. U. S, A., Philadelphia, Pa. Assistant Quartermaster's Office, ) St. Louis, Mo., May Ist, 1861. ) Colonel : The following is a copy of a telegram sent you to-day. " Will you send me, by express, cloth sufficient to manufacture 1,000 suits of fatigue clothing, and also tent cloth sufficient for 500 common tents." In explanation of the above, it is proper that I should say to you that the volunteers mustered in the service here are all from this city, and all poor men. Unlike other States, no enthusiasm or popular feeling on the side of the Govern- ment has been awakened, leading people to subscribe money in aid of the volunteers; hence it becomes important that the Government should aid them promptly, with the allowance they are entitled to under the law. If you can furnish the cloth, I can clothe them at prices approximating, very closely, to the Philadelphia standard; and its making up will materially aid the wives and families of the volunteers, whom I propose to employ. I am, Colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. McKINSTRY, Col. Chas. Thomas, A. Q. M. G., Bt. Major, A. Q. M. U. S. A,, Philadelphia, Pa. Assistant Quartermaster's Office, Major : St. Louis, Mo., May 2Gth, 1861. I have the honor to enclose herewith an estimate of funds required at this station. The large number of troops (10,000 men) stationed here, require, as you are aware, large amounts of supplies, and, in the present depressed state of business affairs, they can be purchased for cash far below the market. The difference of exchange between this city and New York is 15 per cent. If I have to purchase the supplies required on credit, an additional 10 per cent, will have to be added. So you will readily perceive the advantage to the Government in purchasing for cash. I am. Major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. McKINSTRY, Major E. Sibley, Acting Q. M. General, A. Q. M, U. S. A., Washington City, D. C. Quartermaster General's Office, } Sir : Washington, D. C, June 4, 1861. ) There were at Fort Ripley, on the 30th of April last, 178 mules, 7 oxen, 37 wagons, and 2 ambulances, which, with the exception of the means 12 of transportation authorized by General Orders No. 13, War Department, June 17th, 1859, are available for the use of the troops, if required at St. Louis, or if not, for the forces further south. You will please order them to St. Louis, to be disposed of as the Com- manding General may direct. You are authorized, without reference to this office, under his direction, to procure such means of transportation as he may deem necessary, practising a sound economy in making your purchases, and if the exigency is not immediate or pressing, conforming to the laAV and regulations in relation to the manner of making purchases and contracts for supplies. Ambulances and transport carts will, probably, also be required, especially in the event of a forward movement of the troops. If such be the case, please advise me, and I will, as soon as it can be done, send you one of each kind of ambulance designated in General Orders, No. 1, January 19th, 18C0, to be used in the public service, as models from which others can be manufactured in St. Louis. In the meantime, if they should be wanted, you will, of course, for tem- porary purposes, hire such spring cai'riages as may be necessary. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. S. SIBLEY, Act. Qr. M. Gen. A. L Bvt. Major J. McKinstrt, Asst. Qr. Mr. U. S. A., St. Louis, Mo. Quartermaster General's Office, } Washington City, June 25, 18G1. ' Major J. McKiNSTBY, Quartermaster, St. Louis, Mo. Sir: Your letter of the 18th, enclosing correspondence with Adjutant General Harding, is received. The Department approves your course, as shown in these letters, but desires, that while economy is right, there be no room left for charging the failure of any military movement upon a want of promptness and eificiency in the Quar- termaster's Department. Respectfully, your obedient servant, (Signed,) M. 0. MEIGS, Quartermaster General. Assistant Quartermaster's Office, ) St. Louis, Mo., June 26, 1861. ) General : I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of a copy of your telegram of the 18th inst., (the telegraphic despatch was not received,) instructing me to sup- port General Lyon's movements by all necessarj^ aid from this Department, and to advise, &c., in order that collision may be avoided, and improper orders, through inexperience, be prevented. The course therein indicated I have, from the first, considered it my duty to 13 pursue. Nothing has been neglected that could be done, without exceeding the power given me. But you will readily understand, that in so hastily an organized force as that here collected, and officered, to a great extent, by men who do not under- stand the necessary regulations that govern the business of this Department, some confused ideas exist among them. And it is not strange, that attempts to instruct them in the regulations of the Department are often mistaken for oppo- sition, and furnish groundless cause of complaint. My regard for the interest of the Department, and for my instructions, de- mand that I should require of them that the business of this office should be done in a proper manner, and in strict conformity with the regulations, leaving responsibilities to be assumed by those who create them. I am. General, very respectfully. Your obedient servant, J. McKINSTRY, Bvt. Majvr, A. Q. M. Brig. Gen. M. C. Meigs, Q. M. G., U. S. A., Washington, D. C. Assistant Quartermaster's Office, ) St. Louts, Mo., June 20, 1861. ) Colonel : I enclose herewith, for your information, a copy of a communication received from the Quartermaster General, and have to state that you will find me at all times anxious and willing to aid, to the best of my ability, any line of policy the authorities have decided upon pursuing. In the absence of any offi- cer of my Department that can be assigned to duty at the Arsenal I shall keep there an experienced clerk to act as my agent. Requisitions and wants made known to this office will receive prompt attention. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. McKINSTRY, Bvt. Major and A. Q. M. Col. Chester Harding, Act. Assist. Adj. Gen,, Arsenal, St. Louis, Mo. By Telegraph from Wasuington, June 29, 1861. To Major J. McKinstry : Your telegraph of the 28tb in relation to transportation wagons, mules or horses, for two light batteries, ten companies of cavalry, and five regiments of infantry, at Cairo, is received. Fill Gen. McClcllan's requisi- tions as soon as possible. M. C. MEIGS, Q. M. General. 14 By Telegi'aph from Grafton, Va., Juni 28, 1861. To Major J. McKinstry : Please provide, at earliest possible day, wagons and mules, or horses, for two light batteries, two companies of cavalry and five regiments of infantry, at Cairo. (Signed,) G. B. McCLELLAN, Maj. Gen. U. S. A. By Telegraph from Washington, July 6, 1861. To Bvt. Maj. Gen. McKinstry, A. Q. M. : Procure and send to Rolla, Missouri, as many wagons and teams as may be required to transport supplies from that place to Springfield, for General Lyon's command. Consult Assistant Adjutant Gene- ral Harding as to the number that will be necessary, and spare no exertions to forward them at once. Make arrangements also to supply the animals with forage, at Rolla, and while employed in transporting supplies to Springfield, funds will be immediately forwarded to you. M. C. MEIGS, Q. M. General. Arsenal, St. Louis, July 11, 1861. Major : I wrote to Frank Blair asking him to see the Secretary of War and Chief of Ordinance about furnishing horses for Buell's battery, which is needed imme- diately. He answers : "In regard to the purchase of hoi'ses for Buell's battery, the Secretary and Quartermaster General inform me that ample authority has been sent to the Quartermaster at St. Louis to buy anything and everything that is needed for the equipment and transportation of the troops in Missouri, without reference to the Department here, but upon the simple requisition of the Com- mander of the troops in Missouri. I am authorized by the Department to say, that if wagons or horses or anything else is wanted, that the Commander of the troops has only to make requisitions and it will be instantly complied with. If you will show this note to McKinstry I am very certain you will have no trouble." Does not this leave artillery horses in the same category as before ? Or would you conceive this to be authority to pass the ordnance by, and buy as Quarter- master ? I called to see you, and would bo much obliged if you would give me your ad- vice and opinion on the subject. Very respectfully, Major J. McKinstry, U. S. A. C HARDING, Jr. It was not my desire to purchase without advertising for proposals, in any instance ; and, until General Fremont's arrival, I did so only to the limited extent and under the circumstances above mentioned. 15 After he assumed the command, the operations of the department became immensely large, and the public exigencies, as a conse- quence, were more imperative. He soon collected a force that was enormous in comparison with the resources of the Department. He had in his Department about eighty thousand troops. The necessity of purchasing, without ad- vertisement, whenever and wherever supplies could be obtained, now became constant, and was recognized, not only by the Commanding General, but by the highest military authorities in the land, and was in accordance with paragraph 10-18 of the Regulations above refer- red to and here copied : " When immediate delivery or performance is required by the pub- lic exigency, the article or service required may be procured by open purchase or contract, at the places and in the mode in which such articles are usually bought and sold, or such services engaged, be- tween individuals." On the 29th July, 1861, I was ordered to have at command, " during the next fortnight," clothing, camp and garrison equipage for twenty-three regiments of Infantry, three regiments of Cavalry, and one regiment of Artillery. On the same day, I was directed to purchase five hundred sets of cavalry equipments for "to-morrow." August 20th, I was ordered to purchase, in this city, and have ready to forward at once, clothing for six thousand men. August 21st, to purchase one thousand pants and the same number of jack- ets. September 4th, to contract for not less than one thousand wag- ons and the mules required for them, with the least possible delay. (See Appendix, Nos. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.) When I received the first order, I telegraphed to the Quartermas- ter General in regard to the matter, and received a reply, in sub- stance, that impossibilities could not be performed, and that the De- partment could not fill the requisition in tlie time named. General Fremont thereupon directed me to take immediate steps to furnish the articles called for, in the most expeditious manner. In addition to the condition of the public credit, and of the market, and of the " public exigencies," and peremptory orders which forbade the delay incurred by advertising, there was another cause operating to render the usual course out of the question. It was the policy of the Government, and I was so instructed, to exclude all but men of known loyalty from the benefits of Gov- ernment business. In a community like this, where a large part of the mercantile class was accused of entertaining disloyal sentiments, this policy, the wisdom of which has never been doubted, imposed 16 still further restriction upon competition ; and political cormorants did not hesitate to take advantage of these embarrassments to direct those benelits into their own pockets or the purses of their friends, so far as they had the power to do so. Notwithstanding all this, I made purchases and contracts with- out advertising only when the necessity for the supplies was appa- rent and pressing, or when acting under the orders of the Command- ing General. The Commission on War Claims, in their perverse and apparent- ly pre-determincd anxiety to find something against me, have charac- teristically assumed that in these matters I acted upon my own re- sponsibility, and of my own mere impulse and whim. The assump- tion is, of course, false ; and had they inquired of me, as they were ordered to do, or of my clerks, any explanation on the subject, they would have learned the fact that, do the best I could, I was not able to keep up with the peremptory orders which came to me from the Department Headquarters, to purchase or contract for the horses, mules, wagons, clothing, &c., which were needed, and always needed on the instant, for use in the army. If the Board desire to know the effect of such orders, even if ille- gally issued, I refer them to Major Robert Allen's testimony, in the report of their co-laborers of the Congressional Investigating Com- mittee, pp. 79 and following. As examples of the extent of the demands upon me, and the promptness with which they were expected to be furnished, I cite the letters in the Appendix, marked from 20 to 28, inclusive ; and, as one instance of the difficulty of obtaining, in large amounts, the re- quisite supplies, I refer to the dispatch of the Assistant Quartermas- ter General above set out, and to those of Captains Dickerson and Turnley in the Appendix, Nos. 29 and 30. The manner in which the Quartermaster's business was done in this Department had been unavoidably adopted elsewhere ; and even now, (as I have already stated,) when my successor has a large corps of Assistant Quartermasters and competent and experienced clerks, drawn from all parts of the country, at increased salaries, to aid him, and when the chief business is not to equip an immense army from the ground up, but merely to make good the losses and destruction of property occasioned by the casualties of war, the same method is, and must be, pursued. I am happy to be able to show by the letters of the President and Secretary of War tliat they were aware of, and gave countenance to, the course pursued by me. 17 " TVAsniNGTON, September 10, 1861. J. McKiNSTRY, Brigadier General and Quartermaster, St. Louis : Permit me to introduce James L. Lamb, Esq., of Springfield, Illinois. I have known Mr. Lamb for a great many years. His reputation for integrity and ability to carry out his engagements are both unquestioned, and I shall be pleased, if consistent with the public good, that you will make purchases of him of any army supplies needed in your Department. Your obedient servant, A. LINCOLN." "Washington, September 9, 1861. J. McKiNSTRY, Brigadier General and Quartermaster, St. Louis : Sir: The bearer of this, James L. Lamb, Esq., of Springfield, Illinois, is the per- sonal friend of the President, as well as my own. He is a gentleman of integ- rity and business capacity, and any engagement entered into will, no doubt, be faithfully carried out. As Illinois is bearing her burthen of the war, both in furnishing men and means, it is the desire of the Administration that the citi- zens of that State should have a fair share of the Government patronage dis- pensed in your Department. If you can do anything for Mr. Lamb, in purchas- ing supplies, you will oblige, provided he will make his prices suit yoii. Your obedient servant, SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War." I refer, also, to the letters of a military gentleman, whose extensive service in the artillery, must have given him an intimate acquaintance with the "rules and regulations governing the army." I mean Col- onel, the Hon. F. P. Blair, Jr. These letters will be found in the Appendix, marked from 31 to 36, inclusive. See, also, letters from Ben. Farrar, Esq., United States Assistant Treasurer at St, Louis, to Hon. M. Blair, and to Colonel Blair, (Appendix, No. 37 and 38,) and the letter of the Hon. James S. Rollins, M. C, (Appendix, No. 39.) Major Rollins' letter throws some light upon the subject of the " Haskell" contract, and shows that, sometimes private parties engaged the services of middle men. I append a telegram and two letters from Brigadier General Thomas L. Price, M. C, touching the furnishing of mules. (Appendix, No. 40, 41 and 42.) I have said thus much as to the system of contracts and purchases pursued by me, in common with Quartermasters at other points, and by my successor, because, as I have before said, I deem it the ground work of nearly all the attacks contained in the two reports. I trust that I have satisfactorily shown that I am upheld by the regulations and by my instructions and orders. I close this branch of the case by referring to your own express approval of my conduct, after you had given to it a personal examination, while you were in this city, 18 in September last. You did me the honor to state that I had evinc- ed ability, energy and economy. I will now pay attention to the complaints of the Committee and Commission that ^^ 7nidcUe mcri" were allowed contracts. The logic of the two distinguished Boards would restrict Quartermasters to dealing with producers and manufacturers only. However pressing the public emergency, the Quartermaster of this Department must not (unless at the risk of being censured and maligned) buy cloth- ing, &c., of those who kept the articles for sale or could furnish them, (but were not manufacturers,) because, forsooth, they would make a profit on their sales to the Government! Any one of common sense would naturally conclude that the question with every Quar- termaster would be, what are the most favorable terms the required article can be obtained for ? If supplies could be obtained of " mid- dle men" at lower rates than of manufacturers, the duty of a Quar- termaster would be very plain; and even if at no better rates, the Government would sustain no injury by buying of " middle men," The veri/ sagacious Committee and Commission assume what was not the case, viz : that I could have purchased of manufacturers in this Department on more favorable terms than I did of parties who furnisli. ed supplies. In this assumption they exliibit their utter ignorance of the kind and extent of the manufacturing interests in St. Lonis. If these closeted fault-finders had taken the trouble to examine the vouchers and bills that were before them, they would have noticed a long list of articles, costing in the aggregate, immense sums of mo. ney, not one of which is manufactured in St. Louis ; and of many of the articles that are manufactured here probably not one-tenth of the quantity required could have been furnished in time. Further comment is unnecessary. The oft-repeated story of the '■'■middle men'^ is mere tivaddle, and unworthy of serious refutation. Any one at all familiar with the course of business or the practice of the Govern- ment must see that the learned Commission, in their dissertation on " middle men,^^ have " strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel." Let us suppose a case. If a General commanding a Department should deem i: necessary to move his army immediately/, and should order the purchase of an immense number of horses and mules, the Quartermaster, according to the sage opinions expressed in the two reports, must first advertise for proposals, and reject all bids except those of " farmers and small dealers in the country," (Report, 8;) or, if he did not advertise he should await tlie chance arrival of the farmer with his five or ten head of stock. And, however anxious 19 the faithful Quartermaster may be to fill the order with tlie least possible delay, to meet the public exigency, yet he must not deal with men who have the means and facilities to go through a widely extended country and procure the animals needed ! The path marked out by the Committee and Commission would be easy to follow if immense numbers of men, suddenly called to the field, did not require horses, mules, clothing, cooking utensils, tents and the like, or if the enemy would postpone his operations until we had accumulated all the transportation we required by the means in- dicated. And it is singular, taken in this connexion, that the Commission should Jiave objected to my purchasing clothing of R. Keiler & Co. on the ground that they were retail dealers in the articles. It is un- true, in fact, that R. Keiler & Co. were retail dealers, in the sense which the committee intend the assertion to be understood. They do custom work, but, as is well known in St. Louis, they manufac- ture clothing and supply it to other dealers, in large quantities. The Board call S. P. Brady, a commission and forwarding mer- chant, one of the most " marked of the ' middle men,' " and " allow- ed him no profit whatever," because he was not " a dealer in any of the articles furnished by him to the Government," although, they add, " It is but justice to Mr. Brady to state that the per centages charged by him to the Government were much more moderate than those of any other middle man that came under our notice." Was not John How, leather manufacturer and dealer, a middle man, by the same rule which was applied to Child, Pratt & Fox, hardware dealers? Was it any more in his "line of business" to furnish overcoats than it was in theirs to supply canteens and knapsacks ? Were not half the persons whose claims passed the commission with- out objection, " middle men" ? Most simple people would say that Mr. How ought to have been compelled to relinquish his profits on his sales of articles in which he did not deal, if Mr. Brady and Child, Pratt & Fox could be allowed none for similar sales. The Commission didn't see it in that light, however, but while they would not allow Mr. Brady, and Childs, Pratt & Fox anything for their labor and capital, they passed Mr. How's claim without question and without requiring the Quartermaster's certificate to it ! To show the glaring inconsistency of the Commission, allow me to state the facts : Mr. How obtained |10 50 for his overcoats. Brady, in his claim, demanded but 19 50 for the same article, delivered at about the same time. It must be borne in mind, too, that Mr. Brady fur- 20 nislied overcoats at a period when our troops greatly needed them and the market could not supply the demand ; that both he, Child, Pratt & Fox, Mr. How, and other " middle men," invested their money or credit in providing the Government with these things when the latter had very little of either money or credit to spare in St. Louis. It was fortunate that the Government found " middle men," — capitalists — who could wait for payment. Its credit was not at that time available, and it was not until Child, Pratt & Fox, Pomeroy & Benton, and one or two other concerns, evinced their faith in the solvency of the national treasury, that other leading merchants in St. Louis would take the risk of making sales. There was one objection to Mr. Brady's claim, which appears on the face of the report, " he was an old friend and favorite of Mc- Kinstry." That settled him. There was one merit which Mr. How's claim had, but which the Commissioners omit to state. Mr. How had parted with his interest m it, having assigned it to the firm of R. Campbell & Co., of which concern Hugh Campbell (one of the Commissioners) was a member. This, doubtless, insured its passage without reduction. I shall not refer to the Brady matter again, but call attention to his affidavit (Appendix 45), and to that of Mr. Mandelbaum (Ap. pendix 46.) The President and Secretary of War, in their letters copied above, seem to think that an unquestionable reputation for integrity and ability to carry out his engagements is sufficient war- rant for a Quartermaster to deal with the man who possesses it. I supposed so too, and when, as I have already shown, the Government had neither the credit nor the money to buy with as responsible indi- viduals could, of men of small means, I considered it a lucky cir- cumstance to find individuals and firms of unquestionable reputa- tion for integrity and ability to carry out their engagements, who were willing to buy and collect together the materials of war and sell them to the Government with no other condition than that, for their trouble and the use of their skill, judgment and capital, they should receive a " fair mercantile profit," when Government was ready to pay them. I found many such individuals and firms in St. Louis, and have dealt with them, under circumstances requiring it. The Commission, however, single out a few by name and try to create the impression that these did all the business to the exclusion of others, and that all the business they did was done with me. It was known to them that I, also, bought largely of Field Brothers, J. B. Sickles & Co., Corbet & Kuhn, Warne, Cheever & Co., 21 Pomeroy, Benton & Co., and other leading houses, while of the claims presented by the individuals and firms mentioned by the Commission, a large number were created during tlie administration of my successors. For instance : I bought of R, Keiler & Co., goods to the amount of $77,100 85 ; Captain Rankin 1270,410 23 ; Major Allen $69,422 75. Evidence of this was before the Commission. They seized Keiler & Co.'s books and papers, and besides the proof they afforded, the fact was testified to by witnesses. Yet, in their unscrupulous zeal, they suppress the truth and render themselves morally guilty of perjury in order to injure me. Before I was aware of Mr. How's position as one of the Safety Committee, I had made considerable purchases of him. He was not averse to an increase of these dealings, as appears by the proposition of himself and Mr. Gurnee contained in Appendix No. 48. The proposal was not accepted. It may be that the rejection of the offer had something to do with the subsequent course of Mr. How and his friends upon the " Committee," and if I had given him the desired contract, probably the country would not have heard so much about " middle men " and " go-betweens." I append my answer to Messrs. How and Gurnee's proposition. (No. 49.) It will be seen that I therein expressed my views in regard to the propriety of entering into such contracts. These would- be contractors applied to Gen. Fremont to order me to comply with their wishes, and, had they succeeded in procuring such an order, I would have obeyed it, as I did in other cases. The General did not see fit to oblige them, in the premises, and the contract was never entered into. How much this disappointment affected the subsequent course of Mr. How and the Chicago Tribune, in which last named concern Mr. Gurnee is said to be a stockholder, I leave for others to determine. The Commission seized the books, papers and correspondence of Child, Pratt & Fox likewise, and they knew when they signed their report that Captain Rankin, Major Allen, and other parties, had con- tinued to buy of them after I ceased to have control. Why did they not censure them ? Of the claims of Child, Pratt & Fox, before the Commission, the following is a statement, viz : Purchases made by me , $374,573 67 " « " Captain Rankin 140,827 08 " " " Major Allen , 29,125 39 " « " other parties 5,281 61 22 Yet the Committee and Commission strive to make it appear that the corrnption of this firm was so marked that no one but me, who was an accomplice, would have anything to do with them. As an- other instance of the sort of justice which was meted out by the Commission, I will mention that Child, Pratt & Fox bought, in Au- gust, 1861, for cash, of R. Campbell & Co., (of which firm Hugh Campbell, one of the Commissioners, was a partner) — 82 blankets at $6 50 per pair. 23 " at 5 50" " 257 « at 8 00 " « These blankets were bought for the Government and were turned over to me. The credulous " middle men" believed that upon pro- ducing the original invoices of R. Campbell &, Co. they could at least obtain the cost price of articles which they had paid for months be- fore, inasmuch as there was a gentleman on the Commission who must know that the prices were fair and reasonable, and the goods of fair quality. They were mistaken, however. Mr. Hugh Campbell, merchant, and Mr. Hugh Campbell, commissioner, were two distinct characters. He sold blankets at $S in the one capacity, but in the other he couldn't persuade his conscience to allow the Government to pay more than $4 33|^, and at that rate the claim of Child, Pratt & Fox was adjusted. At another place in this communication, I shall take occasion to notice the remarks of the Commissioners touching Mr. Fox's alleged agency in my being retained at this post as Quartermaster. I will now simply state that I never knew the firm of Child, Pratt & Fox, or any member of it, until I was assigned to duty in this city. I be- came acquainted with them, and more particularly with their junior partner, Mr. Fox, in consequence of their having always been the lowest bidder for hardware, when I had occasion to advertise for pro- posals ; and, as I have before remarked, I never made purchases ex- cept upon advertisement, prior to the commencement of the war. The house certainly had a high standing in St. Louis — none had a better reputation, so far as I know. I was not anxious to deal with R. Keiler & Co., as appears by my letter to Captain Littler. (Appendix, 51.) They were not only large manufacturers but dealt extensively in clotliing, both at whole- sale and retail, and I am aware of no reason why I should not have bought from them such articles as they could furnish and the troops required. 23 The experience and business qualifications of S. P. Brady appear from his own history of himself, and his high position and irreproach- abh^ cliaracter arc made manifest l)y the certificates of the lion. Lewis Cass and Judge Ross Wilkins. ''Jim Neill" was a stranger to me until Frank P. BUiir, Jr., intro- duced him to me as his " personal friend," and a " sound Union man." Mr. Blair, also, recommended J. 11. Bowen and (Uiarles M. Ellcard. In fact, the Representative of the St. Louis District sent more applicants to me than any otiior ten men in the country. J. S. Pease is stated by the Committee and Commission to be a '• brothcr-indaw" of mine. Tlioy knew ))cttcr, for it was in prool' liefore thorn that he is not co)inected witli me by blood or marriage : and that I had no acquaintance witli him until 1 was stationed Iipre. He, too, was a respectal)le commission merchant, in good repute. Xow, I ask, if in the avalanche of business wliicli came upon me, it became necessary, not only to find men who had the means to as- sist the (Tovernment in its time of need, but in whom I could confide to aid mo in doing tliat which no mortal man could accomplish alone, why should 1 not have placed faitli in the persons and firms alluded to? If, in any instance, 1 liavc been deceived, and tlic Government luis been defrauded, (which I deny,) I can only say that I exercised all the caution and judgment wliich T could have used to prevent such an occurrence. Perhaps I should not have })laccd trust in Mr. Blair's '' personal friends ; " but, if the good names which the merchants with whom I dealt had acquired in the community furnished no grounds for reli- ance upon their integrity, I am at a loss to know what rule could have guided mo. The frauds so freely charged by the Committee and Commission, against a few individuals and firms, it will be ob- served, necessarily implicate a large number of merchants, manu- facturers and traders, who, previous to these reports, enjoyed the reputation of l)cing honest men. It is not my province to undertake their defence, and I shall leave the injured parties to see to it themselves. As far as the charges or insinuations that I was in any way inter ested with the " middle men" are concerned, I reply that they are false in every particular. There was no testimony before the Com- mittee or Commission tending to show any such thing. Even Glov- er can't screw his courage to the point of making such a charge. It was reserved to a committee, whose chairman was turned out of the War Office for making dishonorable proposals to the Secretary, 24 and has since been arrested by General McClellan for appropriating property of the Government to himself and his regiment, and to n set of commissioners, led by a tricky and unscrupulous lawyer, to manufacture these accusations out of whole cloth. I append seve- ral affidavits relating to this subject, although the absence of cveiy thing like proof to show guilty conduct on my part would seem to render such exhibits unnecessary. A still more unfounded and reckless statement of the Committee is found on page 113 of Report. In speaking of the service of plate presented to JMrs. McKinstry, the Committee say : " Contractors were told by those soliciting contributions that if they did not con- tribute they would have trouble in collecting their dues from the Government." To uphold this statement, they garble and falsely report the testimony of Almon Thompson, as will be seen by his affidavit, (Appendix, No. 75.) The presentation was made after I had ceased to be Quartermaster, and within a few hours of my departure for Memphis. The inscrip- tion on the plate shows that it was a token of regard for my services as Provost Marshal. To show the character of the contributors, and the motives that influenced them, I refer to tlie testimony of J. ]>. Eads, Esq., p. 958. Having disposed of the objections that 1 bought without advertis- ing for proposals, and that I dealt with " middle men," I will notice some of the specifications found in both reports. It is strange tliat with the same testimony before them, their distortions and perversions of testimony should have led the Committee and Commission to such different results ; but I presume that it is difficult for two sets of people not acting in concert, to make up tlie same falsehoods, even though they have a common purpose. 1 regret their want of harmo- ny, for it compels me to notice their reports separately. I will first take up that of the Committee of Investigation. Upon pages 52 and 53 will be found copied an order wliich I gave to Livingston, Bell & Co., of New York, for clothing. It appears sufficiently from the letters and instructions above set out, that I had the authority to give this order, and that the "public exigency" de- manded it. I call attention to it for one i)ur})0se only, that is, to have it noted how carefully unreasonable prices were guarded against. It is provided in the order that " the cost of manufacture, material and transportation" should be furnished, and that the Quartermas- ter would allow them "a fair mercantile profit " thereupon. The result has shown that by this means the Government obtained a 25 quantity of good clothing at prices lower than has generally been paid for similar articles in this or any other Department. At page 82 the Committee state that they " found that the most astounding and unblushing frauds had been perpetrated in the pur- chase of horses and mules, made by the Quartermaster's department ; and the evidence left no doubt on their minds that the Quartermas- ter himself was in collusion with corrupt and unprincipled men who combined together to swindle the Government. In these purchases, fraud was perpetrated in every possible way. In the first place, mat- ters were so arranged that it was impossible for the original owners to sell horses or mules directly to the Government, but all such sales were made by certain middle men and go-betweens, who, it appears, alone could get any horses or mules taken by the Quarter- master's department." This extraordinary charge deserves but one reply : it is a 7nali- cious and deliberate falsehood. There is nothing even in the report- ed testimony to justify the conclusion of the Committee ; but, in re- porting the testimony, they suppressed the statements of some wit- nesses, and garbled and perverted those of others, in the hope that careless readers would be misled. The Committee state truly that $119 was fixed as the maximum price for horses and mules, but it is not true that $150 was fixed as the price of artillery horses. I will explain how this standard came to be adopted. After having advertised for proposals to furnish animals of the above description, the various bids were opened on the 4th of July, 1861. It had pre- viously been intimated to me, (and the bids seemed to confirm the intimation,) that the " legitimate dealers" had made a combination to keep up the prices. T. T. January proposed to furnish cavalry horses at $125 ; James Ashbrook required $125 for mules ; Thornton & Pierce, and Law- rence Matthews claimed $125 for horses and $130 for mules ; James B. Neill (Blair's "personal friend," "Jim NeiU") demanded $130 for cavalry horses ; J. H. Bowen's price was $119 for horses and mules, while that of Asa S. Jones was $119 50. The original bids are on file in the office of the Quartermaster General. Bowen's bid was the lowest, and was as low as horses and mules of the required standard could be furnished to me in this city, and much lower than had been previously paid. The contract was awarded to Bowen and Jones at $119 per head. They were not " legitimate dealers" any more than How or other dealers of that class, but were still able to col- 26 lect and bring to me all the animals specified in their contract, at a Considerably lower cost than tlie " horse men" considered reasonable. I do not know how much the contractors paid to the farmers and stock raisers, but I do know that $85, $105, $108 and |110 per head (if they did, in fact, procure their horses and mules for those prices) at the farm yards in the interior, left no magnificent margin by the time the animals were inspected and accepted in this city. The Committee strive to create the impression that, because the " original owner" was content to take less than August 20, 18G1. ) Major J. McKinstrt, Q. M. U. S. A. The accompanying requisition is for the clothing of a regiment of Home Guards, at JeflFerson City. The Colonel (McClung) is represented by Captain Murphy, who takes this note. There is also a regiment of Home Guards atRolla, the requisition for which is lying on my table, to go presently to you ; and also, for a battalion at Clark county, and a battalion somewhere else, and a large re- quisition for Ironton, which Captain Turnley made out yesterday, making, in all, clothing for some six thousand men, which the General desires you to have pur- chased in the city, and made ready to forward at once, under charge of officers, to be turned over and distributed at the points of destination. Will send the other requisitions shortly. Respectfully, I. C. WOODS, Secretary. [No. 25.] ers Western August 21, 1861. Headquarters Western Department, ) L. ^ To Major J. McKinstrt, Q. M. U. S. A. The General Commanding consents that you order the 1,000 grey pantaloons, 1,000 jackets, of which Lieutenant McGibbon has this day brought and shown a sample at Headquarters, if the prices are not more than you are paying for same quality of material. Respectfully, J. C WOODS,, Secretary. [No. 26.] Headquarters Western Department, ) St. Louis, Mo., August 27, 1861. ) Sir: The Commanding General directs that you purchase and furnish for the se- cond Kansas regiment, 500 pants, 500 jackets, 125 common tents, and 30 wall tents. Very respectfully. Your obedient servant, J. C. KELTON, Asst. Adj. Gen. Major J. McKinstrt, A. Q. M., St. Louis. 60 [No. 27.] Headquarters Western Department, ) September 4, 1861. J General : The movement of troops here is already beginning to be embarrassed by the scanty means for transportation, and in reference to future operations it is clear that there is no time to be lost in making immediate preparation. I, therefore, desire you to contract, with the least possible delay, for not less than one thou- sand wagons, to be required so soon as the plans for the carrying on of the war shape themselves more definitely. I prefer, for this Department, the lighter built Concord fashioned wagon to the heavy Pennsylvania style of wagon generally used in the East. Mules for the above should, at some time, be provided. Brig. Gen. McKinstry, Quartermaster, Washington, August 28, 1861. ) To the Hon. F. P. Blair, St. Louis, Mo.: Dear Colonel — Your brother, the Postmaster General, has handed me your let- ter of the 21st August. I asked him to let me have it, that I might, by a few woid.'!, strengthen your hands and General Fre'mont's, and disabuse both him and you of some errors which ma}^ give trouble. If there is any difficulty in the Quartermaster's department of Missouri, the blame does not rest here. All requisitions have been promptly met here, and the officers have been instructed to spare no effort and no means of this Department in aiding, to the ex- tent of their power. General Lyon's movements. There may be reasons of time, of quality, which induce a General to order a purchase at a higher rate ; and while I com- municated to the Quartermaster as to the ruling prices of horses, the market rates, I called upon the Treasury to send all the money he asked for. Tell General Fre'mont that no man more than myself desires to sustain him ; no one is more ready to take the responsibility to as ist him, and that he has, in my opinion, already the power which you say ought to be conferred upon him by the President. Whatever a General commanding orders, the subordinates of his staff are by regula- tions, compelled to do, if possible. 93 The General is charged with saving the country. The country will be very careful to approve his measures, and will judge his mistakes, if any, very tenderly, if success- ful. Success crowns the work, and let him spare no responsibility, no effort, to secure it. All the requisitions for money in Missouri have been promptly passed through this office. The delay, if any has occurred, is at the Treasury Department, which has al- lowed the Department to fall in debt in Cincinnati and Philadelphia, each about a mil. lion of dollars, for clothing and camp equipage. There are wagons making in Cincinnati, which Captain Dickinson will send to St. Louis, if wanted. Those made at Milwaukee I ordered to St. Louis long ago. A num. her of wagons are ordered to be made in St. Louis, and authority giv"en to Major Mc- Kinstry to provide all that might be required for moving the armies of that Department. In regard to advertising and delivery, the law of 1861, and the regulations, expressly provide that in case of public exigencies, supplies are to be bought in open market, or between individuals. Exercise this power. Moreover, advertisements or public notice, do not require postponing opening of bids for a month, or a week, or two days. If for- age, wagons, or horses, are wanted, the law, the necessity, are fully met by putting a notice in the papers, and purchasing as fast as offers come in. The next day, or the same day, take the then lowest bidder, or the then most advantageous offer. The day after, you will have a still better offer ; take that for a portion of your supplies, and so on till you have all you need. By this system I have brought down the price of horses from $128 to $120; of wagons from $111 to $108 since 1 came here, and have got abun- dant supplies. These explanations will, I hope, remove many difficulties from the way of our armies in Missouri. Count upon me as ready to aid in what 1 believe the righl, cheap, stra- getic, statesmanlike mode of conducting the war — that which, I am sure, the people desire, and the want of which they censure — the most rapid possible concentration of overwhelming forces by the United States. Yours, very truly, M. C. MEIGS. [No. 81.] State of Missouri, ) ^ I ss. County of St. Louis. ) John H. Bowen being duly sworn, says that during the year eighteen hun- dred and sixty-one, and while General J. McKinstry was Quartermaster at St. Louis, I sold to the Government of the United States, property of different kinds, for the use of the army ; and for the property I sold to the Government, I re- ceived Quartermaster's vouchers, many of which were proved up before the Claim Commissioners at St. Louis. I further state that General McKinstry had no con- cern, or interest, whatever, either directly or indirectly, in any of my transac- tions with the Government, and he never, to my knowledge or belief, ever ex- pected, or received, any benefit, or pecuniary advantage, out of any sale that I made to the Government aforesaid ; and no suggestion, or intimation, either di- rectly or indirectly, was ever made to me by any one that General McKinstry ex- pected to receive any thing from me, on account of any transaction I had with the Government, and certainly he never did received any thing. In respect to the $5,000, alleged to have been retained and paid to me by Gen- eral McKinstry, I state that, after I sold out my interest to Wheeler, in the con- tract of Mr. Jones and myself, to furnish horses to the Government, I requested Mr. Hahn, cashier of General McKinstry, to retain $5,000 for me, when pay- ment on that contract should be made — that the party to whom I had sold my 94 interest would understand it, and assent to it. General McKinstry knew noth- ing of it, so far as I know, and did not pay me the $5,000, and had nothing to do with it. The arrangement made by me with Mr. Hahn was simply a matter of convenience to me, as I did not expect to be present when payment on the horse contract would be made. JOHN H. BOWEN. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 2d day of June, 1862. JOHN M. KRUM, U. S. Com'r for Mo. [No. 82.] State of Missouri, ") ^ ss County of St. Louis, j Joseph W. Parish, being duly sworn, says : I reside at Peoria, Hlinois ; that in the fall of the year 1861 I received an order or requisition from General J. McKinstry, Chief Quartermaster at St. Louis, to purchase horses for a regiment of cavalry being recruited at Peoria, which regiment was subsequently called the '^McKinstry Guards." At the time I received said order, I agreed to fur- nish said horses at the price or sum of one hundred and ten dollars, each. Under that order I furnished eleven hundred and fifty-eight horses, and received from the Post Quartermaster at Peoria a voucher for said horses, which was after- wards approved and endorsed by Major R. Allen, Chief Quartermaster at St. Louis. I further state that General McKinstry had nothing to do with the organiza- tion of said regiment, otherwise than to give the order aforesaid for the purchase of said horses. I further state that General McKinstry did not receive, either directly or indirectly, any benefit or advantage, nor does he expect to receive, or any one for him, any benefit or advantage whatever, on account of my said sale of horses to the Government. J. W. PARISH. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 2l8t day of May, 1862. JOHN M. KRUM, U. S. Com'r for xMo. [No. 83.] State of Missouri, ) > gg^ County of St. Louis. ) David D. Chandler being duly sworn, says that he is a member of the firm of J. B. Sickles & Co., engaged in the saddlery and harness business, in the city of St. Louis, Mo. During several years last yast, said firm has endeavored to obtain contracts, or orders, with the Quartermaster at St. Louis to furnish the Government with articles manufactured and kept for sale by said firm ; but not until the summer of the year 1861, could said firm obtain any contract or orders for furnishing such articles to the Government. I further state that about the month of May, 1861, and while General J. McKinstry was chief Quartermaster at St. Louis, said firm of J. B. Sickles & Co. obtained an order to furnish such supplies to the Government, and thereafter said firm continued to furnish such supplies to the Government during the remainder of the time that General Mc- Kinstry acted as chief Quartermaster at St. Louis. I further state that all the 95 good furnished by said firm to the Goverument, during the time Genei'al McKin- sti'y acted as Quartermaster, were of the very best quality, and he, in every in- stance, made a very rigid examination of the goods, and would not receive any- thing that was not of the proper quality and description requircdfor the service. During the time General McKinstry acted as Quartermaster said firm of J. B. Sickles & Co. furnished goods to the Government, to the amount of about $125,- 000, and on all of which said firm only received a fair mercantile profit. And I further state that said firm never had any understanding or agreement with General McKinstry by which he was to receive any profit, or advantage, from the sales of said firm to the Government, nor did General McKinsti-y, or any one for or in his behalf, ever receive, either directly or indirectly, any benefit or advan- tage from the sales of said firm to the Government. D. D. CHANDLER. Subscribed and sworn to before mo, this IGth day of May, A. D., 1862. JOHN JM. KRUM, U. S. Com'r for Mo. [No. 84.] State of Missouri, ") County of St. Louis, j John K. Field, being duly sworn says : That he is a member of the firm of Field Brothers, of St. Louis, dealers in cloths and furnishing goods. This afliant says that in 1801, and during the time that General J. McKinstry was chief Quartermaster at St. Louis, the firm of Field Brothers sold cloths and blankets to the Government, amounting in the aggregate to over one hundred thousand dollars, which goods were sold at a time when there was a great and very press- ing demand in this Department for clothing and blankets, and at a time too when the Government was buying almost exclusively on credit, no funds having^been provided or furnished the Quartermaster for such purpose, and for the goods sold by Field Brothers they only realized a fair mercantile profit. This afiiant further says, that in all the sales made by said firm. General McKinstry was diligent and careful in examining the goods and requiring that they should be of the best quality suitable for the service, that could be obtained in this market. This affiant further states, that Gen. McKinstry never received or realized, either directly or indirectly, any profit or advantage whatever from or on account of anv of the sales made by said firm of Field Brothers. JOHN K, FIELD. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 21st day of May, 18C2. JOHN M. KRUM. U. S. Com'r. for Mo. [No. 85.] State of Missouri, ) ^ y ss. County of St. Louis, j Anzyl Phillips, being duly sworn, says : That during the year 1861, and while General J. McKinstry was acting Quartermaster at St. Louis, I made sales to the Government of horses and mules, and received from Gen. McKinstry Quartermaster's vouchers for the stock I sold to the Government, and a portion of said vouchers were filed and proved up before the Commissioners of Claims, 96 composed of Messrs. Davis, Holt and Campbell. This affiant further states that Gen. McKinstry had no interest or concern, either directly or indirectly, in any contract or dealing that I had with the Government. My business and transac- tions with the Government were conducted openly and in the ordinary manner of such transactions, and Gen. McKinstry simply attended to the interests of the Government, without having any concern or interest whatever in my transactions. ANSYL PHILLIPS. Subscribed and sworn to before me, in the District of Missouri, this 8th day of xMay, A. D. 1862. JOHN M. KRUM. U. S. Com'r. forMo. [No. 86.] State of Missouri, "^ County of St. Louis, j James F. Foss, being duly sworn, says : That during the year 1861, I was clerk in the Planters' House, in St. Louis, and am still so employed. I remember D. Pratt, who gave evidence before the Van Wyck Congressional Committee. Said Pratt was a boarder at the Planters' House during the fall of 1861, but as he failed to pay his board bills he was turned away from the House. I further state that at no time during the year 1861 did Gen. McKinstry have rooms or lodgings at the Planters' House. He had his own house in the city, and he and his family occu- pied it. The statement of said Pratt, before said Committee, in regard to Gen. McKinstry's having lodgings at the Planters' House is wholly unfounded. JAS. F. FOSS. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 28th of May, A. D. 1861. "jOHN M. KRUM. • U. S. Com'r. for Mo. [No. 87.] State of Missouri,? ' > ss. County of St. Louis. > P. A. Child and Elon G. Pratt being duly sworn, say that they are members of the firm of Child, Pratt & Fox, doing business in the city of St. Louis. These affiants say that General J. McKinstry, late chief Quartermaster at St. Louis, never was inter- ested, either directly or indirectly, in the profits, or otherwise in any sales of supplies to the Government made by our firm ; nor did said McKinstry ever receive any compensation from said firm, in any form or mode, either directly or indirectly. These affiants farther say, that it was never hinted or stiggested by any one that we should allow or contribute anything to said McKinstry, or to any one in his behalf, or for his benefit, nor was anything of the kind ever done by said firm. These affiants say, that any suggestion, intimation, or statement, that General McICinstry ever realized, or re- ceived, either directly or indirectly, any money, property, benefit, or advantage, from Child, Pratt & Fox, or from either member of said firm, on Hccount of, or by reason of any sale of merchandize by said firm to the Government, is wholly untrue. These affiants further say, that the bad shoes mentioned in the testimony of 0. D. Filley, p. — , were immediately replaced by a good article, by said firm, as soon as we were in- formed that hey were of bad quality. When the shoes that turned out to be bad were purchased, they were supposed to be good, and the usual market value was paid for them by said firm, and we supposed and believed at the time that said shoes were good. 97 and as soon as we were informed of their bad quality we replaced them without any loss to the Government. Our partner, E. W. Fox, is now absent, or he would join in this affidavit. P. A. CHILD, ELON G. PRATT. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 13(h day of June, 1862. In witness whereof? I have hereto set my hand and notarial seal, the day and year last above written. LEOPOLD WOLFF. [No. 88.] State of Missouri, } ' > ss. County of St. Louis, ) H. W. G. Clements being duly sworn, upon his oath says : I acted as chief clerk in the Quartermaster's Department, under General J. McKinstry, up- wards of ten years, last past, and I was chief clerk under him during all the time he acted as chief Quartermaster at St. Louis, Mo. I am familiar with the whole routine of business transacted by the Quartermaster. During the spring, summer and early pra-t of the fall of 1861, while the military organizations were in progress in the Western Department, the requisitions and orders upon the Quartermaster at St. Louis, to furnish supplies of every description, transporta- tion — in short everything necessary for the outfit of an army — were immensely large, very urgent, and often imperatively required to be furnished in the short- est possible time. Hence, the labors of the Quartermaster at St. Louis, during the time mentioned, v/erc suddenly increased beyond all former precedents, and his time and energies, as well as of his clerks, were taxed to their utmost endu- rance. General McKinstry gave personal attention and supervision, early and late, to the business transacted in his ofBco. The official reports of General McKinstry of his transactions show the enormous operations of the Government in this department, between the months of May and October of the year 1861, and the Quartermaster had no assistants assigned him, except near the close of his administration, and the accuracy of his books, accounts and reports to the Department are evidence of the labor, care and watchful vigilance of the Quar- termaster, in the discharge of his varied, intricate and onerous duties. I further state that when General McKinstry was ordered to the field, in Sep- tember last, he left his clerks (myself included) laboriously and diligently em- ployed in bringing up his accounts. When the Van Wyck Investigating Commit- tee w^as at St. Louis, I addressed three communications to said Committee, (Gen- eral McKinstry having then joined his command,) and in other ways offered said Committee every facility to make a full examination into the transactions of General McKinstry as chief Quartermaster at this post. I was familiar with the transactions the said Committee mention in their report, and could have shown them by the orders, correspondence, and other vouchers, on file in the office of General McKinstry, that the evidence heard by said Committee, which reflected on the official conduct of General McKinstry, was wholly false and unfounded. Notwithstanding my offer to said Committee to furnish them any information or explanation they might desire, I was not asked by said Ccmmittee to make any explanations, or give information in respect to General McKinstry's official trans- actions, except in regard to a few very unimportant matters. They did not in- terrogate me in regard to subjects which they have given such prominence in their report. And so, in regard to the Commissioners on Claims, although I was call- 98 ed on by claimants to give evidence in regard to claims, I was not interrogated by the Commissioners as to any of General McKinstry's transactions which they have criticised with so much freedom. H. W. G. CLEMENTS. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 31st day of Mav, 1862. JOHN M. KRUM, U. S. Com'r for Mo. [No. 89.] State of Missouri, } County of St. Louis. 3 William L. Hahn being duly sworn, on his oath says :*I have been employed in the Quartermaster's Department, under General J. ^McKinstry, since the 15th day of May, A. D. 185G, and nearly the whole of that time I have acted as cash- ier, and disbursed the public moneys in charge of the Quartermaster, and kept his cash account. I stood in the same relation to General McKinstry, and acted in the same capacity, while he was acting chief Quartermaster at St. Louis. I am entirely familiar with his manner and method of conducting business. He has alwaj^s been careful and particular in his transactions in behalf of the Gov- ernment, giving his personal attention to the same in all cases, when it has been physically in his power to do so, and he has always required that the clerks em- ployed in his department should give careful personal attention to the duties as- signed them. No system or method of keeping Quartermaster's books is pre- scribed by the Army Regulations ; yet General McKinstry has always kept reg- ular mercantile accounts since I have been employed under him. I have had charge of his books of account, including the cash book, and made the entries in them, or caused them to be made by my assistants. The entries in those books were made at the time the several transactions in the Quartermaster's depart- ment occurred, and just as they occurred, and not otherwise, and no changes have ever been made in these accounts. All of the entries and accounts, aforesaid, are fully and properly entered — plainly and distinctly — so that any one at all conversant with the keeping of ac- counts, including property or merchandize accounts and cash book, can readily understand them. No transactions relating to either property or cash have ever been "loosely entered" in the books and accounts of General McKinstry. In corroboration of this, Mr. Benson S. Hopkins, lately employed by the Commis- sioners on Claims at St. Louis as " an expert in mercantile accounts," stated to ine that, at the request of said Commission, he examined the cash book kept by General McKinstry, particularly in respect to the moneys borrowed at St. Louis from the banks and individuals, and he said that he found the entries of the loans properly entered, and that the entries are made just as he would have made them. Said Hopkins, moreover, said, that he never reported that he found any irregularities in these entries, nor that the moneys borrowed, as aforesaid, were 'Hoosely entered." This affiant further states that, after the President's proclamation calling for troops, and from the time that they began to assemble at St. Louis, the business jn the Quartermaster's department suddenly increased, and so many and great were the requisitions for army supplies at St. Louis that the Quartermaster's of- fice was literally besieged for several months, early and late, by those engaged in furnishing such supplies, and those receiving them, for distribution. I esti- 99 mate that an average of not less than four hundred (400) persons had business transactions each day, at the oflSce of General McKinstry at St. Louis, from Aug- ust 1, to September 30, inclusive, in the year 1861. During this great rush and press of business. General McKinstry had no assistant Quartermasters assigned to assist him, except occasionally, for a short time ; but he and his clerks attend- ed to the whole of it, and to do the necessary labor General McKinstry and his clerks were kept at their respective desks from morning till night, and often half the nightr , And I do further state that, from my position, and having in charge the books and accounts of General McKinstry, and being charged with the re- sponsible duty of receiving and paying out all moneys entrusted to the Quarter- master, I had the very best means of discovering any peculations, or fraudulent transactions, in the department, if there had been any; and I here state that I never, at any time, discovered, or suspected, General McKinstry to be concerned, either directly or indirectly, in any peculation, fraudulent, or improper transac- tion whatever 5 and I do not believe, and have never seen or heard anything to induce me to suspect that General McKinstry ever realized, or received, or that he expects to realize or receive from any one, either directly or indirectly, any pecuniary benefit, or advantage, by reason of any transaction in the Quarter- master's department while he was chief thereof. I further state, that I have read the printed report of the Van Wyck Investi- gating Committee, and the testimony accompanying said report, and especially that portion purporting to give my testimony before said Committee. The said Committee omitted to publish a large portion of my testimony before them, which was important, and explanatory of many of the transactions reviewed and criticised by said Committee. Said Committee, in their said report, have garbled and misstated portions of my testimony. To undertake to correct the misstate- ments and omissions of said Committee, in respect to my own examination be- fore them, would swell the statement to an undue length. I, therefore, speak of only two or three of the most glaring instances of misstatement and misrepre- sentation in said report. First. In respect to the horse contract of Jones & Bowen, and the retention of $5,000, spoken of by said Committee : It is not true that General McKinstry retained $5,000 for Bowen. The facts are simply as follows : Jones & Bowen were responsible to the Government for the fulfilment of their contract with it. After the contract had been fulfilled, and but a few days before payment on the same was made, Mr. Bowen informed me that he had sold his interest in said contract to Wheeler for $5,000, and requested me, if he was not present when payment was made, to hold that amount for him ; that the party to whom he sold bis interest understood it and would assent to it. I, soon afterwards, was in- formed by Messrs. Thomson & Wheeler, or by one of them, that such was the un- derstanding between them and Bowen. General McKinstry knew nothing of this, and as there seemed nothing improper in the request, (as there was noth- ing improper in fact,) I did not inform General McKinstry [of the matter. The payment for horses and mules delivered under the Jones & Bowen con- tract was made in six per cent. Treasury notes, drawn to the order of General McKinstry, and were endorsed by him. I had no concern or interest in the mat- ter, and what I did was simply a matter of accommodation to the parties. The Government got the property, and the parties who delivered it got their pay for it, at the contract price and no more; and the $5,000 was paid to Mr. Bowen himself, and was not retained or kept by McKinstry. 7 100 Second. In respect to the bid and testimony of Hood : His bid was made under advertisement for picket pins, ring bolts, &c. They were chiefly wanted for frontier service, and to be transported a long distance; and as the cost of transportation was an important item, the selection of articles of a proper size and make was important. I called on Mr. Hood, and requested samples to be sent to the Quartermaster's office. He sent a sample of his picket pins only, which were without swivel heads ; on being examined by General McKinstry, was rejected because he deemed picket pins of the sample sent not suitable for the service. In respect to wages paid to deck hands on steamboats in the service of the Government, General McKinstry paid but $15 per month to deck hands. If more was paid to this class of employees in the Western Department, it was by some other Quartermaster or officer. The accounts of General McKinstry show dis- tinctly the wages paid to employees of the Government. 1 further state that, after General McKinstry was ordered to the field, 1 was diligently engaged in bringing up the immense mass of accounts for transmis- sion to the Department at Washington, embracing the unusually large transac- tions of General McKinstry ; when, about the 13th day of November last, I was arrested, under some military order, and held in confinement at Jefferson Bar- racks, and was not allowed access to the books or accounts of General McKin- stry until I was released in the month of January last. If I had been called upon, by either the Van Wyck Committee or by the Commissioners of Claims, at St. Louis, I could have explained and presented the facts of every transaction that said Committees criticised in their respective reports, but I was not re- quested or allowed to do so. WM. L. HAHN. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 2d day of June, A. D. 1862. JOHN M. KRUM, U. S. Com'r for Mo. [No. 90.] Extract from Cash Book kept by J. McKinstry, A. Q. M. CASH ACCOUNT, 1861. Aug. 20 Received from St. Louis Building and Savings Ass'n., B. F $10,000 00 " " " " Reed&Co.,B. F 2,000 00 " " " " Exchange Bank, B. F 50,000 00 " " " " " " Coin 12,000 00 " " " " " " Coin or N. Y. Exchange. 14,283 61 " 30 " " Bridge, Beach & Co., B. F 25,000 00 " 31 " " Exchange Bank, B. F 10,000 00 " " " " Building & Savings Association account 97,235 06 " " " " Boatmen's Savings Institution. 50,000 00 " " " " U. S. Treasury, Treasury Notes 700,000 00 Sept. 4 " " P. A. Ladue Treasurer 10,000 00 " 6 " " P. A. Ladue, Treasurer -• -. 20,000 00 " 7 " " St. Louis Building and Savings Association 10,000 00 " " " " Bridge, Beach & Co 25,000 00 " 10 " " Robert Hay, B. F 42,000 00 "12 " " St. Louis Building and Savings Association 10,000 00 " 14 " " Exchange Bank, coin 12,000 00 " " " " " Exchange in N. Y. 14,283 61 " " " " Reed&Co., B. F. 2,500 00 " " " " McMechan & Ballantine, B. F 2,500 00 " " " " Partridge & Co., B. F 5,000 00 " 18 " " Boatmen's Savings Institution, B. F • 25,000 00 "19 " " U. S. Treasury, Treasury drafts ; 100,000 00 " " " " St. Louis Building and Savings Association 131,110 77 " 24 " " Webb & Kaime, B. F. 5,000 00 " " " " Bank of State of Mo. 250,000 00 101 Oct. .o, Received from Merchants' Bank, B. F. 75,000 00' " " " " Southern Bank, B. F 10,000 00 " " " " Mechanics' Bank, B. F 36,000 00 " " " " Bank of Missouri, B. F - 15,000 00 [No. 91.] Sir : St. Louis, Mo., July 11th, 1851. You will i:)roceed. immediately to Rolla, Mo., as agent of the Quartermaster's Department, and report for duty at that point to the commanding officer. Lieut. Vogel, Mo. Volunteers, A. A. Q. M. at Rolla, has been directed to turn over the public property in his possession to you. In assuming the duties to which you are hereby appointed, your experience, I trust, makes you fully aware of the responsibility incurred. I shall expect you to give your undivided attention to the duties of your Department, and you will require the same industry and fidelity on the part of all that may be placed un- der your orders or direction. You will report promptly to this office all matters that are connected with and relating to the business of this Department. In the transaction of your business you will adhere strictly to the rules laid down in the Army Regulations, in all cases, unless directed to do otherwise by your commanding officer, in which case it will be proper for you to respectfully request the order to be put in writing, and report immediately to this office for the information of the Quar- termaster General at Washington. Remember, that the force you are called upon to assist is, for the most part, a hastily organized one, and ignorant of the duties of your Department. Patience and oft repeated explanations will be necessary in your official intercourse with them. Take care that no just complaint be made against vou. Very respectfully, your obd't serv't, J. McKINSTRY, Bvt. Major and A. Q. M. Mr. Thomas O'Brien, Agent Q. M. Department, St. Louis, Mo. [No. 92.] Sir: St. Lodis, February 1, 1862. At the time General McKinistry was placed under arrest, in the early part of November last, the clerks in his employ were busily engaged in preparing his reports, papers, &c., for transmission to the proper Department at Washington. All the books and papers pertaining to the Quartermaster's office, while under the administration of General McKinstry were seized at the same time, under military authority, by the Government. All of the clerks in his employ were arrested at the same time, and imprisoned at Jefferson Barracks, where they are still detained. Although General McKinstry has been anxious to render his ac- counts, and make his report as Quartermaster, he has been hitherto, and is now, prevented from doing so by the military orders of the Government. His books, papers, and large iron safe, used by him while Quartermaster, are in a building that he occupied, and which is now occupied by the present Quartermaster, in this city. General McKinstry is confined at the Arsenal, distant two miles and upwards from his papers, and his clerks are confined ten miles from the city, at Jefferson Barracks. On the 23d December last, I addressed a letter to General Meigs, Quartermaa- ler General, on this subject, an extract from which letter I herewith enclose, marked A. 102 On the 9tlli of January (ultimo) I addressed a letter, on the same subject, to the President, asking that General McKinstry's limits of arrest might be extend- ed to the city, so as to enable him to render his accounts. This was written in anticipation that his books and papers would be restored to him, in accordance with the recommendation of Mr. S. T. Glover, in his letter of 3d January, ad- dressed to Gen, Halleck. A copy of Mr. Glover's letter I also enclose, marked B. This letter of Mr. Glover I delivered to General Halleck, in person, and was informed by him, that up to that time he had not been entrusted with any au- thority or discretion, in the matter of the arrest of General McKinstry, or the seizure of his papers, &c. ; that in fact he (General H.) did not know, officially, of the arrest or seizure of either. He said he would immediately transmit Mr. Glover's note to the War Department at Washington. After waiting a reasonable time for a reply, or some action in regard to it, and without receiving notice of either, I addressed a letter to General Halleck, on the 23d ultimo, in respect to the same matter, and I enclose herewith a copy of his reply thereto, marked C. This letter, or notice, from General Halleck, is the first step that has been taken by the Government to restore to General McKinstry his books and papers. As before stated, the clerks of the late Quartermaster are still confined at Jefferson Barracks, and no order in respect to their release has, as yet, been made, so far as I know. General Halleck must have supposed that General McKinstry would be enabled to render his accounts if he had per- mission to take his books and papers to the Arsenal. Any one who has know- ledge of the limited quarters assigned to General McKinstry ought to know that it is noplace to send valuable and important papers. It is neither a safe place for such papers nor a convenient place to examine and arrange them. Besides, it would be neither wise nor prudent to transport a cart load of valuable books and papers from a safe depository two miles to an unsafe one, and I do not sup pose General McKinstry will be guilty of any such folly, even if he should be al- lowed the privilege of superintending, in person, such a work, which privilege, however, has not been extended to him. But, even were it prudent, or practicable, to remove the books and papers re- ferred to, of what advantage to General McKinstry can their removal to the Ar- senal be, when his former clerks, (on whose assistance in rendering his accounts he is dependent,) are imprisoned ten miles off, at Jefferson Barracks? My ob- ject in addressing you this communication and statement of facts, is to ask that the limits of arrest of General McKinstry, and of his late clerks, may be exten- ded, so as to allow them access to the ofiice where the books and papers of the late Quartermaster now are, in this city. I take this occasion, also, to enclose an extract from an order issued from your Department, on 30th November last, directed to Colonel Totten, and afterwards transferred to Mr. S. T. Glover — which extract is marked D. General McKin- stry did not know of the existence of such an order until the 28th December last, when tl^c extract was furnished by Major Lee, Judge Advocate General. I have now to state that no change whatever has ever been made in regard to the limits of arrest of General McKinstry. His limits have been, since his arrest on the IZth November, 1861, the " Arsenal and Arsenal grounds." He is still there ! He has never been invited, by any one, " to explain, if he sees fit, any account or transaction that seems to need it." Hoping soon to receive a favorable reply to this application, I remain, respect'ly^ (Signed) JOHiN M. KRUM. To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington^ D. C. ^^\ 89 =: A<^^ '..9' .Cr c>, 'o,»* A <. 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