the department, immense and almost overpowering duties for at least four months past. No single officer of the army would or could have done what I have; and I fear no scrutiny, however searching or minute, into my conduct. I shall most assuredly demand and court an investigation. Major General THOS. S. JESUP, THOS. F. HUNT, Deputy Quartermaster General. Quartermaster General, Washington city. [Extract.] NEW ORLEANS, October 8, 1846. GENERAL: Not having wagons here for any portion of a train, and very few being to be purchased, and having understood from Colonel March, arrived on the 6th from St. Louis, that Lieutenant Colonel Mackay had received a good many which he had no use for, I wrote to the colonel in regard to them. (Herewith is a copy of my letter.) You will perceive, too, that I requested him to have horse and mule shoes made and sent to me. I am now having made at this place 15,000 mule-shoes, at 18 cents per pound, and 10,000 horse-shoes, at 16, cents per pound. How soon they will be done I cannot say. The undertakers said they would make from 300 to 500 per day. I have shipped a good many to both armies since the date of yours in regard to the want of them. As soon as requisitions were made on me for them, I did all I could to have them made; but the progress was slow compared with the wants of the service. Major General THOS. S. JESUp, THOS. F. HUNT, Deputy Quartermaster General. Quartermaster General, Washington city. NEW ORLEANS, October 10, 1846. GENERAL: Owing to the greater facility of getting transportation here for Brazos and La Vaca, as also for getting forage, and considering the small charge for bringing the animals here, I have concluded to have all the mules, wagons, &c., now at Blakely, transported to this place, where, besides the other advantages, I can have them ready, at a very short notice, for embarkation. The transportation is for each animal $4, and for each wagon $5. THOS. F. HUNT, Deputy Quartermaster General. Major General THOS. S. JESUP, NEW ORLEANS, October 11, 1846. GENERAL: The uncertainty of getting transportation at Mobile, and the higher rates that would have to be paid for it for the mules from Blakeley to Brazos Santiago, in the event of their being sent to that place, and the probable greater cost of forage, have induced me to decide to have the whole brought to this place, which I have made arrangements for, having given Captain Toulmin, assistant quartermaster, the necessary instructions yesterday. (See herewith a copy of my letter.) In shipping animals I have availed of the transports to send other stores at the same time, which could not be done at Mobile. Here every thing will be under my own immediate direction, and a movement can be made with greater facility. THOS. F. HUNT, Deputy Assistant Quartermaster. To Major General THOMAS S. JESUP, Quartermaster General, Washington city. NEW ORLEANS, October 26, 1846. COLONEL In my report of July 4, in regard to steamboats, I noted the chartering of the W. N. Mercer for three months; she left this place for Brazos Santiago on the 6th of that month. The steamer Samuel M. Williams I chartered for service at La Vaca, &c., as a lighter, on the 11th July; she was then at Galveston or neighborhood, and proceeded thence to La Vaca. These two boats, as well as others which I chartered for a time and sent to the Rio Grande, as reported July 4, have, I presume, been regularly reported by the officers of the department under whose direction they have been serving. The United States steamer Hatchee Eagle, reported on the 4th of July, as purchased on the 1st for $5,000, was despatched hence for Brazos Santiago, July 20, after having undergone repairs, alterations, &c. I purchased, July 15, for $12,000, the steamer Mentoria, a steam wheel boat without guard, light draught, and well calculated as a lighter on the bars. I had her much strengthened, coppered, and despatched her for the Brazos Santiago on the 11th of August. I purchased, July 13, the steamship Telegraph, which had just performed service under a charter of $7,000, and in the completing of which demurrage accrued at Mobile, in consequence of delay, &c., with volunteers, to the amount of $7,508 33, making $14,508 33, which amount was deducted from the sum of $25,000 that I paid on the 27th of July, the actual cost of the ship being $10,491 67. This vessel has not been transferred to any other point; she belongs to this station. She has performed three trips since she was purchased, two to La Vaca and one to Brazos Santiago, which services were worth more than the $10,491 67 and expenses, so that she has more than cleared herself. The following named steamboats, bargained for by Captain J. Sanders, corps of engineers, around here, were received and paid for by me and despatched to Brazos Santiago: The Whiteville, arrived July 8, paid for July 10, $5,500, and despatched July 20. The Rough and Ready, arrived July 18, paid for July 27, $12,000, and despatched July 28. The Colonel Cross, arrived July 24, paid for July 28, $14,000, and despatched August 6. The Corvette, arrived July 16, paid for July 27, $16,000, and despatched August 6. The Major Brown, arrived August 11, paid for September 3, $12,600, and despatched September 5. The steamboats, therefore, despatched by me to Brazos Santiago, for service there and on the Rio Grande, were as follows: The Troy, purchased. See my report of July 4. The J. E. Roberts, purchased.-See same report. The Big Hatchee, chartered.-See same report. The Whiteville, bargained for by Captain J. Sanders. The Rough and Ready, do do. The Colonel Cross, The Corvette, The Major Brown, These public boats are on the Rio Grande, &c. The United States steamboat Undine is at La Vaca, as is the chartered boat Samuel M. Williams. The steam-schooner (propeller) James Cage and the steamship Telegraph belong to and are now at this station. The United States barque Robert Morris belongs to this station, though now absent at Brazos Santiago. The United States steamship Neptune is now here, having sprung a leak and injured machinery in a gale of wind; she must go into dock, and will perhaps do so to-morrow. She ran from off Brazos island into Galveston; her captain chartered a vessel to take her cargo down, and she came to this port for repairs. The steam-schooner James Cage departed hence for Brazos July 1, met with a gale of wind, put back in distress, was repaired, and again started September 25. Her piston-rod broke at sea, and again she came back in distress; she was repaired, and started the third time 13th instant; the piston-rod again broke before she got to the mouth of the river; she came back, and is now being repaired. I think she will go safe the next time. The United States steam-barque (propeller) Edith is now here also. Colonel HENRY STANTON, THOS. F. HUNT, Deputy Quartermaster General. Acting Quartermaster General, Washington, D. C. NEW ORLEANS, December 9, 1846. COLONEL: Understanding that the quartermaster general had written to you in relation to light draught schooners, I did not reply to your letter of the 19th of October, received on the 28th; and now I do so, because of what I believe to be so much to the public interest. I have all along known that they were the most useful kind of vessels we could have, and have in every case availed of them where it was practicable, by chartering, and shipping at a contract rate per barrel, &c. This mode I thought preferable to owning them, as the very great risk was avoided, as also the expense of repairs consequent on wear and tear, and injury in other respects. It is now, and has before been at sundry times, very difficult to obtain by hiring, or on freight, the kind of vessels we ought to have; and I am constrained to express it as my decided. opinion that we ought to have vessels capable of carrying, at least, each the bulk of 800 to 1,500 or more barrels, upon not exceeding 7 or 74 feet water. They should be well found in every respect, and strongly built, with a good deal of deck room. It does not matter a great deal whether coppered or not, as, if coppered, the copper is apt to. be rubbed off in passing shoal places, and worms. are the result; if not coppered, a good coat of verdigris every two months, or such time, is a tolerable protection against them, particularly if running into fresh water occasionally, as would be the case when coming here. I do not hesitate to say that we ought to own at least twenty or more of this class of vessels. We may pick up a few here, but very few, such as we should own; and I would most respectfully recommend that at least twenty be purchased and sent out without loss of time. We must have them, either by hiring or owning; and if they cannot be had, we will be compelled to take up larger vessels, and run the chances of lightering at sea, which is attended with great risk, loss of time, and expense. I have recently purchased two light draught vessels, one of which is now gone to Tampico, and the other I have sent to the mouth of the Rio Grande, to serve as a lighter there, and at Brazos island. That which has gone to Tampico (the H. Long, a schooner) cost $4,000; and the other, the schooner Belle, cost $3,000. Vessels drawing 4, 4, and 5 feet water loaded, would be very useful on the bars. In speaking of light draught vessels, I mean them as transports for stores; for troops a much larger class of sail vessels, or steamers, must be availed of. I shall not fail to purchase all the light draught vessels-sail, I mean that I can obtain of a suitable kind, provided they can be had on fair terms, and trust that my course will be approved; indeed, I have already the quartermaster general's verbal authority to do so. THOS. F. HUNT, Deputy Quartermaster General. Col. HENRY STANTON, FORT POLK, May 15, 1846. SIR: The entrance of this harbor, called the Brazos de Santiago, is about nine miles north of the Rio Grande. The depth of water on the bar is usually 8 feet-frequently 8 to 9 feet: The anchorage is a short distance inside the bar, and within musket shot of Brazos island on the south. At this point all our transports have to be lightered, and most of them unloaded, and the cargoes brought up to the depot, or Point Isabel, a distance of about four miles. Since we have been here, I have employed the United States steamers Monmouth and Neva, and the hired steamer Cincinnati, on this duty; added to which, the Monmouth and Cincinnati have made several trips to San Joseph's island for stores, and the Monmouth one as far as Galveston. The United States steamer "Colonel Long" was ordered down by Colonel Cross; but she did not arrive until after his death. A few days after her arrival, she became leaky; and, upon an examination of her, it is found that she is so thoroughly worm-eaten as to be of no use, without being hauled out and new planked. How she got here from Aransas is astonishing. She is a very weak boat; and when in her best days, the trip to Aransas in safety was considered doubtful. It is impossible to send her to New Orleans in her present condition; and I expect I shall be compelled to take out her engine, and send it to New Orleans. The hull can be used for storing coal, which is not injured by water. It is not worth the expense of building ways at this place, even if she could be repaired and placed on the Rio Grande. She would not answer, being too long for so narrow and crooked a river. The steamer Neva is much worm-eaten; but if she is sent into the Rio Grande in a few days, as is contemplated, she may be preserved. If these boats had been coppered previous to being sent out, they would both have been in good condition now. If we get and keep possession of the Rio Grande, it will be necessary to have one or two good river boats of moderate size. These need not be coppered, if used altogether in the river; but as we may be compelled to make use of the Brazos Santiago and this point as a depot, I think it will be best, as a matter of precaution, to have them coppered. Major General THOS. S. JESUP, CH. THOMAS, Major and Quartermaster. Quartermaster General, Washington City. |