Message from the President of the United States, Communicating Correspondence Between the Late Secretary of War and Major General John E
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University of Oklahoma College of Law University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899 3-25-1858 Message from the President of the United States, communicating correspondence between the late Secretary of War and Major General John E. Wool. Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.ou.edu/indianserialset Part of the Indian and Aboriginal Law Commons Recommended Citation H.R. Exec. Doc. No. 88, 35th Congress, 1st Sess. (1858) This House Executive Document is brought to you for free and open access by University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899 by an authorized administrator of University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 35TH CONGRESS, l HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ~Ex.Doc. 1st Session. 5 ~ No. 88. CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE LATE SECRETARY OF WAR AND GENERAL WOOL. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 0]1 THE UNITED STATES, COMMUNICATING Correspondence between the late Secretary of War and MaJor General John E. Wool. M.o\.RCH 25, 1858-Referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. To the House of Representatives : In compliance with a resolution of the House of Representatives, of the 26th of January, requesting the President to communicate to the House " so much of the correspondence between the late Secretary of War and Major General John E. Wool, late commander of the Pacific department, relative to the affairs of such department, as has not heretofore been published under a call of. this House," I herewith t ransmit all the correspondence called for so far as is ,afforded by the files of the War Department. JAMES BUCHANAN. WASHINGTON, March 23, 1858. w AR DEPARTMENT' WaBhington, Marc,h 19, 1858. Sm: In answer to a resolution of the House of Representatives, ot the 26th January last, requesting that the President communicate so much of the correspondence between the late Secretary of War and Major General John E. Wool, late commander of the Pacific depart ment, relative to the affairs of such department, as has not heretofore been published under a call of that House, I have the honor to transmit herewith all the correspondence called for by the resolution, so far as the same is afforded by the files of the department . 2 CORRESPOND~NCE BETWEEN THE LATE Documents Nos. 93 and 118, 1st session 34th Congress, and N_o. 76, 3d session 34th Congress, contain what has already been published., and transmitted to the House of Representatives. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN B. FLOYD, Secretary of War. To the PRESIDENT. TROY, December 26, 1853. COLONEL: I have returned to this city to make preparatiomi for mr distant command in California. I find much more to do than I anti cipated, in order to arrange my private affairs in such way as not, after I assume the command of the Pacific department, to distract my attention from the duties whjch may be required of me. It is no small affair to arrange everything satisfactorily, and to provide the ways and means necessary for Mrs. Wool during my absence. No time, however, will be lost in getting ready to depart as soon as possible. I could go on the 10th) if there was a ship going at that time; but not on the 5th, the day above all others that would be the most incon venient for me to leave. · After conversing with the Secretary of War and yourself, when at Washington, on the subject of staff officers going to California, I called on the chief of engineers, colonel of ordnance, and colonel of the topographical enginRers. 'rhe first, General Totten, thought he had as many engineers in California as the service required. The second , colonel of ordnance, thought, with the storekeepers, the two ordnance officers now in California would do all the duty required. He was not inclined to send Major Thornton, and represented Captain Stone as very efficient, which I presume is true. The third, Colonel Abert, said he had no topographical engineers to spare. From all which I am apprehensive I shall get no additional staff officers for California. From the representations of the Secretary of War it appears to me no department requires efficiency more than the Pacific; and we h~ve no other where staff officers could be so advaniageously employed, and especially topographical engineers. On examination of the quartermaster's returns of quartermasters' stores at t_he depot of Benicia, sent to me by the quartermaster gen~~·al, I ~ound 1t necessary to ask for dragoon saddles, bolsters, val:ses, bridles, &c., &c.; horse-shoes, carpenters' tools, broad-axes, pick , crowbars, &c. I als_o required of 1 he Ordnance Department 4 3 heavy guns for the works m progress in the harbor of San Francisco. These were recom m~ncled b~ General Totten. I also required 12 mountain howitier , with t wo f? rges , and four travelling forges; all which, with the_quar termasters st.ores, ought to be sent to California as soon as practwable. Please to mf?rm me whether the military supplies required for Oregon are obtamed from the Benecia depot or direct from this quarter. SECRETARY OF WAR AND GEN. WOOL. 3 I will thank you to show this letter to the Secretary and communi cate to me his views on the subject. The forepart of January I will report to him in person. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN E. WOOL, J£a}or General. Colonel S. CooPER, .Adjutant General, Washington City. P. S. My time, up to the present hour, has been occupied only with official business. w. ADJUTANT GENERAL' s OFFICE, Washington, December 30, 1853. GENERAL: Your letter of the 26th instant, in relation to your pre parations for service in the department of the Pacific, has been sub mitted to the Secretary of War. In reply to your inquiry, where the military supplies required in Oregon are obtained, I have the honor to inform you that such sup plies are almost wholly furnished from the depot at Benicia, California. An occasional shipment is made from the Atlantic States. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. COOPER, .AdJ°utant General. Brevet Major General J. E. WooL, United Htates Army, Troy, New York. ADJUTANT GENERAL' s OFFICE, Washington, January 7, 1854. GENERAL: The Secretary of War directs that Brevet Major John E. Wool be assigned to the command of the department of the Pacific, according to his brevet of major general, with instructions to proceed to his destination as soon as· practicable. ' I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, S. COOPER, A dJutant General. Major General WINFIELD ScoTT, General-in-chief of United States Army, City of New York. WASHINGTON, January 7, 1854. Srn: Agreeably to the ~onversation we had yeste~day, :i,nd your ex pressed wishes, I. have the honor to present my views m regard to some of the duties which may devolve on me as commander of the Pacific department. • 4 CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE LATE If I understand the object of my assignment~ it is to preserve, ~ as it may be practicable, the peace and quiet of the inhabitan~s w-1 and without, and to restrain those of our citizens from violatmg .... ,..-..:~. ties_ on th~ neutrality of the country, by fitting out expeditions aga nat10ns with whom we are at peace. If I comprnhend the Jaw on subject, in order to act ~fficiently in all cases, it will be necessary f or President to delegate the powP,r to me by special instructions. I presume it will not be difficult, if it has not been done alre~dy select proper positions for defence of the sea coast from San Diego Puget Sound. It may be more difficult to establish posts in the in rior with reference to the depredations of the Indians, especiallT roving bands whose object is plunder. These can only be estabhs~e after personal exploration, and on becoming perfectly acquainted W-I the country and the tribes and bands that may infest it ; and th~se, understand, are numerous, both in California and Oregon. It 1s my intention make personaU.y these explorations and examinations. To restrain more effectually the Indians from c0mmitting depreda tions, greater power, however, should be given to the commander o the department than I think belongs to him as a military office:r:, or than can be conferred upon him by the Department of War. Indians can only be restrained by a decided, steady, and firm, but just course. They should be protected in all their rights, and punished whenever they violate the rights of others. An Indian never respects a civilian; a warrior most generally commands his respect, and he prefers to n ~ gotiate with him rather than with the civil agent. This opinion 1s founded upon twenty-five years' experience with the Indians, and. by an intercourse, more or less, with all the tribes hitherto occupying the country called the valley of the Mississippi. I have thought it proper to call your attention to this subject in con sequen~e of the numerous tribes occupying the Territory of Utah, a_n d the regio~s ?ordering upon California and Oregon, which are not_ in cluded w1thm the department of the Pacific. These Indians are ro~m_g, predatory bands, who traverse the countries on either side of the limits of the department. It is unnecessary to say that un]ess I have greater powers than I can have without special authority of the President, or by an amendmeI;1t of the law, these bands might no less embarra~s ~e than bring me in conflict with the agents whose particular du~y it 1s to regulate the affairs of the Indians west of the Rocky mountai_ns.