[
206]
to
Simeon Draper,
Esq., agent of the United States Treasury Department, all cotton now in the city of
Savannah, prize of war, taking his receipt for the same in gross, and returning for it to the
Quartermaster-General. * * *
By order of
General W. T. Sherman.
And so it appears that
General Sherman's transfer called only for a receipt in gross, and that
Mr. Stanton's orders alone secured the full record with which the
Government has protected itself against fictitious claims.
There is another instance in which
General Sherman attempts, with as little reason and success, to be severe upon
Mr. Stanton, which may properly be presented in this connection.
In the second bulletin which the
Secretary of War published on April 27th, concerning
General Sherman's arrangements with
General Johnston, the following paragraphs appeared from a dispatch of
General Halleck's, dated
Richmond, April 26th, 9:30 P. M.:
The bankers here have information to-day that Jeff. Davis' specie is moving south from Goldsboro, in wagons, as fast as possible. * * * *
‘The specie taken with them is estimated here at from six to thirteen million dollars.’
Commenting upon these paragraphs,
General Sherman says:
The assertion that Jeff. Davis' specie train, of six to thirteen million dollars was reported to be moving south from Goldsboro in wagons as fast as possible, found plenty of willing ears, though my army of eighty thousand men had been at Goldsboro from March 22d to the date of his dispatch, April 26th; and such a train would have been composed of from fifteen to thirty-two six-mule teams to have hauled this specie, even if it all were in gold.
I suppose the exact amount of treasure which Davis had with him is now known to a cent; some of it was paid to his escort when it disbanded at and near Washington, Georgia, and at the time of his capture he had a small parcel of gold and silver coin, not to exceed ten thousand dollars, which is now retained in the United States Treasury vault at Washington, and shown to the curious.
‘The thirteen millions of treasure with which Jeff. Davis was to corrupt our armies and buy his escape, dwindled down to the contents of a hand valise!
To say that I was merely angry at the tone and substance of these published bulletins of the War Department, would hardly express the state of my ’
