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THBConfidential War Reports Sent to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton by Colonel A.B. Eaton, Spring 1864
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About Auction
LiveJun 22, 2018
Cowan’s American History: Premier Auction, scheduled for June 22, 2018 is comprised of early photographs, documents, manuscripts, broadsides, flags, and more dating from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Late Indian Wars, World War I and II and beyond. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
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- Lot Description
75pp. on a translucent "onion skin" paper, with envelope on which a label has been applied: "Letter-press copy of Inspection of the Disbursing Branches of the Army of the United States in the Military Department of the South made by Colonel A.B. Eaton, A.C.Gl. under the special instruction of the Secretary of War Between the 14th of April and the 14th of May 1864." Below this directly on the envelope itself is "Stictly [sic] private & Confidential."
Colonel Eaton did not find a good situation in South Carolina, having examined operations on Hilton Head, St. Helena, Morris Islands. The ineffectiveness, and possibly fraud, is extensive. In the first pages he describes the officers with whom he interacted, some good, some not so much so. He found things such as: a private stable with 10 government horses for the use of the commanding colonel and his sons; horses being held for individual use when the men were not entitled to a horse, and widespread abuse of these animals; Eaton estimated some 120 horses were unserviceable, mostly from abuse; the hay was getting wet and rendered worthless because the men did not know how to stack hay bales on deck so that they shed water rather than absorb it; oats were shipped in sacks that were so thin they were ripping open and grain being lost; a small boat made for the commander's personal use from wood and hardware from the government stores, made by men on the government payroll; workers who had not been paid for three, four or even five months, and as such were lazy in their work since they wouldn't be paid anyway; abuse of overtime, with men going to work a 10 hour day, but only working 3 hours then demanding to make up the work at night or on Sunday at double pay; boats were laying over longer than average; the government was spending over $700 per month for someone to operate a spotlight to illuminate Fort Sumter, and could have saved much of this if the commander of Morris Island were put in charge of the light; and much more. In his section on the Subsistence Department, he does find that the subsistence department seems to be in good order with supplies well stored and conveniently accessible, but takes issue with the use of men from the military units stationed there, since that took them away from their regular duties. Other reports concern acquisitions of cattle for use of the army, the rations that should be issued for maximum health and economy. He also looked at the Medical Department, the Pay Department and the Engineer Corps. It was certainly a herculean task to be undertaken in one month.
Likely Amos Beebe Eaton, a 54-year old Army officer, graduate of USMA in 1826 who enlisted in May 1861 as a major when he was commissioned into the Commissary Department. Eaton had prior service since 1826 and continued to serve until 1874. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1861, colonel in 1863, and brigadier general in June 1864, with a brevet major general in March 1865.
Ink is occasionally light, as is common with letterpress. The last page has been archivally repaired.Condition
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