2d Session. War Dept. AGENTS OF ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT SENT TO EUROPE, AND CADETS GRADUATED SINCE 1812. LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR, TRANSMITTING The information required by the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 5th instant, in relation to agents sent to Europe since 1825, on business connected with the Ordnance department, &c.; also, a report of the number of cadets who have graduated since the year 1812, at West Point, &c. APRIL 20, 1842. WAR DEPARTMENT, April 14, 1842. SIR: In answer to the resolutions of the 5th instant, requiring the Secretary of War to report to the House of Representatives "the names of all agents, commissioners, or boards of officers, who have been sent to Europe since the year eighteen hundred and twenty-five, on business connected with the Ordnance department, or in any manner having reference to the model or construction of fire-arms, or to the purchase of fire-arms, swords, ordnance, or munitions of war; with a detailed statement of all expenses incurred by such agents, cómmissioners, or boards of officers, and of all moneys paid to them, or any of them, by reason of such service; and of the amount paid for all fire-arms, swords, ordnance, or munitions of war purchased; together with the authority by force of which such agents, commissioners, or boards of officers, were appointed ;" and that the Secretary of War report, further, "what number of cadets who have graduated since the year eighteen hundred and twelve, at West Point Academy, have, after graduating, continued in the service of the Government, and what number have resigned their commissions;" I respectfully transmit, herewith, reports of the Quartermaster General, of the officer in charge of the Ordnance bureau, and of the Adjutant General, prepared in conformity with the resolutions. The authority by which the agents, commissioners, or boards of officers, mentioned in the resolution, were appointed, is presumed to have been the general authority of the President of the United States, as commander-inchief of the army, to direct the movements of the officers and men in such manner as may in his judgment promote the public service. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. JOHN WHITE, Speaker of the House of Representatives. J. C. SPENCER. QUARTERMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE, Washington City, April 14, 1842. SIR: I have the honor to submit a memorandum exhibiting the amounts allowed, by order of the War Department, to the officers who visited Europe on duty connected with the Ordnance department, for transportation, fuel, quarters, and postage. And I am, sir, most respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. J. C. SPENCER, Secretary of War, Washington City. THOS. S. JESUP,Quartermaster General. Memorandum of amounts paid for transportation, and fuel, and quarters, to the officers ordered to Europe on ordnance service, which may be considered the extra expenses incident to said service, viz: The commutation for quarters and fuel was allowed them at the New York rates. Major Baker travelled with his servant, which will explain the reason why more was paid him for transportation than the other officers. QUARTERMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE, Washington City, April 14, 1842. THOS. S. JESUP. ORDNANCE OFFICE, Washington, April 13, 1842. SIR: In answer to the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 5th of April instant, which you have referred to this office, and which calls for "the names of all agents, commissioners, or boards of officers, who have been sent to Europe, since the year 1825, on business connected with the Ordnance department, or in any manner having reference to the model or construction of fire-arms, or to the purchase of fire-arms, swords, ordnance, or munitions of war; with a detailed statement of all expenses incurred by such agents, commissioners, or boards of officers, and of all moneys paid to them, or any of them, by reason of such service; and of the amount paid for all fire-armis, swords, ordnance, or munitions of war purchased; together with the authority by force of which such agents, commissioners, or boards of officers, were appointed," I have the honor to report as follows: The first action of this department, in relation to the matters embraced in this resolution, was a letter of the 30th of January, 1829, addressed to Lieutenant Daniel Tyler, of the 1st regiment of United States artillery, then at Metz, in France, requesting him to procure samples of the arms and accoutrements then in use by the privates of the French army, whether of infantry, artillery, or cavalry, and models or samples of any other articles which would be interesting to the ordnance service of this country; and he was told that, as in doing so he would necessarily have to incur some expenses, he was authorized to draw on this department for the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, to pay for the same. This letter was based upon a communication from him of the 10th of October preceding, he being in Europe, under instructions from the Adjutant General's office; and several communications from him to that office, touching matters connected with the Ordnance department, having been from time to time referred to this office. Lieutenant Tyler having, however, while in France, as above stated, procured, under many difficulties, a large number of drawings to be made, which contained all the details of the French artillery-which drawings were, after his return to this country, deposited in this office-he claimed to be allowed the cost of the same. This claim was frequently urged; and, finally, the Secretary of War, in March, 1839, authorized a payment to him of one thousand dollars; and, as he refused to receive this sum as in full, the Secretary afterwards, in April, 1839, consented to a further payment of five hundred dollars. In the year 1832, General Wool, one of the inspectors general of the army, having been authorized by the Secretary of War to proceed to Europe, avowedly to procure cannon, &c., as patterns, this department furnished him, by direction of the Secretary, with a statement of the field artillery and equipments proposed by the board of ordnance to be procured from Europe; and informed him that the Secretary had further directed that the sum of six thousand dollars would be placed in his hands for the purpose; and on the 31st of May of that year he was furnished with a letter of credit for six thousand six hundred and thirty-six dollars; the six hundred and thirty-six dollars being the per centum which it was supposed would be required to enable him to realize the six thousand dollars. On the 4th of April, 1834, Captain Mordecai, being then in Europe, on leave of absence given him, by direction of the Secretary of War, was written to from this office, under instructions from the Secretary, to purchase in Paris a fusil and fowling piece of a particular description, loading at the breech; as well as some books, models, and drawings, such as he could procure in France and England, and might consider useful for the artillery service; and was authorized to draw for five hundred dollars for these purposes. On the 16th of March, 1840, a board of officers, consisting of Major Baker, Captain Mordecai, and Captain Huger, together with Major Wade, who had been for several years an officer of ordnance, and more recently a practical founder of cannon at Pittsburg, were, in pursuance of instructions from the Secretary of War, directed to proceed to Europe, to obtain and report information generally upon the subject of arms and munitions of war, and particularly upon the manufacture of cannon. The reports from this board, which are very full and complete, are print ed with the Executive documents, 2d session 26th Congress, vol. 1, Doc. 2, pages 59 to 70; and with Senate documents, 2d session 26th Congress, vol. 4, Doc. 229; to which I beg leave respectfully to refer, to the last particularly, as showing the extent of their labors. These are the only persons who have been sent or allowed to go to Europe on duties connected with the ordnance branch of service, or employed while there in fulfilling any request from this office; and it will be seen, by the extracts from the journal of the ordnance board, which accompany this report, that in this last case, in which the officers sent were ordnance officers, they were sent by the special direction of the Secretary of War, with whom the measure originated. The records of this office do not show what amount of extra pay or travelling allowances may have been paid to any of the officers named in this report. The accounts for such payments are audited and kept in the Second and Third Auditor's offices, where also (in the Second Auditor's office) the expenditure of the moneys advanced, or drawn for as above stated, had to be accounted for. The list of articles here with furnished is an abstract, from the books of this office, of all ordnance, small arms, and munitions of war, which have been procured from Europe, for the service of the Ordnance department, within the period embraced in the resolution, with the amounts paid for the same. I have the honor to be, sir, with great respect, your obedient servant, G. TALCOTT, Lieut. Colonel of Ordnance. [Extracts from the journal of the Ordnance Board, referred to in the foregoing report. ] Decision of the Secretary of War upon the report of the Board of Ordnance in relation to the best material for field artillery. The report of the board of ordnance in relation to the best material for field artillery has been carefully examined, and notwithstanding the concurrent opinions of so many boards of ordnance that have considered this matter, and that of the existing board, in favor of the exclusive use of bronze for field caunon, the Department of War does not deem it expedient to renounce altogether the employment of iron for this purpose. Judging from the experiments quoted by the board, it appears certain that iron is abundantly strong, and that if guns sometimes fail, it is not because the gun is of iron, but because the founder is not perfect in his art. At present, he makes a good gun by accident, whereas it is by accident only he should make a bad one. The iron six, twelve, and eighteen pounders in use during the last war prove that we formerly possessed the art of making strong, light, and serviceable iron guns. The uncertainty which has attended the proof of the new iron guns arises from some irregularity in the selection, the mixing, or the management of the metal; but the precise nature of the difference in these respects between à good and a bad gun is not fully known, and |