Beschreibung:

JOHNSTON, ALBERT SIDNEY, General, C.S.A. Autograph letter signed ("A.S. Johnston") as Commander of the Department of Texas and of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, to Col. S. Cooper, "Head Quarters, Department of Texas," San Antonio, Texas, 18 March 1857. 4 pages, 4to, inconsequential traces of mounting at top margin of page 4. A.S. JOHNSTON IN TEXAS, 1857 Johnston forcefully complains of problems with the Quartermaster. He had previously written the War Department, to inform them "that there was no means in the hands of the Chief Q. Master of this Dept to meet the liabilities of the government. This condition...could not fail to be detrimental to the public interest....I made but little comment on the facts affronted. I regret the...Q. Master General's endorsement on my letter, which controverts my statements...." Johnston then details expenditures and reserves for the last months of 1856, clarifying points misconstrued by the Quartermaster General, and advises that, "A perusal of the accompanying letter [ not present ] will show most conclusively the necessity of my report to the Secretary of War [ironically, Jefferson Davis, future President of the Confederate States!]...When I was invested with the command of this Department, the Q. Master was in arrears for supplies, services &c and has not during the year had money sufficient to pay the arrearages and mist [missed] the payment of accrueing liabilities....This has probably, in part, been caused by insufficiency of appropriations by Congress...." Johnston requests that proper measures for reporting the government's indebtedness be instituted. Johnston (1803-1862), graduated West Point two years prior to Jefferson Davis, served in the Black Hawk war (as did both Lincoln and Davis) but resigned and enlisted in the Texas revolutionary army as a private. He rose to senior brigadier general and commander, and served from 1838 to 1840 as Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas. When Texas was admitted to the Union, he was promoted to Colonel and in 1849 rejoined the U.S. Army. In May 1861 he again resigned from the U.S. Army and was appointed a General in the Confederate army. Davis placed great reliance on his abilities, once commenting: "If Sidney Johnston is not a general...then we have no General." He was mortally wounded at Shiloh and died 6 April 1862. His autograph letters, even of pre-war date, are rare.