35-2Military AffairsReport on Texas Voluntters. [1018] Protections of the frontier against Indian assaults during 1854-1858.1859-2

House of Representatives Report No. 143, 35th Congress, 2nd Session (1859)

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35TH CoNGRESS. l 2d Session. 5 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. \ REPORT ~No. 143. • TEXAS VOLUNTEERS. [To accompany Bill H. R. 841.] JANUARY 28, 1859. Mr. BoNHAM) from the Committee on Military Affairs, made the fol-low~ng REPORT. The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were refm·red the t·esolu-tions of the State of Texas, approved January 16, 1858, and also the correspondence between Governor Reynolds, of Texas, and the officers of this government, and between the Secretary of War and General Twiggs, report : That it appears from the correspondence between Governor Rey-nolds, of Texas, General Twiggs, and others, referred to the Com-mittee on Military Affairs, that the State of Texas has appropriated the sum of $184)544 51 for the support of volunteers called out by General Persifer F. Smith, and by order of the governor of said State, for the protection of the citizens thereof against the assaults ()f the Indians. These troops seem to have been called out between November 1, 1854, and March 21, 1858. Six of the companies appear to have been called out by General Smith, the appropriation for whose services was $55,000. The whole amount so far paid to the volun-teers, according to the official statement of the comptroller of Texas, is $148,998 75, leaving a balance of $35,545 76 unexpended. The necessity for these troops for the protection of the citizens of Texas would appear to be abundantly proved by the fact that General Per-sifer F. Smith, of the United States army, felt it his duty to call for six companies of volunteers, and by examination of the reports of General Twiggs) who admits the necessity for an additional force, but who, it would seem, did not feel "authorized to call for volunteers," as also the letters of the governor of Texas. The correspondence submitted to the committee does not go back to a period antecedent to the 1st of January, 1858, but the letter of Governor Reynolds, accompanying the tabular statement contained in the correspondence furnishes ample evidence that the troops were called into service and the appropriations made. The governor says : '' The muster rolls and vouchers are all on file in that office (com p-troller' s) and will be forwarded to the proper office at Washington as 2 TEXAS VOLUNTEERS. soon as intelligence shall reach here of an appropriation by Congress to cover the amount.'' This claim is further sustained by the War Department. The Hon. John B. Floyd, Secretary of War, in a letter of January 11, 1859, to the Hon. Jefferson Davis, chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs of the United States Senate, says: ''I beg leave to suggest to the committee. most respectfully, the propriety of appro-priating money at once to pay off all the just claims which the State of Texas may have against the United States on account of services rendered by volunteers." The cases are many in which Congress has refunded moneys advanced by the different States for the support of volunteers called out by the generals commanding our armies, or by the governors of such States to protect those States from invasion or under well founded appre-hension of invasion. Your committee are of the opinion that the just claims of the State of Texas should be paid, and they therefore recommend the passage of the following bill. • 

Texas volunteers.

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Texas volunteers.

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