I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
[Indorsement.]
Inform Secretary of Navy that one of the first official acts of Secretary of War was to telegraph an order to the officers in command at Memphis to restore the guns. He condemns the seizure of navy guns, and will correct it whenever it is brought to his knowledge.[Inclosure.]
sir: I have the honor to report that the eight guns sent by Mr. Moore to me to Memphis, for gunboats, have been seized by the Army. I sent Acting Master F. W. Hollins to that place, with a steamer, for the purpose of taking them to New Orleans, where they were really wanted. He had the guns on board of the steamer when she was taken possession of by a Captain Adams, of the Army, saying he was ordered to seize them by order of Generals Beauregard and Lovell; that the latter wanted them for the Montgomery boats. I would especially call the attention of the Department to this fact. I should have supposed the various evacuations of the Army had furnished navy guns enough to the enemy without taking those sent direct to my command for, perhaps, the same purpose. The telegraph being in their hands, “Master” Hollins was refused for some time the use of it to send me a telegram of what was going on. Upon the receipt I dispatched the Ivy, Lieutenant-Commanding Bradford, to take them and forward to New Orleans; also a dispatch to you to know if I was to give them up upon the order of this or that army officer, and I would request as a favor that the Department will let me know what my position is here; for, as it stands now, I have the mortification of seeing my orders countermanded by inferiors and my officers threatened with imprisonment for attempting to carry them out. Ammunition, of which I am seriously in want, has been stopped on the railroad between Memphis and New Orleans. I have not an hour's ammunition, and have had a boat waiting in Memphis several days for it, but can hear nothing of her, and suppose she has been also stopped by the Army.If I am to be subject to the orders of any and every officer of the Army, whatever his grade, who may temporarily be in command of any little post, my usefulness here will be of little avail in serving my country. All I ask is to be able to do so effectually. I shall occupy any position His Excellency the President may assign me for that purpose, trusting that he will not in so doing degrade me in my official position among my brother officers of the Navy, which I do think will be the case if this flagrant violation of military etiquette in taking possession of guns subject to my orders without informing me personally of its having been done, is considered right or proper. Every day we see
