[ 1 ]■ 24 



Jiiul purposes in command of the roiriment. The result of the movement 

 j)oints to the ulthuute resignation of Col. F. brought about by oppression, 

 the whole blame of which will hereafter be thrown upon the shoulders of 

 the Secretary of War, by the very party most actively engaged in the 

 work. 



Under existing circumstances there is but one remedy which justice can 

 adopt — to rescind the order and restore Col. F. to his rank and command — 

 a leave of absence, of change of post, under the action of' this order, 

 would but rentUu' the stigma it inflicts indelible. I would state this to the 

 Secretary and rely upon his sense of justice to retrieve the error into which, 

 he has been decived. 



We heard from mother to-day (.Lanuary 4th^ one hour l>elow- Memphis) 

 all doing finely. They left Mr. Conrad's hospitable roof on the 1st Jan. 

 and expect to be at St. Louis on the 7th. God grant that they have arrived 

 safely and will be with the Colonel to cheer and sustain him under this most 

 grievous and. injurious movement. 



Mary desires love, 



Yours verv truly, 



J.M- BARNES.. 



CiiAS. M. Faun-tlekoy,.,,U..S. Navy. 



REMJIRKS 



ON COLONEL FAUNTLEKOV's MEMORIAL ADDIlESSEn TO THE PRESIDENT, 

 THROUGH THE SECRETARY OF WAR. 



I-bave not time to read this long paper and its accompanying docunicnts. 

 C suppose, .however, the ground of the Colonel's complaint to be this: that 

 ])eing in command of the post, Jellei-son barracks, as Colonel by orcHnary 

 conmiission, the Secretary of War, at my instance assigned brevet Colonel 

 Plympton, who is only a regimental Lieutenant Colonel, to (bity then ac- 

 cording to his brevet rank, which being senior to the ranlc of Fauntleroy, 

 the conunancLof the post passed to Plympton. 



Jefferson barracks is not and never has been a cavalry post. There has 

 not in years, been a troop of horse there. 



But in ISf'.J, the post being unoccupied, and the companies of the first 

 dragoons scattered from the uj)per Mississi})pi, to California — presenting, at 

 no one point a force sufficient to constitute a command for a fiekl officer. I 

 sent brevet Brigadier General Mason, then Colonel of the first' dragoons 

 with the staff and b.md of the regiment to Jefferson Barracks as a conve- 

 nient place of ([iiaitrrs tcisave the expense of having quarters at St. Loui« 

 or elsewhere and .the ])osition being as good as an any other for correspontl'- 

 ing with the scrittered cunjianies (ov receiving returns from them, &c., &.c. 

 And at the time I (fistinctly infoi'med General Mason that if troops were 

 ordered lo Jelferson l^arracks, he would liot !)e allowed to conunand thein^ 

 unless one or mnr(v companies of dragoons were mixed up with the com- 

 mand. This excellent odicer saw a1 once the propriety of that restriction. 



(jencral Mason diied in July fS"){), imd ^vas succeeded as Colonel of the 

 first dragoons by Fauntleroy. Soon alter the latter took ]iost at Jefferson 

 Barracks six: companies of the 7th. iuiiuitry were orderetl there for the 

 winter. . . 



