480 



FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. 



crate forces, advanced toward Maryland. Sub- 

 sequently, as the Federal army appeared before 

 the city, in November, a surrender was de- 

 manded. The commander of the Confederate 

 force in the rear of the city caused the answer 

 to be given, that his command would neither 

 occupy the city or suffer the Federal army to 

 do it. The heights in the rear of the city 

 finally became the scene of a bloody battle be- 

 tween the Confederate forces under Gen. Lee 

 and the Federal forces under Gen. Burnside. 

 (See ARMY OPERATIONS.) 



FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. There has 

 been no interference with the usual publica- 

 tions of the press during 1862. beyond the 

 orders to abstain from publishing information 

 of intended military movements. On the 25th 

 of February, the Secretary of War issued the 

 following order to the Chief of Police at Wash- 

 ington : 



WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, Feb. 25. 

 To the Chief of Police: 



All newspaper editors and publishers have been for- 

 bidden to publish any intelligence received by tele- 

 graph or otherwise respecting military operations by 

 the United States forces. Please see this night that 

 this order is observed. If violated by any paper issued 

 to-morrow, seize the whole edition, and give notice to 

 this department that arrest may be ordered. 



EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. 



On the next day the following more general 

 order was issued : 



WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, Feb. 25. 



It is ordered that from and after Feb. 26, the Presi- 

 dent, by virtue of an act of Congress, takes military 

 possession of all telegraph lines in the United States. 



2d. All telegraphic communications in regard to 

 military operations not expressly authorized by the 

 War Department, the general commanding, or the 



fenerals commanding armies in the field, in the several 

 epartments, are absolutely forbidden. 

 3d. All newspapers publishing military news, how- 

 ever obtained, and not authorized by official authority, 

 will be excluded thereafter from receiving information 

 by telegraph, or from transmitting their paper by rail- 

 road. 



4th. E. S. Sanford is made military supervisor of 

 telegraphic messages throughout the United States, 

 and Auson Stager military superintendent of all tele- 

 graphic lines and offices in the United States. 



5th. This is not intended to interfere in any way with 

 ordinary business of companies or private business. 

 Bv order of the President. 

 '(Signed) EDWIN M. STAN TON , 



Secretary of War. 



On the 17th of March an order was issued 

 from the War Department, directing the seiz- 

 ure of the Washington " Sunday Chronicle," 

 and the parties concerned in its publication, in 

 consequence of having published on the previ- 

 ous day information of military movements in 

 disregard of general order No. 67. 



The order of arrest was placed in the hands 

 of the military governor of the District, and 

 the editor of the paper brought before him. 

 The editor stated that the news was handed in 

 at a late hour, and the paper went to press 

 without his personal supervision. He expressed 

 his regret at the violation of the order, and 

 promised to carefully guard against a recurrence 



of similar publications. Whereupon, at the re- 

 quest of the military governor, he being satis- 

 fied that the offence would not be repeated, 

 the execution of the order was suspended. 



The following order, issued in August, 1861, 

 was continued in force : 



WAE DEPARTMENT, ADJ'T GENERAL'S OFFICE, ) 

 Washington, Augitst 26, 1861. ) 



General Order No. 67. By the 57th article of the 

 act of Congress, entitled an "An act for establishing 

 rules and regulations for the government of the armies 

 of the United States," approved April 10, 1806, hold- 

 ing correspondence with or giving intelligence to the 

 enemy, either directly or indirectly, is made punish- 

 able by death, or such other punishment as snail be 

 ordered by the sentence of a court martial. 



The public safety requires a strict enforcement of 

 this article. It is therefore ordered that all correspond- 

 ence and communications verbally, or by writing, 

 printing or telegraphing, respecting the operations of 

 the army, or military movements on land or water, or 

 respecting the troops, camps, arsenals, intrenchments, 

 or military affairs within tne several military districts, 

 by which intelligence shall be directly or indirectly 

 given to the enemy, without the authority or sanction 

 of the general in command, be and the same are abso- 

 lutely prohibited, and from and after the date of this 

 order, persons violating the same will be proceeded 

 aginst, under the 57tb article of war. 



(.Signed) L. THOMAS, Adj. -General. 



The subject of restrictions on the press was 

 brought before Congress, and the following 

 resolution was referred to the Judiciary Com- 

 mittee of the House : 



Resolved, That the Judiciary Committee be request- 

 ed to inquire if a telegraphic censorship of the press 

 has been established in this city, and, if so, by whose 

 authority, and by whom it is now controlled ; to report 

 if such censorship has not been used to restrain whole- 

 some political criticism and discussion, while its pro- 

 fessed and laudable object has been to withhold from 

 the enemy information in reference to the movements 

 of the army. 



The report of the committee was made on 

 the 20th of March, in which they state the 

 following conclusions : 



First. A telegraphic censorship of the press has been 

 established in this city. 



Second. The censorship existing at the time the in- 

 vestigation was directed by the House, was originally 

 established upon the basis of the agreement between 

 the representatives of the press and Gen. McClellan, 

 but was enlarged in its scope by the Secretary of 

 State. 



Third. At the time the inquiry was directed by the 

 House, and for some months prior to that time, and 

 until the 25th of February last, the censorship was 

 controlled by the Secretary of State. 



Fourth. The original design was to prevent the 

 publication of military information which might be of 

 advantage to the rebel authorities. 



Fifth. Despatches, almost numberless, of a politi- 

 cal, personal and general character, have been sup- 

 pressed by the censor, and correspondents have been 

 deterred from preparing others because they knew they 

 could not send them to their papers by telegraph. 



The telegraph has become a most important auxili- 

 ary to the press of the country, and should be left as 

 free from Government interference as may be consist- 

 ent with the necessities of the Government in time of 

 war. These necessities cannot extend beyond what 

 may be legitimately connected with the military or 

 naval affairs of the nation, and to these should the 

 Government interference with the transmission of in- 

 telligence be confined, for it is this character of infor- 

 mation alone which can be of importance to the enemy, 



