We have a Chief of the Bureau of War, a special favorite, it
is said, of Mr. Davis. I went into the Secretary's room (I now occupy one
adjoining), and found a portly gentleman in a white vest sitting alone. The
Secretary was out, and had not instructed the new officer what to do. He
introduced himself to me, and admitted that the Secretary had not assigned him
to duty. I saw at a glance how the land lay. It was Col. A. T. Bledsoe, lately of
the University of Virginia; and he had been appointed by the President, not upon
the recommendation of the Secretary. Here was a muss not larger than a mustard-seed;
but it might grow, for I knew well how sensitive was the nature of the
Secretary; and he had not been consulted. And so I took it upon myself to be
cicerone to the stranger. He was very grateful, — for a long time. Col. B. had
graduated at West Point in the same class with the President and Bishop Polk,
and subsequently, after following various pursuits, being once, I believe, a preacher,
became settled as a teacher of mathematics at the University of Virginia. The
colonel stayed near me, aiding in the work of answering letters; but after
sitting an hour, and groaning repeatedly when gazing at the mass of papers
constantly accumulating before us, he said he believed he would take a number of
them to his lodging and answer them there. I saw nothing more of him during the
day. And once or twice, when the Secretary came in, he looked around for him,
but said nothing. Finally I informed him what I had done; and, without
signifying an assent, he merely remarked that there was no room in his office
for him.
SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's
Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 1, p. 49
No comments:
Post a Comment