HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, May 16, 1862.
Hon. E. M. STANTON,
Secretary of War:
SIR: Since my dispatch of May 8* I received information that a large
amount of specie was concealed in the liquor store of one Am. Couturie, who
claims to be consul for the Netherlands. Upon applying to him, he denied all
knowledge of it; claimed all the property there as his own. Upon examination,
however, there was discovered to be $800,000 in Mexican coin bearing the mark
of the Citizens' Bank of New Orleans, the specie capital of which had been
elongated before the occupation of the city. Of this I took possession. This
money was immediately claimed by Hope & Co., of Amsterdam. A copy of the
claim of the agent is herewith transmitted, marked A. But the whole transaction
seems to be tinctured with bad faith, as the steel dies and plates of the bank
were found in a box amongst this very specie, which is said to have been paid
to Hope & Co. before it was due, while the bank was refusing to redeem
their bills at home in coin. I hold the specie subject to the orders of the
Department. I send also copies of the correspondence between the consul of the
Netherlands and myself, and also of the other consuls, upon the same subject,
marked B, C, D, E, F, [G].
Indeed, the claims of these consular gentlemen are most extravagant.
Men who have lived here all their lives now claim perfect immunity from the
ordinary laws of war for themselves and all property which they can cover,
although they have been in arms against the United States. Many of these
pretensions are too absurd to be for a moment entertained. Amongst other things
it is claimed that the consulate flag and consulate have all and more than all
of the privileges accorded to residence of a minister plenipotentiary and envoy
extraordinary by the laws of nations.
Almost all property, therefore, useful to the United States which has
not been burned or carried off will be found to be held here by persons who
have lived in Louisiana all their lives, but now claim to be foreigners. Every
schooner and fishing smack that cannot venture out of the river raises a foreign
flag. All wood for steamers for miles up the river has been burnt, except
isolated yards, and in one instance the owner refused to sell one of my boats
any wood, and when the officer went to take it hoisted the French flag over it.
The steamer wooded up, however.
May I ask direction of the Department on this subject? I call attention
in this communication to the correspondence between a person claiming to be
acting British consul here and myself relative to the British Guard, the
military organization that sent their arms and equipments to General Beauregard
after the city was taken. The whole facts are set forth in that correspondence,
marked H. I have neither doubt nor hesitation in regard to my action in the
premises.
Immediately upon my seizure of the money of the Citizens' Bank I had an
interview with the representatives of all the banks of New Orleans. On the
approach of the fleet these organizations had sent away and concealed their
specie. The letters marked K will explain what has been done. They are now very
anxious to get their money back again, are straining every nerve to do so in
the best of faith, and are asking me to actively aid them, which I am doing. I
thought it much better that ten or twelve millions of specie should be brought
within our lines, under our protection and control, than to be left in the
Confederate States as a military chest for the rebels. My fear is that a large
portion of the money is lost, as it may never be allowed to return.
You will observe that in the letter to the banks, marked K, I have not
pledged myself not to "retake" from them the property of the United
States. I refer to the specie originally stolen from the mint and treasury here
and paid into banks by the secession authorities. I would desire to know these
amounts from the bureaus at Washington. I propose the banks shall pay back the
amounts so received. When I have traced stolen property to the receiver I have
done my duty. The sureties of the several U.S. officers who made these
defalcations then are still here, and by prompt action their property may be
seized and their indebtment secured.
Will copies of the bonds be sent? †
* * * * * * * * * *
I have the honor
to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
BENJ. F. BUTLER,
Major-General, Commanding.
_______________
* See Series 1, Vol. VI, p. 506.
† Portions of letter here omitted relates more
particularly to military operations & is printed in Series I, Vol. XV, pp.
422-4.
_______________
[Sub-inclosures.]
A.
Edmund
J. Forstall to Major-General Benjamin F. Butler, May 11, 1862
B.
Amedée
Couturie to Major-General Benjamin F. Butler, April 10, 1862 — 9 p.m.
C.
Amedée
Couturie: Statement of Facts, April 10, 1862
D.
E.
F.
Amedée
Couturie to Major-General Benjamin F. Butler, May 16, 1862
Amedée
Couturie:Statement of Facts: May 13, 1862 — 11 a.m.
G.
Major-General
Benjamin F. Butler to Amedée Couturie, May 14, 1862
H.
George
Coppell to Major-General Benjamin F. Butler, May 8, 1862
Major-General
Benjamin F. Butler to George Coppell, May 11, 1862
George
Coppell to Major-General Benjamin F. Butler, May 13, 1862
George
Coppell to Major-General Benjamin F. Butler, May 16, 1862
Major-General
Benjamin F. Butler to George Coppell, May 16, 1862
K.
SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of
the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume
2 (Serial No. 123), p. 116-7, Sub-inclosures, p. 117-130
