Edmund P. Turner to W. R. Boaes, August 9, 1863

Brig. Gen. W. R. Boaes, Chief of Staff, Shreveport :

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 1st instant, in regard to the seizure of arms by the French, which were taken to Vera Cruz. In reply, I beg to state that Brigadier-General Bee informed me by letter of July 9 that statements of all the facts would be made by Mr. Gallagher, agent of Major Hart, at Brownsville, Major Russell, quartermaster, Colonel Latham, collector of customs for the port of Brownsville, and also by himself, and letters on this subject written to the French consul at Vera Cruz; and that these documents would be sent forward on the 12th of July by an agent, per an English man of war. Brigadier-General Bee expresses a conviction that these arms will eventually be returned to our Government.

In reply to your inquiry in regard to the quantity of ordnance and ordnance stores, I have the honor to state that very few arms have been introduced by way of Brownsville into the country; only about 400 stand of small-arms since my arrival here.

To obtain the information in regard to ordnance and ordnance stores desired by Lieutenant-General Smith, imported before my arrival in this district, some time will be required.

Ten thousand pounds of rifle powder was brought by my direction, when I heard of Banks’ invasion of Louisiana, and is now stored at Houston.

The necessary steps have been taken to obtain the information. 1 beg, however, to state that nothing has been or will be left undone by me to secure all the arms, &c., which can possibly be obtained. I am sending out parties with authority to contract for small-arms and their appropriate ammunition with foreign mercantile houses, to be paid for in cotton on delivery. Mr. Nelson Clements has contracted to import 20,000 stand of small-arms. The arms referred to above, some 12,000 in number, which were seized by the French Government and sent to Vera Cruz, were sentin by him. Other cargoes may meet the same fate. The contingencies which necessarily attend the importation of such articles being very great, it is feared that thougb every effort is now being made and will be made to import them, they may prove fruitless.

Some six contracts have been made to bring arms across the Rio Grande, and smuggle them in on the coast, since I have been here. One

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cargo, consisting of about 700 stand of small-arms, was captured by the enemy at sea; another cargo of 12,000 stand was seized by the French, as alluded to above, and the remainder of the contracts have not been yet fulfilled for want of time. ;

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,