work and the plan and presented the records in the following order of arrangement, which has been adhered to by his successors:

The first series will embrace the formal reports, both Union and Confederate, of the first seizures of United States property in the Southern States, and of all military operations in the field, with the correspondence, orders, and returns relating specially thereto, and, as proposed, is to be accompanied by an Atlas.

In this series the reports will be arranged according to the campaigns and several theaters of operations (in the chronological order of the events), and the Union reports of any event will, as a rule, be immediately followed by the Confederate accounts. The correspondence, &c., not embraced in the "reports" proper will follow (first Union and next Confederate) in chronological order.

The second series will contain the correspondence, orders, reports, and returns, Union and Confederate, relating to prisoners of war, and (so far as the military authorities were concerned) to State or political prisoners.

The third series will contain the correspondence, orders, reports, and returns of the Union authorities (embracing their correspondence with the Confederate officials) not relating specially to the subjects of the first and second series. It will set forth the annual and special reports of the Secretary of War, of the Generalin-Chief, and of the chiefs of the several staff corps and departments; the calls for troops, and the correspondence between the National and the several State authorities.

The fourth series will exhibit the correspondence, orders, reports, and returns of the Confederate authorities, similar to that indicated for the Union officials, as of the third series, but excluding the correspondence between the Union and Confederate authorities given in that series.

The first volume of the records was issued in the early fall of 1880. The act approved June 16, 1880, provided "for the printing and binding, under direction of the Secretary of War, of 10,000 copies of a compilation of the Official Records (Union and Confederate) of the War of the Rebellion, so far as the same may be ready for publication, during the fiscal year;" and that "of said number 7,000 copies shall be for the use of the House of Representatives, 2,000 copies for the use of the Senate, and 1,000 copies for the use of the Executive Departments." Under this act Colonel Scott proceeded to publish the first five volumes of the records.*

*

All subsequent volumes have been distributed under the act approved August 7, 1882, which provides that:

"The volumes of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion shall be distributed as follows: One thousand copies to the Executive Departments, as now provided by law. One thousand copies for distribution by the Secretary of War among officers of the Army and contributors to the work. Eight thousand three hundred copies shall be sent by the Secretary of War to such libraries, organizations, and individuals as may be designated by the Senators, Representatives, and Delegates of the Forty-seventh Congress. Each Senator shall designate not exceeding twenty-six, and each Representative and Delegate not exceeding twenty-one, of such addresses, and the volumes shall be sent thereto from time to time as they are published, until the publication is completed. Senators, Representatives, and Delegates shall inform the Secretary of War in each case how many volumes of those heretofore published they have forwarded to such addresses. The remaining copies of the eleven thousand to be published, and all sets that may not be ordered to be distributed as provided herein, shall be sold by the Secretary of War for cost of publication with ten per cent. added thereto, and the proceeds of such sale shall be

Col. Robert N. Scott died March 5, 1887, before the completion of the work, which, during a ten years' service, he had come to love so dearly. At his death some twenty-six books only had been issued, but he had compiled a large amount of matter for forthcoming volumes; consequently his name as compiler was retained in all the books up to and including Vol. XXXVI, although his successors had added largely to his compilations from new material found after his demise.

The Secretary of War, May 7, 1887, assigned Lieut. Col. H. M. Lazelle, U. S. Army, to duty as the successor of Colonel Scott. He had continued in charge about two years, when, in the act approved March 2, 1889, it was provided—

That hereafter the preparation and publication of said records shall be conducted, under the Secretary of War, by a board of three persons, one of whom shall be an officer of the Army, and two civilian experts, to be appointed by the Secretary of War, the compensation of said civilian experts to be fixed by the Secretary of War.

The Secretary of War appointed Maj. George B. Davis, judge advocate, U. S. Army, as the military member, and Leslie J. Perry, of Kansas, and Joseph W. Kirkley, of Maryland, as the civilian expert members of said board. The board assumed direction of the publication at the commencement of the fiscal year 1889, its first work beginning with Serial No. 36 of Vol. XXIV.

a

Each volume includes a copious and accurate index, and for the further convenience of investigators there will be, in addition, general index to the entire set when complete in a volume by itself. Nothing is printed in these volumes except duly authenticated contemporaneous records of the war. The scope of the board's work is to decide upon and arrange the matter to be published; to correct and verify the orthography of the papers.used, and occasionally to add a foot-note of explanation.

Approved:

GEO. B. DAVIS, Major and J. A., U. S. A.,
LESLIE J. PERRY, Civilian Expert,
JOSEPH W. KIRKLEY, Civilian Expert,

Board of Publication.

REDFIELD PROCTOR,

Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington, D. C., August 1, 1891.

covered into the Treasury. If two or more sets of said volumes are ordered to the same address, the Secretary of War shall inform the Senators, Representatives, or Delegates who have designated the same, who thereupon may designate other libraries, organizations, or individuals. The Secretary of War shall report to the first session of the Forty-eighth Congress what volumes of the series heretofore published have not been furnished to such libraries, organizations, and individuals. He shall also inform distributees at whose instance the volumes are sent."

Feb. 5, 1861.-The civil authorities of Texas appoint a commission to confer with
the U. S. officer commanding that military department.

9, 1861.—Bvt. Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs, U. S. Army, appoints a military
commission to meet the commissioners of Texas.

16, 1861.-The Texas commissioners demand the surrender of all U. S. military
posts and public property in Texas.

18, 1861.-Bvt. Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs, U. S. Army, commanding the Depart-
ment of Texas, surrenders the military posts and public property
to the authorities of Texas, under stipulations that the U. S. troops
be permitted to retain their arms and retire unmolested.

Mar. 1, 1861.-Bvt. Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs, U. S. Army, dismissed the service by
order of President Buchanan.

5, 1861.-All the U. S. troops in the Department of Texas ordered to the coast
for transportation to New York.

26, 1861.-Col. Earl Van Dorn, C. S. Army, reports his arrival in Texas for the
purpose of securing the adhesion of the U. S. troops to the Con-
federate cause.

Apr. 11, 1861.-Col. Earl Van Dorn, C. S. Army, ordered to assume command in Texas
and make prisoners of all U. S. troops remaining in the State who
refuse to espouse the Confederate cause.

23, 1861.-Col. Carlos A. Waite, U. S. Army, commanding the Department of
Texas, and his staff officers made prisoners of war at San Antonio.
25, 1861.-U. S. troops under Maj. Caleb C. Sibley, U. S. Army, surrender, near
Indianola, as prisoners of war to Col. Earl Van Dorn, C. S. Army,
and sign a parole not to take up arms against the Confederate
States until exchanged or released therefrom.

30, 1861.-Maj. Caleb C. Sibley's detachment of paroled U. S. troops sail for
New York.

May 9, 1861.-Detachment of U. S. troops under command of Bvt. Lieut. Col.
Isaac V. D. Reeve, U. S. Army, surrender at San Lucas Spring to
Col. Earl Van Dorn, C. S. Army.

10, 1861.—Col. Earl Van Dorn, C. S. Army, reports to his Government the cap-
ture of the last column of U. S. troops in Texas.

Nov. 1, 1861.-Beginning of negotiations for the release and exchange of the U. S.
officers and men surrendered in Texas..

1 R R-SER II, VOL I

(1)

途

Delivery of the Forts and Public Property and Attempted Withdrawal of the U. S. Troops.

UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.

[For Reports, Correspondence, etc., between the Headquarters of the Army and General Twiggs, and other important records relating to this event, not included herein, see Series I, Vol. I, pp. 503–636.]

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS,
San Antonio, February 19, 1861.*

Lieut. Col. L. THOMAS,

Asst. Adjt. Gen., Hdqrs. of the Army, Washington, D. C. SIR: I have the honor to inclose herewith the proceedings of a military commission, constituted by virtue of Special Orders, No. 20, of this year, from this department, to meet the commissioners on the part of the State of Texas. It will be observed that the meetings of the commissioners were abruptly terminated by the entrance into this city, on the morning of the 16th instant (before day), of an armed body of State troops, numbering over 1,000 men, under Col. Ben. McCulloch. On that morning I received a summons requiring me "to deliver up all military posts and public property held by or under your control." It is herewith, marked No. 2. I immediately (with Major Nichols) proceeded to my office and found the troops and public property surrounded by the Texans. After a conversation with the commissioners, in presence of all my staff and the officers of the post, it was agreed that the U. S. troops should march out of the city, taking with them their arms, clothing, camp and garrison equipage, and all the necessaries for a march out of Texas.

On the 17th instant I received another summons from the commissioners (copy herewith, marked No. 3), to which I replied under the same date, a copy of which is herewith, marked No. 4. The commissioners replied to this (copy herewith, No. 5), stating the conditions of the march out of Texas (see letter referred to in the proceedings of the commission) and demanding the surrender of the guns of the light batteries, a demand to which I could not accede. The commissioners were instructed to demand that the route of the troops should be by way of the coast. I objected to this strongly until I found that unless I yielded that point there would be immediate collision, and deeming it probable that by yielding this I could save the guns of the light batteries, I reluctantly did so. (See my letter of the 18th instant, marked No. 6, addressed to that body.) The commissioners in reply (copy herewith, No. 7) accepted my conditions. I have to remark that whilst the commissioners were in session the State troops were in rapid march upon the city of San Antonio. General Orders, No. 5 (herewith, No. 8), will inform you of the disposition of the troops. A copy of the circular of the commissioners is also herewith, No. 9.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
D. E. TWIGGS,

Bvt. Maj. Gen., U. S. Army, Comdg. the Department of Texas.

*This report with its inclosures was transmitted to Washington February 26, 1861, by special messenger. See Special Orders, No. 34, p. 8.