Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office, 
Richmond, June 11, 1863. 
GENERAL ORDERS, ? 
No. 81. $ 
I. A Court of Enquiry having been convened, by direction of the Presi- 
dent, on the application of Lieut. Colonel Eugene E. McLean, Assistant 
Quartermaster General, under Special Orders, No. 282, paragraph XY, 
of 1862, “ to examine into and report upon the conduct of the quarter- 
master’s department of the Army of the Mississippi, whilst under the con- 
trol of Lieut. Colonel, then Major McLeanand having made the re- 
quired examination and report, the result is, by direction of the Presi- 
dent, published for the information of all concerned. 
11. Tire Court having maturely considered the evidence adduced, report, 
as the 
SUMMARY OP PACTS 
Regarded by the Court of Enquiry in the case of Lieut. Colonel E. E. 
McLean, as proved by the evidence elicited, and of record: 
1. That the Army of the Mississippi, as commanded by General Brax- 
ton Bragg, was an organization separate and distinct from the Army of 
the West, commanded by Major General Earl Van Dorn—both these 
armies, when concentrated at Corinth and Tupelo, being under General 
Beauregard, as commander of the forces. 
2. That the Army of the Mississippi was composed of three army 
corps, commanded respectively by Generals Bragg, Polk and Hardee, and 
of a Reserve Corps commanded by General Breckenridge. 
3. That the evacuation of Corinth by the confederate forces»under 
General Beauregard, was first fixed for the 28th of May 1862. 
4. That the evacuation of Corinth was postponed to the 29th of May 
1862. 
5. That the evacuation of Corinth was accomplished during the night 
of the 29th and morning of the 30th of May 1862. 
6. Ttat General Bragg relieved General Beauregard in the command 
of the forces at Tupelo, in the latter part ol June 1862. 
7. That Lieut. Colonel, then Major McLean, was acting as chief quar- 
termaster of the Army of the Mississippi, about the 12th of March 1862. 
8. That Major McLean was appointed chief quartermaster of the Army 2 
of the Mississippi by General A. Sidney Johnston, on the 30th of March 
1862. 
9. That Lieut. Colonel McLean was relieved from duty as chief quar- 
termaster of the forces, by General Bragg, on the 4th of July 1862, at 
Tupelo, Miss. 
10. That the Array of the Mississippi, whilst Lieut. Colonel McLean 
was its chief quartermaster, both at Corinth and Tupelo, was amply 
supplied with money, clothing, camp and garrison equipage, wagons, 
public animals, field transportation in general, and with all quarter- 
master’s stores, with the exception of full rations of forage at Corinth and 
of certain other articles which were applied for, and subsequently ob- 
tained by the quartermaster’s department, or the parties requiring them 
at the time. 
11. That there were throughout the army occasional complaints of the 
want, for a short time, of certain quartermaster’s supplies, which the evi- 
dence shows were sufficiently accounted for, or promptly supplied, as far 
as possible, and the circumstances would permit of its being done. 
12. That the supply of forage at Corinth was sufficient, though not 
full, and for a time restricted in amount and kind, owing to the nature of 
the surrounding country and other circumstances. Whilst at Tupelo it 
was ample, the army then being located in the vicinity of a country 
abounding inf forage. 
13. That there was but little forage within reach of Corinth by wagon 
transportation, and that little wras consumed at an early day of our occu- 
pation of that post and the adjacent counties. 
14. That the facilities afforded by the rail roads concentrating at that 
point, especially after their partial abandonment to the enemy, were not 
sufficient for the transportation of a full supply of forage for the army at 
Corinth, and at the same time to supply that army with all other quarter- 
master’s, commissary’s and ordnance stores required, and at the same 
time nftet the sudden and unexpected demands for the transportation of 
large numbers of troops, the sick, &c. 
35. That an abundant supply of corn, and as much long forage as 
could be found, was purchased by the quartermaster's department, and 
deposited along the lines of the different rail roads for shipment to Corinth; 
and -when cars could be obtained, they were generally kept loaded with 
such forage, ready to be attached to the passing trains. 
16. That the rail roads were worked to thpir utmost capacity, but that 
many eases occurred, where, from inability to transport them, the cars 
found ready loaded with forage, were left by the passing trains on the 3 
side tracks of the rail roads, and thus detained or delayed in arriving at 
their place of destination. 
17. That all side tracks required for the efficient working- of the dif- 
ferent rail roads were laid down by the quartermaster’s department wher- 
ever found insufficient for the accommodation of the increased business 
of the rail roads. 
18. That a competent military superintendent of the rail roads (a major 
in the quartermaster’s department) was selected by the presidents of the 
rail roads, and with their concurrence, appointed by General Beauregard, 
to take upon himself the entire and exclusive control of all the army 
transportation by rail road, under the immediate supervision of General 
Beauregard, then commanding the forces. 
19. That the quartermaster’s department, whilst under the control of 
Lieut. Colonel McLean, established, and had in successful operation 
throughout the district of country under his charge, many and extensive 
manufactories for the supply of the army with quartermaster's stores. 
20. That hospitals were erected and otherwise supplied for the use of 
the army, including that of the Mississippi, and were in many instances 
furnished and supplied from the stores of the quartermaster’s department, 
whilst under the control of Lieut. Colonel McLean. 
21. That artesian wells were, under the direction of Lieut. Col. Mc- 
Lean, successfully bored at Corinth, to supply the army at that place 
with water. 
22. That corrals were established by the quartermaster’s department 
of the Army of the Mississippi, in the rear of the army, for the disabled 
and worn down public animals, where they were in large numbers, pro- 
perly attended and successfully recruited for the service. 
23. That for ordinary purposes, a sufficient and permanent force of 
negro laborers was employed by the quartermaster’s department for load- 
ing and unloading the cars at the rail road depots. 
24. That in cases of emergency, sufficient assistance was obtained by 
details from the army, upon the application of the parties desiring them, 
as was the case of the post and -ordnance department at the evacuation of 
Corinth. 
25. That there was a sufficient number of competent and efficient offi- 
cers of the quartermaster’s department at all times at the rail road depot 
at Corinth, to superintend and control the rail road transportation of the 
army during the evacuation of that place. 
26. That the transportation operations on the occasion of the evacua- 
tion of Corinth, were expeditiously and successfully conducted by ener- 
getic'and competent officers of the quartermaster’s department, assigned 4 
to the special duty of superintending the transportation of army stores 
and troops from that place by rail. 
27. That material aid was rendered by General Bragg and several 
members of his staff* and some members of the staff of General Beaure- 
gard, also by other officers, as well as by Col. Benton’s regiment, and 
other details from the army. 
28. That there was no public property left in Corinth upon the evacu- 
ation of the place, except a few tents and broken wagons, some old har- 
ness, and some few- shells and other ordnance stores; most of which pro- 
perty appears to have been damaged or condemned, or not worth the cost 
of its transportation under the attending circumstances. 
29. That there was a loss of a number of rail road engines and cars 
° % 
loaded with army stores, upon the Memphis and Charleston rail road, on 
the morning of the 30th of May 1862, occasioned by the burning of the 
rail road bridges across the Hatchie and Tuscumbia rivers,.in obedience 
to specific orders given the officers in command at those bridges, to destroy 
them at a certain hour. 
30, That the quartermaster’s department had no notice that the bridges 
were to be destroyed; otherwise the trains lost might have been dis- 
patched in time to have passed the bridges, or turned down the Mobile 
and Ohio rail road, and thus saved. 
31. That there was a loss of a train of cars containing certain govern- 
ment property, at Booneville, whilst standing on the track of the Mobile 
and Ohio rail road, on the morning of the 30th of May 1862, occasioned 
by a raid of the enemy’s cavalry, over which the quartermaster’s depart- 
ment had no control. 
32. That Lieut. Colonel McLean was, at one time during his adminis- 
tration of the quartermaster’s department of the Army of the Mississippi 
and other forces, afflicted with a disease, which was local, and not of a 
nature permanently to disable him from attending to all the duties re- 
quired of him as chief of his department. 
33. That with the exception of a few days’ illness at Corinth, about a 
week previous to the evacuation of that place, Lieut. Colonel McLean 
was not unable, at any time while chief quartermaster of the army, to 
attend to all the duties which were required of him, and that he did so 
attend promptly to all the duties devolving upon him at the time. 
34. That Lieut. Colonel McLean is shown by the evidence to have 
been prompt, energetic, efficient, courteous and considerate in the dis- 
charge of his duties as chief quartermaster of the army, successively un- 
der Generals Johnston, Beauregard and Bragg, and especially solicitous 5 
for the welfare and success of the department entrusted to his charge, 
and for which he was responsible. 
OPINION OF THE COURT. 
It is the opinion of this Court, that from the facts elicited in the investi- 
gation of the conduct of the quartermaster’s department of the Army of 
the Mississippi, whilst under the control of Lieut. Colonel, then Major 
Eugene L. McLean, it appears that the department was managed with 
all the energy, efficiency, forethought and success which could have been 
expected under the difficult circumstances attending the sudden concen- 
tration of our armies; the unexpected occupation by the enemy of our 
principal fields of supply ; the scarcity of the means of field transporta- 
tion ; the inability to obtain forage within reasonable reach of the army 
by means of wagon transportation; the failure or inability of the rail 
roads of the country to transport from a distance, when purchased, forage 
to the army; the closing of the great markets of New Orleans, Memphis 
and Nashville; the interference by agents of other branches of the ser- 
vice, with the departments of purchases of forage, and of transportation, 
under Lieut. Colonel McLean; the original scarcity throughout the 
country of all supplies needed; the continuance of such scarcity in con- 
sequence of the existing blockade of the ports of the Confederacy; and 
the inexperience of nearly all quartermasters’ agents in the beginning of 
the war. 
It further appears from the evidence, that in the arduous duties attend- 
ing the evacuation of Corinth by the Confederate Army under General 
Beauregard, the quartermaster’s department was fully represented by 
able and efficient officers, present1 at the rail road depot day and night, 
and to their activity and judgment is the successful removal of the public 
stores, for which the quartermaster’s department was responsible at that 
place, mainly attributable. That the quartermaster’s department during 
the day and night preceding the evacuation was efficiently aided by the 
personal exertions of General Bragg and several members of his and 
General Beauregard’s staff, and by the exertions of Col. Benton’s regi- 
ffiieut, together with other details from the army. 
It also appears from the evidence, that the evacuation of Corinth, so far 
as the quartermaster’s department was concerned, was a complete military 
success, and that although so short a time w'as allowed to remove the 
stores, but little property was lost, and that but of small value, being 
mostly worthless or condemned stores. The severe losses of the engines 
and cars, together with the public property contained in the latter, de- 6 
aferoyed on the morning of the evacuation on the Hatchie and Tuscan) bia 
bridges, on the Memphis and Charleston rail road, by our troops, and on 
the Mobile and Ohio rail road, at Booueville, by a raid of the enemy’s 
cavalry, are shown from the evidence to be in no way attributable to the 
quartermaster's .department . 
The Court is also of opinion, that the investigation has further shown, 
that in the conduct of the department committed to his charge, Lieut. 
Col. McLean was prompt, energetic and efficient in the discharge of all 
the duties of his office whilst chief quartermaster of the army, and that 
whilst in the execution of those duties, his instructions to and teachings 
of his subordinates, contributed much to the success attendant on their 
exertions, and to the introduction and maintenance of the proper system 
and order in the various branches of the department entrusted to his 
supervision and control. 
111. The Court of Enquiry, of which Col. M. Lewis Clark was presi- 
dent, is hereby dissolved. 
order. 
Adjutant and Inspector General 
S. COOPER,