WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, November 4, 1862.

Honorable SCHUYLER COLFAX, South Bend, Ind.

SIR: The Secretary of War directs me to acknowledge the receipt, by reference from the President, of a telegram addressed by you to him, desiring to be informed as to the grounds upon which Captain Benjamin P. Walker, commissary of subsistence, was recently dismissed from the service and by whom the charges against him were preferred. In reply I am instructed by the Secretary to transmit to you the inclosed copies of all papers* on file in this Department bearing upon the case. These were referred to the commanding general, who returned them with the following indorsement, viz:

I have examined the report of Colonel Hoffman and accompanying papers and respectfully recommend that Captain Benjamin P. Walker, comissary of subsistence, volunteer service, be discharged from the service of the United States for habitual absence from his post and gross and willfully neglect of duty.

This recommendation was approved by the Secretary of War and thereupon, by direction of the President, General Orders, Numbers 136, was issued dismissing Captain Walker from the service of the United States.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

P. H. WATSON,

Assistant Secretary of War.

[Inclosure Numbers 1.]

COLUMBUS, OHIO, August 7, 1862.

Colonel W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

COLONEL: I desire respectfully to call your attention to the manner in which the provisions of a contract made for the supply of all rations which may be required for the use of the troops at Camp Chase are being carried out. This contract between Captain Benjamin P. Walker, assistant commissary of subsistence, on the part of the United States, and Messrs. Jacob and Loiuis Zettler, for themselves, heirs, &c., bears date of June 9, 1862, and going into effect on the 15th day of that month, is to continue for four and a half months, or until the 1st day of November, unless sooner suspended by the Commissary-General of Subsistence. The fourth article especially stipulates that all stores furnished under it shall be of the first quality. The first article stipulates that the supplies shall be delivered as rations and issued by the contractors as they may be required. In my examination of the provisions issued to the prisoners at Camp Chase I was surprised at their miserable quality, at the careless and negligent manner of the issue, and upon a particular examination I was so struck with what seemed to me a peculiar avoiding of some of the requirements of the contract by which the Government was greatly the loser, that I have determined to present them for your consideration.

I have spoken of the "careless and negligent manner" of the issues. During my first visit to Columbus, where I arrived on the 9th day of June, and remained more than a week, I did not see, and I have every reason to believe that the assistant commissary, Captain B. P. Walker, was not present at Camp Chase, where all the issues are made, during the whole of that time. I was at camp nearly every day and made repeated and almost daily inquiries for him without seeing him. I was

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*For Hoffman to Stanton, August 10, see p. 369.

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