Author: Welles, Gideon; Hale, John P. (1806-1873).
Title: Letter of the Secretary of the Navy, in Answer to a Resolution of the Senate of the 9th Instant, Relative to the Employment of George D. Morgan, of New York, to Purchase Vessels for the Government. January 15, 1862. --Referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs, and Ordered to Be Printed. 37th Congress, 2d. Session. Senate. Ex. Doc. No. 15. [Together with]: In the Senate of the United States Mr. Hale Submitted the Following Report. January 27, 1862. --Ordered to Be Published. 37th Congress, 2d. Session. Senate. Rep. Com. No. 9. (2 Items).
Description: [Washington, DC: Government Printing Office], 1862. 1862. - 2 octavo pamphlets, printed self-wraps. 25 pages; and 7 pages. There is some light staining & foxing to the first & last leaves of the first pamphlet & the last leaf is partially detached. The inner half of each leaf of the second pamphlet is lightly stained & a few leaves are bumped & chipped. Good to very good.

These documents relating to the Civil War originate in a long-running feud between New Hampshire Senator John Hale, head of the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, and Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy. "For the North, to blockade and invade the Confederacy required a massive increase in ships..To quickly enlarge the fleet, the navy used commission agents to purchase or lease ships. Commissions typically were 2.5 percent. The chief agent chosen was George D. Morgan, cousin of the governor of New York and brother-in-law of Navy Secretary Gideon Welles. For procuring 89 ships (at a savings of $900,000 below asking price) Morgan got a commission of $95,008, more than Lincoln's salary for four years. The critics asked if Welles might have negotiated a better deal than 2.5 percent, given the volume involved. Morgan left for a European vacation." [From Lawrence M. Salinger: "Encyclopedia of White-Collar and Corporate Crime", Vol. I].

The Letter of the Secretary of the Navy is Welles's defense of his appointment of his brother-in-law George Morgan as purchasing agent for the navy. Welles's letter was referred to Hale's committee and Hale's Report is the result of his investigation of Morgan's employment and the financial transactions involved. Very good .

Keywords: NAVAL AND MARITIME; CIVIL WAR; LETTER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY; GIDEON WELLES; SENATE COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS; REPORT OF JOHN HALE; GEORGE D. MORGAN; PURCHASING AGENTS; PURCHASE OF SHIPS; COMMISSIONS; NEPOTISM; NINETEENTH CENTURY; 19TH CENTURY.

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