the feelings of the people who applied for the guard, should have been considered by the executive of North Carolina as a ground of complaint. It will give me great pleasure to remove the troops from the arsenal at your request, particularly as their services are much needed elsewhere.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN B. FLOYD,

Secretary of War.

[Inclosure No. 1.]

TOWN OF FAYETTEVILLE, N. C., October 20, 1860.

J. A. J. BRADFORD,

Captain, U. S. Army, Commanding U. S. Arsenal at Fayetteville, N. C.:

DEAR SIR: I inclose a copy of a paper presented to me this morning asking that application be made for a company of United States soldiers to be in charge at the arsenal under your command. The high standing in point of respectability and influence of the parties whose names appear to the paper entitles it to every respect, and induces me to submit the subject to your consideration.

In submitting the application I beg to call your attention to an excited state of feeling in the community, originating, as is alleged, in a sense of insecurity because of the large amount of arms and munitions at your post, without adequate force for their protection. This fact strongly suggests that something should be done to allay apprehensions certainly existing, whether with or without sufficient cause. I suppose it is the expectation of the applicants that I communicate directly with the Department at Washington on the subject. I deemed it proper, and certainly respectful, to submit the request to you as the officer in command at the post referred to, for the reason that the Department would most likely consult your judgment as to the necessity of the force asked for, and for the further reason that by so doing it would be most likely to insure a more speedy reply to the application.

Hoping I may be enabled through you to give a satisfactory reply to the applicants as early as the nature of the business will allow,

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

ARCHIBALD McLEAN,

Mayor.

[Inclosure No. 2.]

FAYETTEVILLE, October 20, 1860.

ARCHIBALD McLEAN,

Esq., Mayor of the Town of Fayetteville:

SIR: The undersigned deem it important that there should be a company of United States soldiers in charge of the United States Arsenal at this place, and desire that you make the necessary application for them as soon as practicable.

S. J. HINSDALE et al.

[Inclosure No. 3.]

FAYETTEVILLE, N. C., October 23, 1860.

A. McLEAN,

Esq., Mayor:

SIR: We, the undersigned, having appended our names to a request to you as mayor of our town, to make application to the War Department at Washington for a company of United States soldiers to act as a guard to the U. S. Arsenal located at this place, and having seen the correspondence that took place between Captain J. A. J. Bradford, the highly worthy officer in command there, and yourself in relation to the