Richmond, August 25, 1862.

Hon. G. W. Randolph, Secretary of War.

Sir—The undersigned Senators and Representatives of the State of Louisiana having received from its Governor an official communication, dated at Opelousas on 4th instant, relative to the seizure by Major-General Van Dorn of arms and munitions of war belonging to the State, respectfully call your attention to the subject. The Governor states:

The arms seized by Major-General Van Dorn had most of them, together with a field battery and some camp equipage, been saved from the general pillage of State property, and had, after the greatest difficulty and annoyance, been transported as far as Woodville, Miss., on their way to the mouth of Red River, where I had the means of bringing them over to this side of the Mississippi. Every delay was dangerous, as General Van Dorn must have known, anticipating daily, as we were, that a Federal gun-boat would be placed to blockade the mouth of Red River. On the 27th of June last a party of cavalry belonging to General Van Dorn’s command and acting under his orders forcibly took possession of the arms, ammunition, battery, camp equipage, clothing—in fact, everything—and ordered it back to Summit, on the Jackson and New Orleans Railroad. Boxes of clothing were broken open by these banditti, blankets and other articles stolen, and they were going so far as to appropriate to their own use the saddles belonging to the artillery harness, leaving their old ones instead. I immediately, on receipt of this information, dispatched my aide-de-camp to see General Van Dorn and ask the restitution of my guns, as well as to make the proper representations to the Secretary of War. He was treated by General Van Dorn with the utmost incivility. His reply to my demand was, he didn’t make explanations to anyone but the Secretary of War, and to tell Governor Moore so. General Van Dorn, having seized and taken back everything, then decided he needed only the small-arms, and still later, after more mature deliberation, concluded he needed only one-half of these. They were then delivered to my agent, and are to-day being brought over.

This statement of facts presents a most flagrant violation of the rights of the State of Louisiana, committed in the most injudicious as well as most discourteous manner. It is believed there is no law authorizing or justifying the seizure by Confederate officers of property belonging to the States. State property is the property of a sovereign power, and is not private property, within the meaning of the Constitution, which may be taken for public use. Under ordinary circumstances no complaint would have been made by the patriotic Governor of Louisiana of this invasion of the sovereign rights of the State, nor indeed of the discourteous and offensive incidents of the seizure. That devotion to the cause which has denuded Louisiana of all she had of arms, and which has been manifested by generous contributions of men and money, would have induced silent acquiescence during the war; but justice to the people of the State of Louisiana, isolated and for a long time neglected by the Confederate Government, and continually afflicted by the atrocious ravages of the enemy, demands the interposition of their Chief Magistrate whenever that interposition may tend to alleviate their condition. It is therefore requested that you will direct Major-General Van Dorn to restore to the Governor of Louisiana the residue of the arms belonging to the State which have been seized and detained by him; and furthermore prohibit him from making any seizure in future of a like character. The Governor also communicates the information that an order has been issued from the War Department prohibiting Confederate vessels from importing arms belonging to the States. It would afford the undersigned great satisfaction to be furnished with a copy of such order and a statement of the reasons therefor.

Very respectfully, your obedient servants,
THOS. J. SEMMES.
EDWD. SPARROW.
LUCIUS DUPRÉ.
CHS. J. VILLERE.
H. MARSHALL.
JNO. PERKINS, Jr.
C. M. CONRAD.
D. F. KENNER.