Daily National Intelligencer

Accident at West Point.

Extract of a letter dated "West Point, (N. Y.) May 30."

"Sir—I take the liberty of sending you the following account of the melancholy occurrence which took place here yesterday; you may rely on its correctness as I received some of the facts from the commanding officer of this place, and have shown him a copy of this, he informed me it was correct and he could give me no further information relative to it.

Yesterday as we were paying the last tribute of respect to our much lamented friend and patron Brig. Gen. J. Williams, by a military procession and the firing of minute guns, one of them went off and wounded some of the Cadets, who were serving the pieces; Mr. Paine was ramming home the cartridge, his hand was shattered so severely, that our Surgeon Dr. Samuel A. Walsh was under the disagreeable necessity of immediately amputating it, which he did in a very skilful and masterly manner: Mr. P. also received two flesh wounds in the shoulder from some fragments of the rammer, and was considerably burned in the face, breast and thigh: however he is at present considered by Dr. Walsh in a fair way of recovery. Mr. Leib received a slight contusion on the ancle from part of the sponge of the rammer, but has not the least appearance of danger though painful. Mr. J. Berriman was very slightly wounded in the breast by a splinter. Every possible precaution as is usually the case here is taken; the cartridges were flannel, the sponge wet, and the gun was elevated at least 20 degrees over the heads of those who were in the procession.

It appears Mr. Paine must have drawn the rammer nearly out of the cannon, as it struck the ground immediately after leaving the piece, which accounts for the splinters scattering. No blame can possibly be attached to the young gentleman who attended vent, as he continued to hold his thumb on the touch hole till the gun recoiled by which his thumb was injured from the forcing back of the gun, on account of the cartridge not being rammed home, and besides his thumb was burnt by the explosion.

The Cadets are all however in a fair way of recovering. This is the first accident of the kind that has ever happened since the military academy has been established.

I give you the above from a conviction that the public should have a correct account; as there are generally in such cases very erroneous accounts published.

I give you this statement of facts because it may be relied on, as I was within a few paces of the gun when the accident happened."