Yes, Terry, I am in agreement- The settling of the placement of the two rifles was a minor matter compared to the major dysfunction ongoing in Wilmington. I cite the message as one of the rare examples where President Jefferson Davis let the chain of command know he was there.
I believe the conditions at Wilmington, with angry correspondence between the Military and Cabinet members, some of which trickled into the papers, was a political thorn to Davis. There is mention of the pressures on Davis due to this scenario in a bio of Davis titled "Unconquerable Heart" by Felicity Allen.