Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-11-09
HEADQUARTERS SECOND DIVISION,

-s-~ HEADQUARTERS SECOND DIVISION,
Bowling Green, KY, Nov 1st, 1861.
SIR: A communication from Mr. W. j.
Smith, enclosing another from yourself,
dated the 30th ultimo, reached these Head
quarters 20 day.
In your letter or order you direct Mr..
Smith to "go or send to the parties who took
Penn, Ship and Gentry and imprisoned
them, that all of these men must be released
and returned here unharmed.'
You further state that you know the per.
sons who STOCK these men," and utter
threats of a very serious character, not only
against them, but against sail their relations
and property"
You conclude your letter by very kindly
stating the strength of your command and
your ability to execute your threats; and af-
ter thus evincing a savage and mereiless
spirit, which is better suited to the in
terror Of Africa than to the heart of Ken
lucky, you sarcastically remark that ifthecap-
tors of the parties whose release you claim,
'hope for either favor or mercy at my (your)
hands, compliance with my (your) request
must promptly be made"
These persons whose release you claim
under such heavy penalties, are officers or
soldiers of your command. They were ar
rested by detachment of this army in the
very act of committing depredations, &C
cording to the custom of your army, upon
the property of q peaceful citizen. They
were engaged in an attempt to transfer with
in your lines the negroes and other property
of a citizen, which 1 presume was merely
dealing with citizens in the spirit of Severity
which appears to have dictated you letter.
1 further understand that besides the
many similar cases of>tseverity' which, in
less polished language, might more appro-
priately be styled robbery, the citizen who
was induced by you threats to forward your
communication, had been previously relieved
of nearly all of his property by persons UNI
der your command. 49,
Another instance of the peculiar favor and
smercy' to be expected from persons acting
under your orders, am informed, happened
at Greensburg recently, while you were
there, before your recent retrogade move
ment. Two ladies who were visiting the
village, whose names forbear to mention.
were unjustly, and without reason, suspected
of having letters in their possession ad-
dressed to their relatives in this section of
the State. They were arrested by band of
your soldiers in the streets and conducted to
q room in the hotel There, in the pres
ence, and under the directions of you Pro-
vost Marshal Maj. e. L. Moore, and Mai
John 81. Ward, two officer of your force, they
were almost entirely stripped of their cloth
ing, and subjected to indignities which
should have tinged the cheek of a savage
with blush of shame.
Incidents like these, partaking as they do
of the spirit of your letter, support the
lessons which history teaches, that neither
favor nor mercy, nor the other virtues
which enoble human nature, are to be
'hoped' for from those who are guilty of
such indignities to woman.
AS no favors are in any event to be ex-
pected from you or those associated with
you, the rules of war which govern civilized
nations will continue to be the guide of this
army. s
The persons whose release you claim are
prisoners of war and will be held as such
And should any cruelties be practiced by
you, in consequence of refusal to release
these prisoners, except under the rules
which govern civilized communities, they
will be held as hostages and be dealt with
according to the same measure of severity
you deal to others.
In your threatened depredations upon
private property, however, the officers of
this army will not initiate your. example.
Respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
8. B. BUCKNER,
@ Brig. Gen. c. 8. A.
= To w. T. WARD, saas.
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