, 1861-08-05

and Fairfax. The poor wretches dropped their
guns, their knapsacks, the.r blankets, md eF-
er5thiug they had-they fell on their knees
and prayed for mercy.
They received it-Southernets have no sui-
mosity against defeated enemy
We have captured 900 prisoners, aud they
will be treated with kindness. We have also
captured 81 pieces Of cannon, anon. them M
cannon, hundreds Of wagon loads Of provisions
ard am munitiuu. /
The credit is accorded them that they fought |
well ard long, but their cause WAS bad-they |
were on soil not their own, and they met their |
Samas Ssana III e ss ghdt and q enss Soae Of
CONGRESSIONAL.
Blair and Richa7,ison- is Respoasibze for
The Bull Run Disasters F. -B2asrs Ra1yto
1ntsrzo.o Wead-Ezp1dnatio from Mr. Rfch- |
ardaon-Re EboneTat<s The President.
WAgHxaTos, August 3, 1861.
M; Nj BLA1R ReF9 ef , No., e0ss e to ( cSIR2; PR
made BY Thurlow Weed. in his Newspaper
correepondence, to the effect that the Post |
master General and his brother, Frank ?.
Blair, had been most violent opponents and
strumental in forcing General Scott to the
battle Of Bull Run. He said that, as to the
charge against himself, he considered it
trivial and absurd. It was one which Was in
f1nitely more deEogatory to General Scott
than It was to him or anybody alse. No
United States who could be driFen into a bat-
t1eagainst his Judgment. Mr. Blair referred
to Mr. Richardson's statement Of the remarks
made by Gen: Scott Ia: reference to his {9en.
scott's) reeponeb i1ity for the battle Of Bull
Run, and quoted, . portion thereof called for
by the Intervention Of Mr.. Washburne, to !
show that while Gen. Scott exonerased the
President from all participation or blame In
refereneeto the battle referred tn, he had not
relieved the Cabinet from having forced him
to fight that battle. Now, as far as the gen.
tlemarl hGd gone, he had reported that CON
versation correctly; but that which he1eft IN
reported gave g. very different aspect to the
conversation from. that which It really bore.
Although he e. P. Blair) ditfared from
Of the war, their personal relations wore Of
the kindest character. BE e. 2. Blair) showed
that it Nas absnr3}y charged by fhur1ow
Weed that he, {Blair, as chairman Of the NIL
itary Committee, Ind emasculated the bill re-
ported By senator Wilson for an increase Of
the army. Mr.. Blair said that the charge VAS
| entirely untrue, as the records show. He had
Eesn himself gazstted, and the endeavor to
/ cast jmputationB upon him because he, with
| oihe1s, bad demanded a vigorous prosecution
| Of the war, and the attempt was alao made to
! render them responsible for, the disaster at
| Ball HIM.. This came with IN i'll grace from
| 1hu1loW Weed, who was here with members
| ola committee urging vigorous prosecution
| Of the war, and declaring tnat he and the gen
| tlemen who accompanied him represented the
entire people Of New York, and came here to
!! It was safe for MIN tBlair) to make stump
speech, 50 he was charged wher Alr. Weed
! himself, an original compromlse man, cane
hereto urge vigorous prosecution Of tha var.
Mr.. WAsHBURNE lRep.) Of Ill, who also
was present, stated thar Gen. Scott not only
/ 4 fhef the PrpaiHHnf had hnpn E1F1 tn
him, hut he absolutely denied the idea that
Mr. Lincoln had forced him to fight the bat
lie. Gen. Scott, at that conversation, had
gene On to say that he mad never served any
President With g1eater pleasure than he had
MI. RICHARDSON, {Deu.) Of III, desired
to Eay that he had called on the gentlemen the
9th Eer dey, WLo: were pE1aent with him, a1d
who had heard the conversation, as Witnesses
to deny Or yo4eh the correctness Of his state.
ment. If any thing had escaped his memory
in reference thereto, those gentlemen ough!
| to hare corrected him.
Mr. BLAIR did net distinctly hear tbs
statement made by Mr.. Kchardeo1, but hs
bad heard it from others, and knew exactly
what had taken place, end now he called up
asserted, that Gen. Scott negatlTed the ideE
that the President had forced him into tn,
battle. Now be would ask the gentleman
(Mr WaahbuTne) whether Gen. Scott, in an
swer to the Presidents inquiry, did not at tn
time negative the idea that the Presiden
had forced him into the fghte
Mr.. WASHBURNE certainly understood
from General Scott, in that conversation, thai
! lie fully relieved the President from having
. in any Way forced him to fight the battle o
Mr. RICHARDSON'S saia Mr.. Washburne wa
preeent the ctter daJ when he. had raade hi
!, | first ftatemfnt.. -
: He did net intend to raise the issue tbs
r Gen. seett ints1dsa to lnR:y taat 1..1a Mr. LII
n He did not think to Imply 80 Faa o fair COZ
!. s:ruction Of what he had said, for he gave, Q
:, near rs possible, the language Of both th
President ard General Scott.
, / bIr, NASHBUREEh had merely understood
I Z from what was said By his colleague (M
- Rictn1dsou) the other day, that General SEQ
- bsd negatiyed the idea that he had been force
~ 11y the President into the forward moVene1
r. that ended 80 disastr onsly.
Il Mr.. BLAIR said that was the manner
~ ~ which he also understood the facts. Yet tn
= was not the fact ss gathered from the "a!
= guage Of The gentleman from Illinois Ga
- Richardson). My statement the other day a
= peared satisfactory to all my colleagues, vi
- were present at the conversation referred t
IS did not then, nor do now, intend to char
n that General Scott even By Implication, 4
" clared that President Lincoln had eontribut
e- to force him into the battle Of Bull Run.
~ A1r. BLAIR referred to the matter fol
i. double purpose. TIE genileman's (Mr. Kit
AZ ardson) remarks were reported to the ete
% that Gene,a1 Scott wished 10 pay apersot
oe ce compliment to Mr.. Lincoln, but TINT he (Ge
~, ~ Scotl) cid not exene rate the Cabinet.
=. ~ Mr, RICHARDSON did not unde1sta
g General Scott to imply, nor did he mean to
"a "a understood as implying, that the Preside
ut ut had forced him to tight that battle.
es es Mr.. BLAlR-That is the very essence OF
to matter. say further, that after the Pfesids
~, Lad information that Gen. Johnston b
~ escaped from Gen. Patterson, aid had join
o. Gen Beanrega1d, he went to General Sec
nt. on Friday evening, and suggested the PFopl
ad y OF waiting until Gen. Patter5on.s COZ
~ M.rassas; but 20 firmly fixed Was Gene
"a "a Scott'b dets1miuat;on to attack the enc
ob there, That the Presidents suggestion was {
10 ,e.arEed. Ny principal purpose IN max
Nc Nc tain the confidence Of the country, which
~ csrnct do if he is held out as iuterpoElng {
+,,, forcing the commanding General to f.
~ ~ a nattle against his will. l do not c
I ;sf for the attacks made on me, and dragg
IN. NC into the great contest feel ! have
tho as nothing, and no high officer could h
taS tne paid apy regard to them. have read an a
st Gle IL tie New York Times, in which Gem
Scott is made to say TINT he was ordered
ees his supttio1s TO make the attack. He co
oa5 ne5 not hare said any such thing. He has no
ID
,nat paye no such order, as is conclusiyely pro
A1es To- by his OWN words. The Times Article also
.be 10 down what it calls General Scott's plar
the campa!gD. to raise and bring one g.
a,, amy here to defend Washington, and
e,.5 pare another army at st, Louis, which Was t.
oIu idle till frost time-in other words, TIL the
hsa ton c1op had forced itself out of our ports,
u+se ,tat1 broken up our blockade. do not bell
atsr .,,st that WIS General Scott's plan, aud do
10. think lie has promulgated his plan II it
nes his plan, gentlemen, without ar!ogatlngg
~ themselves superior military knoW1et
4o' might we'll dissent from It, for it Woult
nm titagtrous to our country IN the relation vi
fha It would bring about between the peoPl
- IF the Northern and Southern States, and
~. tween our government and foreign gov
~ ~ neuts and between the Union and diau1
~ men IN the border States. That is the
which the Confederate authorities are In 3
l. n Of. Their desire Is to make the whole Of
t;on war within the border states, and escape Il
MED selves scot Tree. They wish to enjoy e1
= at 9uietu5e, In order to raise their cotton,
: 31s+ ~ they may hold it ont to foreign Powers
r3,;Ss motive to treak up onr blockade They
:, ~ also to intrench themselves within t
TIKI border States, where they can get pl
+ tho of subsistence, and wripg q reluctant
49, mort from the Union mel Of those st
a15s Alexaudria and Fairfax counties gave IN
,an1I merse Union vote when the question Was
.aa.49 | mitted to them, and would have also Civ
1no1 Uuion vote on the secession ordinance bu
the bayonets Of the Confederate troops
com. it was in Tennessee. Any such plan as
are. Imputed to General Scott would leave al
n a. Unfou men Of the border and Southern
lours 3! tne meIEy u oE ;IIa ~. as+ u
yriey- sues, W nsa aeat n13 he4, nr,cIa1na
| A4.n. hot Et1t