The Placer herald., 1861-06-15
NUMBER Al.

lion times magnitied, among those whom we hone
to reunite with us as brethren, many OF whom
are already so, and all who are worth preserving,
will be, when this horrible madness shall have
passed away or be threshcd out of them? Would
your Excellency advise the troops under nv
command to make war in person upon the de-
tensccss women and children of any part Of tho
Union, accompanied with brutaities too horrible,
to be named? You will say. God forbid" If
we may net do so in person, shall we arm others
so to do, over whom we can have no restraint
exercise or control, and who, when once they have
tasted blood. may turn the very arms we put in
their hands against ourselves. as part of the op-
pressing white race? The reading of history so
familiar to your Exccllency, will tell you tho
bttcrest cause of complaint which our fathers
had against Great Britain in the war of the RevO-
luton, was the arming by the British Ministry of
the red man with the tomahawk and scalping-
knife against the women and children OF the
colonies so that the phrase May we not use all
the means which God and nature have put in our
power to subdue the colonies?" has passed into a
| legend of intnmy against the leader of that
Ministry who used it in Parliament. Shall his
tory teach us in vain? Could we Justify ourselves
to ourselves Although with arms in our hand.
| amid the savage wilderness of camp and field we
may have blunted many of the finer moral sensi-
bllltics in letting loose four millions of worse
than savagcs upon the homes and hcarths of the
South? Can we be justified to the Christian COM
munty Of Massachusetts? Would such course
be consonant with the teachings of our holy re-
ligion? have Il very decided opinion upon the
subject, and it any one DESIRES as know your
ENcellcncy does not this unhappy contest to be
prosecuted in that manner some instrument other
than myself must be found to carry it on. may
not discuss the political bearings of this topic
When went from under the shadow of my roof
tree, left all politics behind mo- to be resumed
only when every part of the Union is loyal to
| the flag, and the potency of the government
through the ballot-boX is established.
! Passing the moral and Christian view let us
examine the subject as military question Is
not that State already suljugatcd which requires
the bayoncts Of those armed in opposition to it's
rulers, to preserve it from the horrors of servle
war? AS the least experienced of military men,
would have no doubt Of the entire subugat0n
OF II state brought to that condition. Whcn
therefore, unless am better adviscd-any COM
munty in the United States. who have met me in
hone rlblc warfare. or even in the pl osecution of
n rcbellious war in an honorable manner shall
call upon me for protection against the nameless
horrors o II scrvilc insurrcction. they shall have
1t. and from the moment that call is obcyed [
have no doubt we shall be friends and not enc
mics.
The possibilities that dishonOr.hlc means of
defense are to he taken by the rebels against the
Government, | do not now contemplate. IT, rs
has been done in Il single instance, my men arc
to be attacked by poison. as in another, strick-
en- down by the assassn's knife, and thus muir
dercd, thc community using such weapons may
be required to be taught that it holds within its
own border more potent means for deadly pur-
poses and indiScrimnate slaughter than any it
can administer to us.
Trusting that these views may meet your EX-
ccllcncys approval, have the honor to be, very
respectfully, your obcdent servant
BENJAMIN f. BUTLER.