Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-12-20
The Ship Island correspondent of the New
yorl, HoraJd eavs.


Enect Of General Phelps ProcIumatIou.
The Ship Island correspondent of the New
York Herald says:
On the evening Of the 4th Of December, a
number Of the officers of the brigade and
others of Us who were still on board the Con-
stituton were sstonished to learn that Gen,
Phelps had prepared proclamation to the
people of the Southwest. IL was read to
us, and caused very great dissatisfaction and
indignation nothing but sense Of duty
and regard for discipline preventing the
strongest expressions of disgust.
The next day the substance of the docu.
ment spread like wild. fire among the officers
of the command and of the naval squadron.
The remark of every officer whom heard
speak Of it was that they had not come down
here 10 fight for the abolition of slavery, but
for the integrity of the Union.
The assertion in the opening clause of the
proclamation, that it is an expression of "the
motives and principles by which my COM
mand will be governed" is U do General
Phelps the justice to believe, unintentionslly
SOY untrue; on the contrary, it is the pre-
vailing opinion that if the proclamation is
indorsed by the Administration, it will lead
to much dissatisfaction in General Phelps
brigade, and very likely to the resignation
of nearly, if not all, of his officers. In the
naval department the feeling is even stronger,
| and many of its officers have no hesitancy
| in declaring their intentions of resigniug if
| the proclamation is sanctioned by the Cabi-
| net.
If the proclamation declared an intention
| of the most vigorous prosecution of the war,
and even asserted that if the abolition of
| slavery resulted as a consequence of such
| prosecution, the army of the South west
| would accept it as the Legitimate fruit of the
| foul tree of Secession, it would have INST
| with unanimous approval aud Endorsement
! in both branches of the service at Ship
Island; but as it now reads, they feel them
selves much aggrieved and misrepresented.
Up to the time of our leaving Ship Island,
General Phelps had been unable to get his
proclamation sent over to the mainland.
The trials and troubles of 'the newborn
child" have been very great and somewhat
amusing, and are as follows:
| General Phelps accepted the offer of Mr.
| Smith to eecure its dissemination among the
people Of Mississippi.
Thereupon Mr.. Smith wrote to Captain
Smith, commander of the squadron, asking
for boat and flag of truce to take him oveI
to the mainland of Mississippi for the pur.
pose of issuing the proclamation.
Ceptain Smith replied to Mr.. Smith, cour.
teously but very decidedly, refusing the boat
and flag of truce, and stating that he should
lay the correspondence aud the matter o.
the proclamation before Flag Officer McKeau
on his arrival, (Which was daily expected)
but that, until then Tin other words, as Ions
as he was commander of the squadron) thu
proclamation should not cross the Sound
Lieutenant Buchanan, commanding For
Massachusetts, gave orders that, during hi
command of the post, the proclamation
should not be posted or read within hisllnes
So the Generals proclamation stands, ap
parently, little chance of reaching those 70
whom it was designed; but I learn that
copy of it is in the hands of an officer VIII
sympsthizes with its views, and who has un
dertaken to get it over to the main land.