The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-09-19

from her border thas had been put there b,
fore he took Command, iostancing the city
lathe a6ovc con vefsation, Major Geners
McOleilnn faapresse41he with his open, fran
and 4tnar manaer. 1maAhis interview, 1T is du
| to Major General Mcclellan TO say, that
| did not understand him TO pledge his Gov
eminent to this line Of policy, but to state hi
/ own line of policy as the commander Of IN
I United States forces, If ier rntrafnelled b.
| instructions from his Government. e.sse-.
l 1t is also due to General Buckner that
should say he rallied implicitly upon the lwort
| of Major GENERAL Mcclellan for he REM rke,
| to me after the stnteryiew wasover, In pr vat
conversation, that the agreement would b
.religiously observed on the part of Genera
Mcclellan. He also said in reply TO ques
stions propounded by myself, that he lad M
/ intention of sending forces to PHdiucah or Go
| Iuin bus 70 blockade these ports but wOuiC
| leave 1t with the civil authorities, and tina
! the collectors could carry out the Instruction.
| OF the Secretary of the Treasury or net, a.
they had the power at said p!:aess, and tina
he would return all fu tive SLAVES that n Ugh
esca pc from Kentucky and come to either o
his encamp ments. There was some othercoit.
versation, but this mbra ces according I'd my
| recollection, what was said upon the pbi,fts
aliIded to. Before this In teryiew | under.
Mcclellan had agreed on the 10th uitimo, a.
Clnci mat, Ohio, to respect the neu tr;flitv Of
kentucky. am, very respectfully,
Your 0bedient servant,
II s-4@ J M. BIaaER
On the 18th day of June, 1851, we, the un-
dersigned, Were in company with General
Buekner in the private room of General
Mcclellan, IN Cairo, Illinois. We had gone
to Cairo in consequence of landing Itlade
at Colum bus Kent cky, by some of the Fede-
raj troops from Cairo on the previous day
In conversation between General McClel-
Ian and ourselves, which wasmarked by un-
fr.x
part, he did distinctly state that he and Gen.
eral Buckner, q lew days previous had
agreed upon terms for the mutual govern
ance of each in respect of the neutral posi-
ton OF Kentucky. He did say that he had
agreed that not soldier should touch
Kentucky soil: that he had so expressly issued
his orders to General Prentice. He did saw
that Ken lucky was to be left to take charge of
her own citizens, and positively stated to u.s.
that II any application was made to him for
assistance from any of the citizens Of Ken
lucky, he would extend no aid himself-and
he did say that the agreement was that while
the Federal force was by him to be kept put of
kentucky, he would not himself attempt. or
claim the right to expel any Confederate
force; but that if any such force did entp- the
state, that General Buckner was to be look
ed to to expel them, and that the army under
his General McClellan's) command was to
come TO the assistance of General Buckner
only when called for, and to be Withdrawn so
soon as they had accomplished their purpose
Nfcu. NlcCle1tan desired US TO nave this
agreement impressed upon the people of
Kentucky, and remarked that he had n O bet
ter guar:An tee. to offer for the faithful dis
charge of his pof ton of the agreement than
Gen. Buekner, who had known him so long.
i Isl, T.. J.. BULLOCK
Given at Columbus, June %, 1851 90
/ learned, when in Washington, from some
OF the friends of the President, that he was
exceedingly tender footed On the meaning Of
certain terms. He WAS not willing to 'sre-
y1frxl Nr
that would be to acknowledge her right to as
sumo it; but he was entirely willing to - o.
seree " it. To me the discovery was of in ter
est for it had not previously occurred to me
that would find such nice discrminat ton
of terms in an official who had not apparently
discovered the lines which di vide constitn-
tional republic from absolute military
despotism, and who classes 4 party platform
above the Constitution which he is sworn to
support. ~ '
/ had very friendly interview with the
President. l justified the attitude Of Nsn
lucky on the ground that the President had
himself confeesedly violated the Constitution
and, therefore, had no night to call upon Ken,
lucky TO aid him in this violation and that
even If his acts were justified, as he claim ed,
by necessity, the same cause, when it was
question OF internal peace in Kentucky.
would Justify the attitude she had assumed
The President succeeded In impressing upon
me the belief that "as long as there were
roads around Kentucky" to reach the rebel
Tested, not yielding her right to the position
she occupied, but cheering 1t as matter of
policy. SO fully was l impressed with this
purpose on his part that suggested that if he
would make to me definite statement of his
policy, would take pleasure in announcing
it to the public, assuring him that, in my
opinion, il would tend greatly 70 allay public
excitement and 10 preserve the peace of the
State. f'
TIN my return by al,poin trnent. two DAYS
afterwards, tho President wrote in tho pres
eDce of Hop. J. J. Crittenden and Inyselt and
handed me the following paper. II bears all
the marks Of the characteristic indirec tness
of President LiEcoln's mind He accom- tad
for the absence Of his signature by saving that
be dad not in lend 20 write q anroc.a IA lion y
but TO give me 4 pal per on which could base
my statements OF his policy and which
would be my evidence hereafter if ary diff
ference should arise relative to that policy.
and he appealed to MIR. Crittenten, who was
present, 10 identify the paper in any way
the latter gentleman subjoining mis- initials.
The following is the paper referred to
cit Is my duty, rs conceive, to suppress an
insurrection existing Wi thin the United States
l wish 70 do this with the least possible dis
turbanee or annoyance to well disposed PEG
pie anywhere. So Tar have not sent an arm.
ed force into Kentucky; nor have l any pre-
sent purpose TO do so. sincerely desire that
no necessity for it may be presented but l
mean to say nothing which shall hereafter
embarrass me in the performance of what NAV
seem to be my duty
July 10, 1861. (Signedl &c
=. This memorandum was handed to me by
President q. Lincoln, in the Executive Cham
Der, Washington, on the 10th JgiY 1861 in The
presence of Hon. j. j. Crittendef, who. at The
instance of the President, witnessed It by
marking it with his initials
.--t 80 S. b. BrcKxsH.
Though the paper is not generally charac
teriZed with directions, there is in it posi-
live sts.snlent that no purpose existed in his
mind to send troops 10 kentucky. On this
assertion, winch was bound to believe was
candid, have, until recently, not hesitated
to state that believed the President would
continue To observe the neutrality of K en-.
lucky, unless compelled to take di fferent
course, by a few Union men who would be
entirely willing to make every hearth stone
desolate, If ii wonld subserye their ambitious
purposes. = - 81 go "
But there is every reason to believe that at
the very time the President gave me the pa
per, he meditated deception; for on eli Their the
same day or the prev ious day, an officer en-
tirely IN his confidence ON the subject, left Hi
presence, and has ever since been eng aged in
organizing troops in Kentucky, under the
authority OF the President, and with his sub
seguent approval. s ID
This, of course, is a clear violat ton of neu-
trafity as II troops had been ordered from
another State. aud ! could not- conceive
-trat tine President would be guilty of such
dsingeniousness rs 10 endtayor to make any
distinction between ordering troops from
another State and organizing, without the
desire OF the.Governor or the Legislature a
revolutionary force in the State, thus inter
posing between the Government of Kentucky
and its people. Under his authority the
State has also been invaded by an organized
Union regiment from East Tennessee .a.s
The development of these facts renders it
necessary that should now make public the
paper which was given me to justify the
statements 1 have made That paper and the
other assurances of the President, induced
me 10 believe he was sincere and determined
me while would not give my active support
to a Government that was acting SO absurdly
least to refrain from opposing it as long as
there was enough Of justice left in Its admin