, 1862-08-12


{ 'ptione, the whole white population Is against
Us, ard where We cannot get any Information !
abo1t the enemy through them: luwardly,
We know that our only friends here ara
negroes; but imbued with prejudlces, we ara
ashamed to acknowledge it 1nanf11ly. As
matter Of necessity, ne use negroes for our !
purposes; they readily communics.e all abo 1t
their masters, and about the movements OF tue
Eostile to the white population Of the South,
we give them up, !one, general gives them
temporary protectlon-promi=ing them free I
CON- Another general, snpersediny the first
one, drives them ont Of our lineB-lesving
.thsH T. en-, to the marcy Of their o*.ets; Who,
mortal g. nemies-hang at this first favor
a'1e opportunity: When 7 retreated from
iuscumbis, / heard, and believe It to be .rus,
'tlat there were fonr'or FIVE, negroes hung, on
were sur4 that these ntgroes had given us
valuable inforIn77ion- These hor7ibl. sets ery
against humanity: The rules OF war are
=. Use all possible imeanB against your enemy" |
Here We have in slaves the most powerful |
means ofterushing down; the rebellion, and !
until now we have NOT used them. Take |
s1avcs from the rebellions Shareholders, and |
they will have no means to support their |
southern confederacy. Enlist Slaves as team |
sters, company cooks, ofacers' servants.
them; organize cut of them companies aud
regiments to guard acd protect your commu- !
nications- and you save SO many Of your Own
troops.
/ am far from protecting slave lnsurrec-
sion; but if this war is going to result in a
var. of exterminatiou, as I think il viii,
an afraid the lnsurrectfou will come nat
uraliy.
There *aatestlnopy against ma that soldiers
took arms from The inhabitants.
h3TF YtST1fF ri = L
entering country whose population ia armed,
and uses those: arms against us, must disArsn
that population for the safety: Of the army IL
self. The rebels disarmEd a1 whom they
knew to be Union men, and left arms to tha
EecessIoniEte, pretending that, as their sons
and relatives we're IN the southern army, they
we're entitled to re!ain the arms belonging to
them; hut, in reaiity, they wanted to dlsarm
only the Union men, and Leave them to ths
mercy Of Eecessionists: never ordered pri-
ltants; but I did order tha commissioned
officers 10 do so, and great many poor arms
were destroyed by my order, aud great mauy
good ones gent to Huntsville to division head
quarters. =
As general thing, mex raised in the noun
tains In the South inst1nc:ive1y understand
that the object OF this rebellion il to have 4
few shareholders rule the country, aud they
cling to the Union. On the contrary, men
raised in the plains. st the sootstool of slavery
| join the rebellion.
We neglected the mountainous regions, and
| particularly East TenneR see, tho long; aud
[ perhaps we will pay for7t dearly now. But II
| those regions had been invaded, aud their
| population thoroughly armed and organized
| rebellion would be shorter; and Ne could do
| It, Without even expense to the government;
by disarming the seceeslonists, and giving
! their ar1ns to TIE Union ulen.,
I Fr- @@-n -
| fed TINT great many horses had been takea
from Athens aCd the Country. proved By my
| witnesses, and the order Of Gen. Mitchell that
| these horses were pressed into the service to
mount squads OF Infantry men. Having but
one regiment OF cavalry, the 4th Ohio volua-
that regiment was completely worn out; aud
as meaeures ct necessity, Gen. Mitchell ordered
me to press horses and mount Infantry men,
;or scouting and other purposes. will say,
in addition, that in order to defeat Euccess-
fully the partisan raids Of the rebel cavalry,
who CROSS our lines, attack our communica..
tioLs and take companies, and even battaiioas,
prisoners; and, in order to light succcs sfu!l :
gucrillas, who nest in mountains ana woods,
il ID necessary to organize whole regiments OF
mounted rlaemen. These riaenen, armed
with light muskcts and bayonets, and at the
same time with sabe1s aud revolyers, would
constitute body Of troops whose business il
would be to act as Infantry or as cavalry, ae
ccrding to circumstances. As general thing
an Infantry soldier. if be j. to!erably goad
time, particularly tie 5riu Of mounted Ill.
m=n, or d1aguon, as they are called ia Euro
ptan armies. After organizing squads OF tReu
ty- five men each, ip the regiments Of my bri
gade, drilled them myself several times anl
| tuey learned in wonderfully ehort time in
deed, tie general m0Tenl.nts OF cayalrs-
. formed cclamns and depinyed front, dismount
ed ana formed line cf sslrn:shers with ra
serve, fixing bayonets aud acting as iuiaatry
thtn mounted, formed cavalry front, aud chars
ed as q body Of cavity. Such regiments D
noun; ed ritlemea, with sufficient amount O
horeeartillerg attached TO them, would be d.,
srructiye to the partisan and the gue1iIss q
| our enemy, and in NY opinion would PROV
| very effective.
Ahtut the charge Of Dawson, the hotel keen
. n. l must state that lett MY bill to be Sc:
[ tied, as always did, to my aid-de-canp, an
: as matter OF course supposed that it was sci
!; | tied
One important fact forgot to mention
l 1 That is, that owing to the capture OF som
, ! trains, and Interruptions OF others, the troop
| we're Ehort Of ratione, particularly meat. dal
ing the whole month Of May, and as hard sci
, | Vice VAS required Of the meu, It Was necsssar
+ tbat they should have meat, and it Was pre-
! cured Tor them.
In conclusion, must say that the Who'll
body Of men ulder my command were pr
gang Of thieves, dspredators and m.csuaer:
! on the statements OF a dis1oyal population Al
: their sympashizcrs. If iuiividuil cases shos
5 ed thas there were some bad characters in til
1 ade, and the troops attached to it, were ju
Is bad US those individuals. ~itI state everJ
; where, and to everybody, that am proud
= Z the ssh brigade, aud have no don0t, wha
: ever, that every officer, snd every soldier
. the Sth brigade Will do the same.
: | 7 that 1f 3of1
: committed at Athens was not known By II
; in proper tine, and now must state that aft
i }earned That GensII Mitchell took the who
matter in bis Own h2uds, and TINT his agen
: Judge Lane Of Huntsville, WAS busily enga g
in collecting charges and statements OF Il
= | people OF athens against me without II
1t Knowledge, did not wish to interfere vii
; The policy Of my superior ofh.er, and renal
= | ed passive executor OF his orders
=. I have been hated every where bJ secessio,
Y lists, in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee a1
= A1abama, an3 consider it to be good +
:. commentator for loyal otfeer; but dc
- anybody to find one single Union man, VII
- having been in conuec:iou with nle, N 4
= complaints agsiust me-
+ TIE more ieuient We are to sccessionis
I they bolder they become; and it we do n
e change our policy. and prosecute this "
Is with rigor, using all means that we posse
:, against the enemy, including the en- maucil
u tlon Of slaves, the ruin OF this country IS Ine
| 1aauAG 1ut pEuulGu uElnFG Us Is E11uu. VI
l. versal freedom is st stake; and ftes humiI
Is Is ted when think that perhaps this people
u until now considered . great aul genera
lo Feoplc-wjll show to the world their inclp
a. Iy to master the present difficulties and
Us enjoy freedom and selffovesument.
II; re- I have pointed ont some defects in ourar1
NJ organization, and proposed some measures
ae be adopted; and il The mem m5ers Of this col
70 Ti,l notice those Puin.s, aud 8il present tn:
&c to the higher authorities for confederation
It, will feel satisfied that the result OF this cou
:. martial may prove to be profitable to
q service. JOIN. B. IuRcH1X,
nd Col. 18th Reg'E Inlaois Vols
3 -- .7#-
he United, States ys john 3. Turchin, Chara
us as Colonel of 10Th Iliiuois Vo:unteers-l
ne fore Court Martial sitting at Huatavi
lat whereof Brisadier- General Garfield is Pre-
! dent.
- i c0T nxET ~