The New York herald., 1862-08-08
L.t,er from soma tor w.l.on.

Litter from senator Wilson.
NAucK, Mass. Aus lst 9, 1852
Jh.gs GoEDos BsSstTr, Eso. -
SRA few days before the close Of Congress my at
tentiol called in your journal in which
1t was stated that hat declared that had one hun
dred aud t, thousand IL needed, and that
must be held personally responsible the present
OF Conscious that had swift obey the
wishes OF the government OF generals field
conscious. too, that tie nation had not snge battalion
the less through any word OF mineI could not bus
feel deeply the injustice Of this attempt tood
now responsible for want Of men, caused by events no
one foresaw.
could not fail TO see cir that this pointed reference
TO mo, and sharp denuneiaon Of my remark would,
der tho changed condition OF airs convey untruth
10 all your readers who understood not the precise cir
cumstancss under which spoke. Your readers were
not told tina. the remark which you condemn
made nearly four months bofore when victories by land
and sea were flashing upon the country, making all
hopeful. and, perhaps, too confident Of the future;
nor were they told that 1t based upon the
report OF Secretary Cameron, the OF Pay
master General Lsrnard, the estimates OF Quarter.
master General hegs, that we had from seven hun
dred to eight hundred regiments and hundred
thousand men, Your readers were not told that when
the remark was mado we had more than one hundred
partially organized regiments scattered the country
more than five hundred recruiting officers and hundreds
Of recruiting stations all supported At cost
though doing little effective service; they told
that when the remark made plan was pending be-
fore Congress prepared BY General Of Ca
VARY endorsed by Secretaries Stanton and
endorsed, too, by General Mcclellan, 70 reduce and
consolidate the seventy seven regiments Of
valry-nearly half OF which unmounted-
into fifty regiments. thus discharging nearly
thousand officers and several thousand men. Your
leaders not told that the same page Of the
Globe from which my remark was quoted these
words Of that cautious and conservative headed and
pure hearted Statesman, VIM. Pitt Fesssnden:-
We legsatsd that tho number OF volunteers to be
raised should be limited to afve hundred thousand but
although Congress In It's language expressed the dea and
1t was stated over and over again IL accidentally gave
power which extended to million, was construed
as TO extend 10 million, and under that army has
been sNosn up % oucr susn hundred thousand men. At
this day do not think bs found dnyohce tUho
sc.u saytta half million all that possibly
nerd use and yet have this number Of troops In the
service though actually In the field There are reg
mens in my own State to day that have been raised
staying herewho haye been staying there for months
paid by the government efficient men, the choice men OF
our State, waiting and begging to be called into tho field
and not o be loft there doing nothing not armed ready to
do everything anxious to ba in servce aud tho
is, eve have occasion for you; have got many
men here-more than we know what to do WITH" men
who make most elegant appearance days Of review
ana who undoubtedly would night well II they could only
get chance. There than the goverlme.
,UhG. 10 do oi here the Potomac to-v What
there to send for oherss SO it in every State in the
Union; there men who paid from mouth to MONTH
and who have been paid for months, not armed, not
called into tho fed absolutely or the nthal the gorer
nielt has And yet stop taken
to disband these Why disband them they
not wanted Because haU: hun ilsd and tfty
thousand If nat Is he nu,or-,co hun,sed and nfy
thousand nore than zoe ever intended 10 hare.
Your readers not told that when these words OF
Mr. Fessenden were uttered they hailed and APP
pauded by the public voice the utterances of the
vgilant Chairman Of the Committee Of Finance, who Is
watchful Of the interests Of the treasury and that
when made the remark you sharply criticise
tho sentiment Of Congress- Of the public press and Of
the people for consolidating incomplete and scattered
regiments reducing needless expenses correcting abuses
and introducing more order system and economy Into
the ssrvcs your readers told that few, very
few enlisted In the free States for somo weeks
before recruiting temporarily suspended that the
object in closing the recruiting stations much
stop enlisments 10 consolidate and bring into
the forces m up the moagre the regular
army, diminish expenses substitute less costly sys.
Of recruiting and that few recruits during
the brc suspension OF volunteer recruiting Your read
ss were not told that on gathering scattered forces
and obtaining more full and complete returns 1t
found that the number of had been overesimated
that instead OF hundred thousand we from Ave
hundred thousand to hve hundred and ny thousandonc
hundred and y thousand less than the had
claimed, and hundred and nry thousand less than
Mr. Fssscndsn, myself and other Senator'S assumed
10 be the actual force
found, sir, on my returning home, that the remark
that lad ono hundred and nfty thousand too mauy
had been most indusriously circulated, and was
misapprchendsd by many, who were made to believe
that was based, not upon the government claim OF
sovdh hundred thousand men, but upon he i've hundred
and twenty thousand man actua,y had. In April,
1851 had advised the Secretary q War to call out
quarter OF million Of NOR. In July 1851 when the
administration asked for four hundred thousand men
gave II bali million ha maintained that the govern
msnt required nve hundred and twenty tnousand-the
number afterwards ascortainod the government
actually had in March, This idea that my re-
mark applied to five hundred thousand men,
tho number intended to be authorized by law,
and the number ascertained 10 be on
hand in March, instead Of hundred thousand was
false fact and unjust TO correct this misap
prehension explained very briefly two three war
meetings my position. The HERALD seized upon a very
5ret and imperfect report of my remarks At Newton,
aud sumed TO deny the trnhfuIness of what said.
am acased Of attempting TO disown my recorded words
/ dill not deny, disoSn, modify, qualify retrsct
the words uttered by the 2sth OF March.
No. cir. did not deny attempt TO deny 1t, and the
inlutations you have cast upon on tho assumption
that had done wholly unauthorized by any word
ever uttoIcd W me Why,sr, na0 referred 10 that
DECLARATION than In tho Senate and my words
were recorded. ON the 7lh Of May, il response TO Mr..
G-imcs the indefatgabe ensor from Iowa. had
thn ihco s.c mated that hal six hun
sr.s.5ts aUu,a 4 men ''''that II reported 10
C.Ilrss '..nat view OF that staten had said
slc ac1 mat thought we had one hundred and
,iiy a. 15.nd TO uny menu that we had about five
hC2 tscl art tgantr thousand effective men, ana IL
has thor.h' hai. mi,n OF mon. or Ave hundred an
tNruty tfQasaIc cs many could To nd vspisgs
erc & j. ST. .oict made moa,lls ago Ia the senate
~ las csot Tat I had, In view Of the
cRlm u ~ seven hund cd thousand men,
tIIlght We h. ore msn than needed, but that
IA cs.y sos,, lrr ninjrcd and twenty thousand and
tn.t number ST. raaufol. without den1uncng tie liz
aALp, aiy paser perscn NJ Nowton, ] simply denied
thai hal said, thought dreamed that tve
hundred aid wsntl tnuasgd mc n the vice when
made the declaration we're more than we ncsiod that
there not the shadow OF foundsti,n Tor hn chnge;
that had always been VA favor, not o nen, but
OF i've hundred thousand elective men, N u
remark applied W the hundred thousand ciai
I'd by the government and that every Scno. knew that
this was my I0sition and would be witness that