Maryland free press., 1862-11-28
MAJ. GEN. WOOL'S VINDICATION
OF HIS COURSE IN BALTIMORE.
A Review of the Civil Troubles in Bal
tim0re.
AEADQUARTERs MIDDLE DEPARTMENT, !
EIGHTH ARMY CORPS.
D,yt.. 1900

AEADQUAKTENS DEPARTMENT, !
EIGHTH ARMY CORPS.
Baltimore, Nd., Nov. 20, 1862.
To tie Editor Of Tie Philadelphia Enquirer:
My Dear Sir:-It is well-known fact that
the President has been importuned again and
again to remove me from my present command,
the middle department, by some persons who
have not always been on the side OF the Union,
and who, on the 18th of April, 1861, would
have extcrminatcd the Union party. For rea-
sons not communicated to me, these men would
uraM upon the President to remove me. from
an important command, but one very far from
being desirable, from the fact that it involves
parties and interests exceedingly difficult ts
satisfy or bring in harmony with each other,
These with my appropriate military duties,
together with numerous appeals daily made
for Justice, by men imprisoned for various rca-
sons, make it a command exceedingly oncr-
Gus, and one which claims my attention all
day, and sometimes all night. All of which,
and even more, could readily endure, if l
co,ad give perfect satisfaction; but that is I'M
possible with population differing, as 1t
does, ON the great questions of the day, and
divided into irrcconcilablc parties, who, for
local causes, have lost sight of the prcserva-
tion of the Union, which the loyal States have
offered their very lifcblood to maintain.
In population thus divided, intcnsively
hating each other, with civil war, that CT
fails to call forth all the baser pass, MS o4 the
human heart, little else could be expected
than cruelty and oppression followed by in
ctn In n11fp
it. Unfortunately, the latter has been too Of
ten the case, and without apparent cause or
justification; the consequence is that much
wrong and injury have been done, and many
hearts have been made dcsoatc. To heal the
wounds thus inflicted, and to quiet the fears
and apprchensions of the people, my powers
have been cxerted, and when thought mercy
and charity would be of service, l have not
failed to apply them.
In long military career of more than fifty
wears, have often discovered that Kindness,
tempered with Justice, accomplished more than
the vw6rc. This will be discovered in the his
tory of my conduct in the war of 1912 and Is;
in my treatment OF the Cherokee nation in re-
moy ing them to the West; III my conduct ia
-:-.e tho patriotic vat on the northern frontier
of New York, during 81 and 3s, and during
my long march in the Mexican war, of nine
hundred miles, from Lavacca to Saltillo, more
than six hundred of which were through the
cncmy's country, when not a drop of blood
was shed, no woman insultcd, no house plum
dcrcd, no person intarccrated, and no injury
whatever done to tho inhabitants. This
course did not fail to make friends out of enc
mics and Santa Anna could get no more re-
cruts in the country through which then
marched than the "distinguishcd' General
Lee obtained during his recent visit to "my
Maryland
After Major General Mcclellan fell back to
Harrison's Landing, the greater part of the
rebel army, leaving comparatively q small
force to guard Richmond, took up its line Of
march in the direction of Washington. The
capital being in danger, the president called
for three hundred thousand volunteers. On
this being published, the Union men of Balti-
more called OH the city council for an appro-
priation of $500, ,000, to be applied to the rails
ing of four or five regiments required for the
city. The first branch of the common council
voted for the appropriation; the second branch
refused to vote for it, soon after which was
waited upon by some who called themselves
Union men, and was urged to use cOercive
measures. l refused, rcmarking that il would
be high-handcd measure.
For any military commander to cocrcc Il
legislative body, const;tunally elected, to
,-ot, a., lo ,,;orLt 1;ntoko u.nr,1J lao nv, ofnnSn
that would not Ee tolerated in the free States,
and therefore would not do it, This did not
satisfy the gentlemen, when 1 replied that l
thought if they would not interfere could ar
range the matter without resorting to force or
dictation. / made good the declaration and
produced the arrangement which gave the
Union party a common council, which voted.
1 believe, the sum of three hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. 1t is true suggested it in
order to prevent the greater evil Of an excite
ment which might cndangcr the safety of the
city. If the money needed could not be OBJ
tanned by the common council, | suggested
that it might be obtained by subscription,
when Mi Baker, the president of the second
branch offered to subscribe ten thousand dol
lars, which sum had been previously offered
by Mr. Falls, president of the Bay line Steam
boat Company This mode of obtaining the
money did not, however, meet the appreciation
of all parties, and was not attempted.
Then it was that the members of the second
branch of the council, not in favor of the ap-
propriation-af consultation with myself
resigned, and their places were afterwards
filled by Union men. Notwithstanding, the
arrangements which 1 thought would give
perfect satisfaction; did not satisfy every
Union man, and party was organized and
proceeded to insult one or more of the retired
members of the council. This was no less an
insuE to the members of the council than to
myself, and might have caused a rising of the
pco pie, which was determined to avert, and
accordingly gave notice that, should another
attempt of the kind be made would take
command of the city and declare martial law,
The city has been perfectly quiet ever since.
Soon after the reorganization of the common
council, a resolution was offered requesting me
to tender the oath of allcgianceto all seces-
sionists or sympathizers with the South in tho
city of Baltimore, and, if they refused to send