Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-07-24
GEN. Mitchell mad .he Charges Z zainsr
From the Cincinnati Commercial. 17th.I

, From the Cincinnati Commercial l7thl
There is great deal said all over the country
about the somewhat vague publication Of charges
ges made against Gen Mitchell, and there is
general demand for specifications As We hap.
pen to be pretty well informed about those
points, we presume it is our duty to m 3ke
known definitely what the charges against Gen
Mitchell are. He is accused Of speculasi0ns in
cotton. 1t is alleged that he granted specis
facilities to certain cotton buyer in the way
OF guards and government wagons, and that
this individual was detected in passing counter
felt and bogus money upon the people, and being
arrested for it, was summarily discharged by
order of the general. We have seen in the
hands of Col. Norton, of the 2lst Ohio, docu
ments on this point, which, if genuine-and he
assured US they were-would be exceedingly
difficult to explain. 1t is not charged that Gen.
Mitchell had anything to do in the way oi
showing bogus money upon the people, but
many Of his officers do believe that he was inter
ested in the cotton business, and used his official
position for speculative purposes. While we
desire distinctly TO disclaim any personal knoWl-
edge or responsibility as to the Justice of these
charges, we feel bound to state that we know
more than one prominent officer who has served
under Gen, Mitchell, who is firmly persuaded OF
its truth.
The panic which at one time prevailed in Gen.
0AlbCucl 8 department. hUUub Dclllg Cut Oh ny
the right wing of the rebel army at Cerintb, is
charged to the general, and was wholly gra-
tuitous and dscreditable sff4ir There was
no reason to suppose that Bsauregard, with his
hands full, as they were at Corinth, could reach
around beyond the breaks in the Charleston
road made by Gen. Sherman. and strike Gen.
Mitchell. But just after one hundred thousand
rations were sent by Gen. Hs.leck for the sub
sistence of Col Turchin's brigade at Tuscumbis,
party of guerrilas made q clatter in that
quarter, and Turchin was ordered to fall back
in hot haste which he did, destroying three
fourths of the one hundred thousand Tations
sent him by Gen. Hslleek. The next thing was
the destruction of the great bridge across the
4 the Tennessee river near Dscatur-a most un-
wise proceeding, uncsi!ed for by any exigency,
and y hich has seriously embarrassed our mill
! taTy operations in the far South. Since the man
who was trimming tree sawed of the limb
upon which be was sitting, betw1t himself and
the trunk, the case has not been more thorough
Iy paralleLsd than by Gen Mitchell in burning
the Decatur bridge, by which he communicated
with the commanding general of his depart
ment
/ The panie-like retreat from Athens Ala, was
| likewise, grave mistake A force OF rebel cav
| airy, said to have been precisely one hundred
and four in number, crossed the Tennessee river,
and were magnified int a vast host by an ''in-
! telligent contrabsnd" who is believed to have
been manipulated by the rebels for the occasion
/ The consequence was precipitate retreat from
| Athens made by Turchin's brigade, which re-
suited in a considerable destruction of govern
| ment property. We once suppressed q letter
| from a correspondent about: that affair as we
/ thought the account incredible We have since
been informed that it was strictly true. The
retreat was made by order of Gen. Mitchell It
was when Colonel Turchin returned to Athens
that he permitted his soldiers TO pillsge the
town The fact that he had fed from the town
in a fright was certsinly no reason why he
should allow the people 10 be robbed and out
ragged on his return. The sacIiDg Of Athens
was the most shameful affair Of the war. Sol
dieTs of Turchin's brigade were then and there
guilty ef outrage5 unfit to be named. Gen.
Mitchell, for the sake of discipline in his
army, should have brought them to punishment
He did nothing of the sOrt-and this is what
some persons, whose perception of facts are not
very acute, style making war vigo. ously."
The advance upon Chattanooga was about as
pIposely and imbecile an affair as the retreat
from Tuscumba and Athens, and the destruc-
tion of the Decatur bridge. The force sent on
the Chattanooga expedition was utterly made
quate to take or to hold the place, and if it had
been competent ia other respects was unable to
cross the Tennessee river. The retreat in this
case was about as rapid as the advance, and the
result was premature display Of loyalty by
few East Tennesseesns, who were Immediately
set upon by their traitor neighbOrs when cur
forces retired.
Gen. MisChe's measures FOR the suppression
of guerrilla warfare are also complained Of It
is stated that wherever, along the line of the
railroad his trains have been fred into, ne has
burned houses Unfortunately, and to an eI-
tent that is astonishing. It also appears that
al hoe
Der of marauders, but rather the reverse. How
ever we imagine Gen. Mitchell has little to appre-
hend from public wrath or official displeasurs,
because he has desolsted the neighborhoods
where guerrillas have been harbored, and have
carried on their baTbarous system of warfare.
At the same time, if the representations made
to US are true, he deserves censure for his waGt
OF discrimination and his hot haste to take ven
gsance in places where trsins had been peppered
by the shot-guns of the butternuts. He was
master of the country, and could have hal an
investigation into all acts of Outrsges, and
might have inflicted punishment in q more regu-
lar impressive and useful style.
The department of Gen. Mitchell toward the
inhabitants of Huntsville is said to have been
marked at times By remarkable demonstrations
of personal eccentricity. We are informed that
ne would make his appearance on the .pablic
square, with most au7tere coUntenance, and
discovering group OF tne male lnhaoltants
talking or playing marbles, that he would ges-
ticulste in the most imposing manner, and cry
out with an awful voice, " traitors, out of my
sight TRAITS to your holes etc, so that
ths Door butternuts did not know whether to be
the most amazed or alarmed.
The substance of these charges have been
formally placed bsfore the President, and Col.
Norton, OF the 2lst Ohio, passed through this
city the other day with bundle OF documents,
with which he proposed to substantiste them.
He informed us that it was no secret that the
great maiority of the officers who have served
under Mitchell are deeply dissatisfied with him,
believing him to abound in vast vague schemes,
and to be infrm Of purpose, and that he is rest
less aud energetic without being executive,
while it would take a far higher order of talent
than he has displayed to atone for his enormous
excitable and exacting vanity.
| Eowar If fE,o .EeVya IN Rmassn,