Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-07-28
Gen. HIItcheII,s sncoehnnl..

Gen. Mitchelps SucceasOr.
Brigadier General ROsseau succeeds Gen.
Mitchell in command of the third division
Of the Tennessee army, and from the re-
ports that are brought from him, no better
man could be found. A few weeks ago a
banquet was rendered to Gen. Rosseau at
Louisville, in consideration Of the great
service he rendered the State and Govern
ment last year when the astonishing hum
bug Of neutrality . held the State in its
grasp. Atthat banquet, Gen. Rosseau made
a glorious speech, full Of the intensest pa
triOtism and burning with active, energetic
desire to see the rebellion crushed out in
the shortest possible time. In the course
Of his speech he referred to slavery and
said that if one or the other must fall let
slavery perish that the Union may be pre-
served. He had no tender solicitude for
any institution that may be forced to stand
in the way Of the restoration Of the suprem-
aoy Of the Government. The speech was
copied far and wide as the opinion of
soldier who understood both the war and
the slavery questions, and its bold tone
was almost universally commended. Con-
oerning this speech the Cincinnati Gazette
makes an almost incredible statement.
The statement is made by its Washington
correspondent and endorsed by the Ga
zette as being perfectly reliable, saying,
ave happen to know that the authority
upon which our correspondent bases his
ftaotrry q give this authority our readers
would regard it as reliable as if it had
proceeded directly from the President"
The statement is that it was proposed to
make Gen. ROsseau Major General. It
was considered by the President and dis
cussed BY the Cabinet, and finally decided
in the negative, because his speech at the
Louisville banquet a0as too -adieaIi 1t is
unpleasant to write and publish such
things, but if they are true the people
have a right to know it, and now that
material change is expected to be made in
the radicalism Of the authorities, we can
hope that such mistakes can be rectihed, in
a measure. Three members of the Cabi-
net are said to have objected to Gen. ROs-
seau upon this ground, and the promotion
was rejected.
Now as to Gen. ROsseau's style of fight
ing and administration: A letter from his
headquarters at Huntsville, gives an in
teresting account Of his disposal of the
cases that came before him. Utterly and
without reserve does he repudiate the
whole doctrine Of Cancellation" when |
applied to traitors who have sworn 10 de-
stroy the Government or to fools who look
upon every attempt to eonciliate them as a
tacit acknowledgment Of the justice of
their cause, and their natural right to
rule. He holds that the last idea of con-
should have passed away with
the sound Of the first gun fred at Fort
Sumter; and that then nothing was prop
erly left for the Government but mejes-
tic, overwhelming, uncompromising, per-
sistent and unrelenting exhibition Of its
POWER, until the last rebel army was bro
ken to pieces, and the last living rebel had
thrown down his arms.
One rebel surgeon, who was armed with
Gen. Buells pass, found that it would not
pass him through Gen. ROsseau's pickets,
and went to the General to complain. The
General said he was glad to see him, for
it saved the trouble Of arresting him. The
doctor expressed surprise at the inti-
nation Of arrest, but was astonished and
,Onfounded at hearing General ROsseau
reply:
" I am told that you said to a crowd up
IN the street, that rather than see the
United States Government restored
throughout the South, you would see even
your wife and children buried. If this
san be proven against you, 1 shall send
you at once to Fort Warren, as sure as
here is living God ~
And that is the way he makes war. It
IS right. Let him go ahead.
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