The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-08-05
cor. yANcE,s LEGION.

JouFna in reply to the misrepresentation OF the Stan
dard The fact is, Col. Vance got up the noise abou
legion for the purpose of helping to elect him Gov
ernor. What did he wan: with legion when it i
evident that he unwilling to stay in the service
the head of his own Regiment. He enlisted for th
war, but Is now quite willing to back for . cigi
office. But here is the explanation about the legion
The inimitable Rolling Machine" sometime
know as the Standard, published a batch of lies
as false fiction and as I" black as hell" relative
to "Eance's Legion" This it does at the eleventh
hour, when it supposes these villainous lies can
not be rcfuted. But they can and shall be rafuted
! Col. Vance authorized by the Secretary o
War to raise a legion consisting Of thirty com
panies He was allowed to muster them int
service himself When thus mustered in he haC
nothing to do but report his legion complete
either Immediately to the Secretary of War, OF
Immediately through the General Commanding
In doing this he totally independent of the
government at Raleigh. Neither Gov Clark no.
/ Gen. Martin had any authority over him or his
Legion. His authority, derived from the Secre.
! tary of War, was absolute, and could not have
been limited in its exercise by 1" the government
at Raleigh" unless it had determined to prevent
Confederate officers from raising troops in the
State. No sane man will believe that "the gov
ernment at Raleigh was ever guilty Of such folly
or contemplated such act Of hostility to the
Confederate government.
Now, the Standard af1irms that "Col Vance had
permission from the Secretary of War to raise a
legion to consist, acih his 0acn regiment of two or
three thousand men" We affirm he had per-
mission to raise thirty companies, including his
own regiment. This would have left him tcenty
companies to raise, exclusive of his own regiment.
The Rolling Machine says: Gin a short time forty
companies were rendered to him, of which he
accepted thirty" He had the extraordinary right
granted him to muster them in himself; and, hav-
ing accepted them, he had nothing to do but
muster them in and report for duty to the proper
authorities. Then the whole thing would have
been completed. Vance's legion would have been
raised, and Col. Vance would have this day been
at their head in the field
Now, appear to military men whether we
are not right? If right, the Standards or Roll
ing Machines assertion that forty companies had
been rendered ana thirty acccptcd is infamously
false. For, if accepted by Col Vance, why did
he not muster them in, as he was authorized to
do and tender them at once to the government
from which he derived authority to raise them !?
If Col. Vance is any party to the slanderous false
hoods on the government, either at Richmond or
Raleigh, and we fear he is, he is as unfit to com
mand regiment Of patriot soldiers as he is to be
governor of the State.
| Now, we happen TO know something about Col
Vance's legion. When at Goldsboro' some five or
six weeks ago, Col. Vance there. A friend,
who had conversed with Col Vance, told US he
was complaining about the difficulties which had
been thrown in his way by the government about
raising his legion. We went Immediately to Gen.
! Holmes and learned that no difficulties nor any
obstacles, whatever, had been opposed to Col
Vance. He wanted Gen. Holmes to receive his
legion "by companies" which that officer told
him, and which Col V. ought to have known, he
had no right to do. Gen. Holmes told Col. V. he
had been authorized to raise legion of thirty
companies, and when those thirty companies were
| rendered to him, he was bound officer of
| the government to receive them. But by the
terms of the authority conferred by the Secretary
of War; he could accept no less numJer lie,
Gen. Holmes, was to accept whole legion of
thirty companies or none at all. The thirty com
panes never having been raised or never rendered,
| Colonel Vances legion ''fcll through' This was
solely Gel. Vance's fault and not the fault Of
the government at Richmond or Raleigh.
Gen. Holmes also told Col Vance that, as an
individual not speaking for his government, he
was opposed to losing any more time about the
legion, and would recommend the Secretary OF
! War 10 disband what had been raised 1t was ac-
cum uiatng heavy expenses upon the State, with
out the prospect of its receiving any adequate re-
turn Col Vance had good regiment, said Gen.
Holmes, and he would be endangering its reputa-
/ ton Dy Dlenultlg III WIFI law IcCiuLtS, lHthJ
of whom were likely to be taken with panic
when first brought under fire. We may not state
Gen Holmes conversation exactly, but We give
its general purport; and all he said in this partic-
ular was simply by way of advice, as an individual
! to Col v, which he was at liberty to receive or
reject at pleasure. But len. Holmes distinctly
told Col Vance if the latter rendered bis legion,
the former would feel in duty bound, as an officer
to accent it. II failed to
raise his legion for himself, and now denounces
the government at Raleigh because it would not
raise it for him and charges Gen Holmes, Gen
Martin and Gov Clark with entering into con
spiracy to defeat his object Every word that
the Standard has said upon the subject is lie or
part of lie and Col. Vance ought to say so over
! his own signature.
! There is not word of truth IN Holden's whole
statements about Vance's mythical legion. We
state positively that Gov Clark has carefully
avoided all Interference with his pretended legion
! Col Vance never had fire much less .torty, com
panies rendered to him, which were raised under
his own authority or by his own ezertIons FoUB
companies we're all he could muster at Kittrelp:
Springs. and even some of these petit;oned to bt
received by the Governor, but were refused or
the ground that they did not bring him the acrt
ten consent of Col. Vance.
Apples peaches, pears, figs, okra, peppers, &c.
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