Litchfield enquirer., 1863-04-30

A Letter to President Lincoln.
 DEAR UNCLE ABE :-In the earlier part of your Administration you invited the people to speak out freely to you about public affairs, and perhaps you may new be willing to hear some plain talk iron, one who makes no pratensions to half your ability but does claim to be as honest as yourself.
 To start with, dear old Uncle, think you missed 1t in this very thing of minding 80 much what everybody said, and what anybody was going to say, and do hope that may be the last man you pay any attention to. Jeff don't do so. Jeffis rascal but he is smart. The Southerners know he is rascal two-thirds of them hated him at first like poison; he never did thing they asked him to, but has snubbed them, deded them, impressed them, starved them, knocked them about like nine pins but for all that they love him and throw up their hats for him to man. Why? Because he is their
 
 than they, and always infexibly does what is best for the cause. They make afuss now and then, when he does something very tyrannical, but they stick to him much more unanimously than the North-or even your own party sticks to you.
 Do you ask "why this want of confidence ? | vUslt tall Ayzk are not honest. and clever, and don't tell better stories and more of them than any other man in America except Christys Minstrels. Not because in all your trying circumstances you have made many glaring mistakes in judgment, or havnt proved to be as cute to foresee as you are to convince. ltis simply because you have not confidence is YOURSELF. You don't carry out intaeribly. as old Jackson would measures that you believe necessary, but if any other man seems equally sure the other way, it makes you hesitate.
 Now Uncle Abe, though you are not by any means cut out for a soldier you have good sense, and we the people have committed the management of the county to that sense, and to nobody's else. We did not elect Halleck President,nor Seward ,nor Mrs. Lincoln, but you Abraham Lincoln, because we knew you meant well, and hoped you would do as well as you meant And so you would, had you put as much trust in yourself as we did. If you had insisted on following your judgment whenever it came in contact with others opinions, our concerns would have been very much better off to day, Uncle Abe.
 For instance, year ago last December, Me CleIlan with large army faced Lee with small one. Common sense told you that move ought to be made. and you requested Nc Clellan to move. But Mcclellan didn't want to move, and you gave up your judgment to his. After six months had passed away of thus sacrificing your common sense to his uncommon nonsense, he said, " will divide the army and move." With your usual foresight you replied Move so as to take the aohoze army" But he preferred otherwise, and you let him have his own way. He carried out his plans and got whipped, and by this time you saw that he was Incompetent and wished to remove him. But others thought him Napoleon, so you kept him in, and permitted him to bungle, and delay, and protest, and disobey you five months more, till he became 80 bold as to dis obey your subordinate, Halleck, who at once very properly insisted on his removal. Then you turned him out and took Burnside, who, though tender hearted as yourself, thought it necessary to shoot spies and descrters. You too thought it important, but permitted the importunities of certain chieken-hear,ed gran nies to overcome your judgment and thwart the requirements of discipline. Do you think Jeff would have done so or Jackson?
 In all these cases, and in most others where mistakes were made, they were points yielded by your good nature against your judgment, either to popular clamor or to some profession al oracle. How can we have confidence in a mind which respects itself so little, and which, still farther to disconcert itself, keeps on hand an ertra adviser on war matters, as if two Commanders-in Chief were not enough!
 Consider oh Generalln-Chief Uncle Abe 1! What is the use of Halleck? He may be a smart man, but the people distrust him. He seems cold hearted, selfish, ambitious, bigoted Since he came in things have gone badly.~ He hates all generals but himself, and removes all who accomplish anything. Butler, Sigel, Ere mont, Wool, Sumner, and Curtis. have shown themselves dangerous rivals to Halleck, and they are all idle, not through your intrigues, O., Abraham, but very much to the discontent of the people.
 To tell tue plain truth, the people demand that these leaders who have shown their zeal and ability be employed. Major Generals who can fight and will fight don't grow on every bush that our cause (your cause Uncle Abe and nsi,sc) can afford to throw them away. There is Fremont for instance, whose case betrays .,I..l.I. ,-.o;ll,t;,n on tho nort of tha Admin