Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1863-05-02
LETTER FROM BRIG. GEN.
GOgWAN.

Posi- HEAD QUARTERS, !
Helena, Ark, March 81, '63. !

Helena, Ark, March Il, %.
M. II. CARPENTER, Eso.. Milwaukee:
III have read with so much salts
faction your letter upon the subject of the
duty of the democratic party in the pres
emf crisis of our national affairs, that |
venture to express the hope that al may
see the subject as you have so powerfully
express ed it. In my Judgment, your
manner of disposing of the points of OBJ
lection, is so clear and SO eminently adap
ted to the crisis, that no successful reply
can be made.
The South set the house on fire; you
and | were lodging in its apartments, and
must stand by with inexcusabe indiffer-
ence and see the edifce utterly destroy
ed, or manfully try to extinguisli the
flames. How utterly destructive is the
policy of calling jury to try and con
Wet the incendary before the house is
saved. Before Lalf the witnesses can be
examined, the edifce will be in ashes.
We must not allow anybody to make
peace, until all the States resume their
original status under the old Flag and
old Constitution. And whe her the sta
tus of the local institutions of the South
IS to be preserved or not, depends great
| lv on the duration of the war. All mil
itary DEGREES of the President must be
understood as q means to accomplish the
end-a restoration of the Union as it
was. The object of the Government in
prosecuting the war has been officially
! declared by Congress. The procIama-
! tens Of the President declaring the ports
blocknded and emancirating the slaves
in the insurrectionary districts, are only
means to an end. Ii we keep out supplies
and munitions of war by the external
blockade; and if we can etfectually keep
m internal blockade on those States by
keeping the enemy from planting, SOW
ing and Ieaping supplies at homo, the
war must soon end. If the Emancipa
ton Proclamation withdraws twenty five
or fifty thousand laborers from their
fields and internal production, or from
their Notifications and rife pits, it is an
active and efiectual means to the desired
end.
! In my judgment we ought TO ca turs
as contraband Of war, every effective ne.
gro il the insurgent States that we can
reach. and hold them rs means of
weakening the enemy and closing the
war. In fact every objection to the Presi-
dents Emancipation Proclamation can
| hest he settled after the war
All ideas of peace with the State in
active rebellion are delusive The Ia
mented Douglas with prophetic judg
ment, gave us the true idea of this war
when he said, ''the surest road to peace
is the most stupendous preparation for
war" I would urge oar democratic
friends from one end of the North to the
other, to adopt this AZ their motto, and t
will prove ''bFead cast upon the waters
to be found 'after many days" Let us
prove our patriotism hv our works; any
other course is weakness and madness as
view it.
We all want peace but when it comes,
the whole Union must come with it. We
are near the hour of our final success, |
firmly believe. With the capture or oc,
cnpation of Vicksburg by our forces
peace must and will speedily come.
| am with great respect,
w. A. GoRMAN,
Brig. Gen. U. S. Vols.