Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-01-26

authority enlanating from any civil magistrate.
Neither they be justified because of any power
flowing from military commander: for the per-
sons arrested not in the military service,
and, therefore, not subject tn what Is termed mill
tary law; and it is clear principle, that what is
called martial Law cannot rightly extend beyond
the field OF active operations of the commander.
-
Our Amy Correspondence - from
Tennessee.
MEMPHIS January IL. 1863.
If ever l wrote a line or a word which might
by direction or ndirection be construed into praise
OF Gen Grant, that is hereby revoked recon
siderel and recalled. He may be as wise as a
serpent, and wonderfully prudent, - lar as his
personal safety is concerned. | may regard him
as model in that strategy which keeps head
quarters well removed from danger, but can
not forgive MS utter disregard of my wants and
wishes in regard to transportation Only think
OF my situation For days have wandered up
and down the landing in search of conveyance
up the river. and received the same answer from
every boat, "Seized by Government" and the
plea is, military necessity" o most potent
pleal In thy name what wrongs have not been
COMMITTEE! Negroes freed, mules impressed
corn seiZed, and now, to cap the climax of out
RACES, STEAMBOATS, turned heads down stream
when they want to 20 the other way, and it's my
sell that wants them Ia. Don't tell me of free
country and constitutional liberty, when even
steimhoitS ON the highway of the Mississippi
can't do as they please
Speaking OF constitutional liberty reminds me
OF grave and learned discussion had on that
subject the other night with once worthy
planter some FIVE miles out from this place
had gone to Col Eddy's regiment on business;
though kindly offered share in the blankets and
rations of the officers. preferred not TO subject
them to the Inconvenience which their prOfferel
hospitality would cause them. especially as it was
raining very hard; hence | sought shelter in Il
splendid plantation mansion near by. The night
was not such to allow u stranger, though
supposed enemy, to be turned out o doors; hence
was invited. or rather permitted. to stay. with
quite much cUrlIality after all, any lndi-
anian would likely extend to Tenncssean the
circumstances being vice versaed We were soon
surrounding huge fire. for that Northern NUS
ance, stove. is unknown here, except for cook
ing purposes, and discussing matters and things
in general, and the war and negroes in partcu-
lar He owned some 1900 acres OF land, and
had owned hundred more negroes. Just
how MANY he now owns he could not tell, but he
supposed some 10 or 50, chiefly women and child
rem, for the best hands had either been impressed
or they had taken their feet in their hands and
gone off on private account. And his mules.
too, he knew they had not off, they had been
stolen; and what made the case particularly ag
except his blind mule. had been taken that day
You see my fix. TWAS raining terribly out of
doors and growing colder, and at best il cold
hospitality within. and not without apology, for
mules and negroes had gone, and thousand
men at that same hour were burning rails all
around the old planters house. | could not
blame him for thinking hard things even of an
innocent person like myself. inasmuch as hailed
from the same hated North | set myself to
he oil man host | nd m 10
some alusion to a mysterious Providence. but he
couldn't see it | told him that his trbuaiOnS
we're not great after all. as jobs in old times,
but he said job wasn't as old IA as he-he
hid chance to more than regain all he had lost;
but being about seventy himself he could not
hope to live through his hardships, much less get
his negroes and mules back and as for fences,
they never could be re made. for the timber was
all gone; so job would not comfort him. But
being posted on the Constitution (evcrl body un
derstands that, YOU know determined To draw
him that, for il that would not comfort
him. knew of nothing that would short of
bringing back his mules. and negroes and fences,
with few thousand bushels of corn, and other
trifes OF that kind
Nv hat does the President mean by exempting
Tennessee from his unconstitutional edictf" said
the old man. That poser. and had often
asked myself the same question. Bat before
had chance To answer, he continued: docs he
imagine that slave property will be worth any
thing here when slavery is abolished in MiSsis-
sipp?" Not being in any way identified with
that procla nation, nor bound to answer for Mr..
Lincoln, told him that supposed the President
expected them to be thankful for small favOrs-
that the exemption was a tub for the Union
whales of the border States to play with. At
this he went off terribly, winding up with the
loss OF his twenty FIVE negroes and his good
mules. and leaving the blind mule and the negro
women and children to feed, and no mule to
grind corn with, and very little left to grind
i told him that knew of clause in that
cred instrument which gave Mr.. Lincoln power
to free the slaves, except the which allowed
him to take mues-''That isn't there either. y
interrupted the old mau-and to burn rails-"N o
such a clause said he--and to shoot rebels
"No such right no such right sir" he said with
emphasis. chow them" said l. ''can he carry
on war? Ii he can neither shoot rebels nor i'm
press mules nor free negroes, there is no use of
fighting" THAT is Just what think" said he.
Let traitors be tried by the Courts, and if there
Courts, let them go" | could not see
just that way. But he assured me that the proc
lamation would not effect anything anyhow where
the army did not go. "Then," said |, ''the
South need not make much ado about it," His
answer reminded me of one of Andy Wallace's
kind of Christians who there no
hell-such thing was unreasonable and unscrp
lurdi, uub OH DtlHS urSeu 10 uo y Ccfeain thlhS
which looked that way he said. "No-id better
not, for there may be hell after all - The old
man replied, but it is unconstitutional and it
may amount to something after all" well. if
it is unconstitutional, let us bring it before the
Supreme Court" was my suggestion. But that
unkind, for it implied a return TO the Union
II thing which nine -tenths of the South abhor
as death itself. and was compelled to leave the
old man uncontrolled. Neither Providence nor
Job, nor my constitutional arguments awaited
rails, and bis negroes and mules were non est.
T.. q.
MEMPHIS, January IL, 1863.
wish could carry with me through the South
every intelligent, thinking Northern man who
has theory to support, no party TO sustain, and
no unconquerable preudices against the people OF
this latitude of any color or complexion, and no
scheme OF revenge or philanthropy 20 foster, but
who would look upon the facts around him as if
he had just came from Jupiter, or some other
planet TO examine and combine them and draw
wise conclusions from them. irrespective of the
notions or wishes OF others, or of his former
views, it he had any. OF course | would not
want them all at once, unless hotel accommoda-
tons were more capacious, or unless they would
furnish their own eating and sleeping without ell
bowling me any more than am already elbowed.
opine that most of them would conclude, as a
sable brother of mine did who is a popular
preacher among those OF the African persuasion
One day one of his flock called upon him, and
with an anxious look, said: "Brudder Moses.
does you understand de scriptersf" Il humbly
thinks does, Brudder Samuel . was the meek re-
ply. "Wel, den, Brldder Moses, please explain
~ 20 mo what de seriofarz rnaana he Al