Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1863-09-23
[Fro1h the Nashville Union. 18Th
Democrats, Read This
faliandlgham Corresponds with
Observation-Disclosures Letter 10
Ge0rge w. johnson, the Rebel Pro.
.a FisiOnal Governor of Kentucky.

fs a gates the--eorEesp Mt I'd, the
Cincinnati Gazette, writing from Indian.
apolis, makes mention of a letter which
he was informed was written short time
before the fall of Fort Donelson. by Hon
Z. L. Vallandigham, of Ohio, to General
Albert Sidney Johnston, giving infor-
nation respecting military operations at
the North Agate relates the story as
related to him by gentleman who said
he obtained it from Mr.. Garter. nronrie.
tor OF the St Cloud Hotel, in this city.
lnasmuch as there are Jme errors in the
statement as it appears in the Gazette
we give the version of it which we have
obtained from Mr. Carter. A day or
two after the fight of the rebel army
from Nashville, courier came from
Bowling Green, bringing several letters.
directed to various persons in this place.
to the care of Mr.. Carter of The St Cloud
Hotel One of these letters Mr.. Carter
reeolleets contained small sum of
money directed to DIR. Atchison. and
another contained SO bill directed to
some one not now reeollected. which Mr.
Carter returned to the person remittino
1t, to so ne town in Ohio. A third letter
was the one referred to, written by Mr..
Yallandlgham, not to General Albert
Sidney Johnston, but to George w.
Johnson, the Rebel Provisional Govern 4
Or of Kentucky, directed to him at his seat |
Of Government in Bowling Green, and |
forwarded to him at this place. Before
he courier arrived here, the Provisional
Governor had fled, accompanied, we be-
ieve, by the notorious George N. Saun-
iers. We will state, as the reason wby
Mr. Garter opened these and other let
ers, that a large number of letters
'roughG in by couriers, and left behind
y the rebels in their hasty retreat, had
accumulated on his hands to such an ex-
ent, that he found it necessary to exam
ne them and save only such as contained
money and other valuables The great
ulk ofsthem were, of course, as worth
ess as most old letters are. When Mr.
,arter opened Vallandigham's letter.
e took it to the family room and
cad portion u of ftiittg if r. letter, but the i'm.
ression made upon him was that it was
ritten by warm friend and partisan of
le Southern Confederacy, and he re-
larked, while reading it, that if he had
-ritten such letter to any one in the
Jorth, and the rebels had discovered it,
ney would have hung him without mer-
y. It was a letter to a rebel leader,
rom partisan of the Southern cause
his impression was made deeply upon
Ir Carter's mind, whose character for
eracity and integrity is unimpeachable.
Jot being a politician, although de-
ided Union man, and knowing but
title of Vallandigham, he supposed
hat it was the letter of some peevish
politician, and threw it into the fire,
title dreaming that its author would
Don be so notorious. At the time
wrote the letter it was
believed in the North, as well as at Lou
syille, that Gen. a. S. Johnston held
Bowling Green with over 10000 confede
ate troops, instead Of $4,000, which
vas the actual number of his force;
George W. Johnson had been inaugural
ed Provisional Governor of Kentucky,
and serious apprehensions were felt that /
he rebels would overrun and occupy all .
he State. The prospects of the Ma
-ional cause were exceedingly gloomy,
and we have no doubt thatIa movement /
was on foot to invade Ohio, occupy Gin
cinnati, and annex that State into the /.
Southern Democratic (
Confederaey, by the aid of Vallandig- |
ham and the Knights Of the Golden Cir
Gle. George W. Johnson was one of the
very worst and most INSCRIPTIONS Of
rebels. We know personally that nearly
all the intelligent secessionists of South
ern Kentucky believed that the organi-
zation Of the rebel Provisional Govern
ment in that State would only increase
the sufferings of the people, and add to
the flames of civil discord What hon
orble motive had Vallandigham for, cor
with so base traitor? No
patriot would have done it. 1t was a
crime in principle, and crime in law,
to communicate with such an enemy, and
Vallandigham' motive could only have
been to strengthen the hearts and con-
GdoInoo Of the foae of tho Raruhlio n
was watching" over the Ohio border
with the same spirit in which he now
watches over the Canada line.