New-York daily tribune., 1863-07-30
GEN. HARVEY BROWN.

card from Brig. Gen. Harvey Brown, asking a
suspension of public opinion in relation to the
attack made upon him in The Herald Of the
day before by Generals Wool and SGndford.
We have best complied with that request, so
far as We are concerned. by Withholding the
documents in question from our readers till
Gen. Brown was ready to reply, and We now
lay both attack and defense-tbe bane and the
antidote-beforo our readers.
An impeachment so extraordinary of the
conduct Of Gen. Brown carried with it its own
refutation for the most careless reader could
hardly fail to see that the report of one Gen
era quite overthrow that OF the other. Zach,
in bis anxiety to assume to himself all the
praise due for the suppression of the riots seems
TO have forgotten that, in making an attack
upon one whom they agreed TO consider
the common enemy, there was
logical necessity for telling :hc same story;
and that in failing 10 do this they exposed Il
Transparent, design to magnify their own ser
vices at the expense Of one to whom every
BODY knew the credit Of saving the city from
sack and conhagraiion really belonged Whether
they had a.certaincd beforehand, and relied
upon the fact that Gen. Brown would not be per-
mi,,ed TO make an official report, and presumed.
therefore. that hi, case would 60 by default;
or whether they calculated so certainly upon
the sympathy Of those journals whose aim 1t
was during the rio;-week TO throw the city
into the hands Of the State authorities. that
the riots might b. used, If possible. M reyo-
lutionary measure, and only suppressed in case
Of absolute necessity. one thing seems certain-
that this attack, NJ unjust and 30 unusual among
military men, was made in tho most careless
disregard Of facts and occurrences, and in
such haste that no pains were taken to give
10 il even the semblancs Of truth, or 10 make
the two nnrrations accord with each other. II!
was Gen. Wool's purpose 70 show that the
city was reduced to order after four days
extraordinary eIertions by himself. and Con.
Sanford under his orders; but Gen.
SANFORD, knowing that the riots were not
quelled til those four days were over, and
knowing also that the credit Of quellng them
belonged TO the United States forces Md the
police, moro rasby snatches at the public
gratitude by declaring that the disturbances
we're over when they had but just begun, aud
that but for the Interference Of Gen. Brown
there would have been nothing ~ do after
Tuesday morning. Gems Wool and Sandford
are both very old men. aud there is no othee
way, or at least no more charitable way
TO account for such faulty, than to suppose
that they have been induced by younger and
more designing men to permit their names to
be used in a narration relating to occurrences
which they were neither Of them capable oil
managing, and about which they may be pre-
sumed to know very little.
Under the circumstances, however, there was
nothing left for Gen. Brown to do but make a
plain, unmpassoned statement of facts. II is
dignGed aud clear, but perfectly oyerwbelm-
ing. The question of ycracity is not raised
because he forthcs his narration with docu-
mentary evidence, and there can be no qucs-
ton Of veracity whore ialseh0od 10 proved.
No candid man can read his reply
WITHOUT unutIstduuIuS uHu hCnuo"Nus"t
that the United States troops, excepting only
company aud ahalf were brought to tho city
by bis orders; that those troops acted under
his orders, during the whole four days Of the
riot; that he and the Police Commissioners act
ing in conjunction and in constant consultation
at the Police Headquarters did, with their res
pectve forces suppress the riots, and that to
these men and these alone do the
citizens owe it that peace was
restored, and perhaps the city saved. That
General Wool would or could do anything 10
such an eIigency nobody probably ever eI.
pected, though none would be disposed TO
deny him credit for services rendered bis
country in the prime of his manhood. Those
who remembered the Astor-place riots had
little confidence in General Sandford's ability
to act in time even Of ordinary
social disturbance. Silence, had hs coveted
praise for the suppression Of the late insurrec-
ton would have been his wiser course; but
by claiming tho whole credit he has only OK
posed his utter ineficiency. Tho public kaew
before how much they wers indebted to Gen.
Brown; their gratitude will only be deepened
by sympathy at the persecution with which 1t
il Attempted 10 pursue him because he hap