Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-10

sycophanf, secretly performed, were cowardly and
disgracefui. and, having been forced 10 the light,
show upon their front the impress of conscious
%yillainy. ! will not notice in detail the state
ments made in those communications but will
call the readers attention 10 the fact that neither
Gov. Morton nor his attorney have attempted to
prove that Capt Hughes WAS not legitimately as
signed to duty in the 35th regiment and legally
mustered into the service of the United States.
Neither have they attempted to prove that / did
not possess the right to reject the services Of Off
GERS who reported to me for duty under a muster
which WAS ~palpably false. On these two points,
and on these alone, rests the question of the JUS
tice OF injustice of ms discharge from the service.
And here ! will repeat, what was said in my first
letter, official orders and the action of those in
authority to the contrary notwithstanding. that
an intelligent army officer cannot be found who
will hazard bis reputation by asserting that, under
the circumstances, the assignment of Captain
Hughes to a command, his muster into the serv-
ice, and the refusal to receive Mullen into the
regiment, were not clearly within the province of
my official duties.
Whether ! betrayed the confidence ofthe Irish
men of Indiana. who procured my appointment
to the position Of Colonel of the Irish regiment,
is not for the vagabond who, at the beginning,
sought and failed to get that position for himself,
to decide. The friendship of Mullen, which he now
earnestly processes. for r. J. RYAN, will hc ap-
PCtNiltNfl NuCu ~ u hnONu titt uO uIZCu luC Y
get the Lieutenant Colonel displaced, and him.
self substituted, before the regiment left Indian
apolis. | will take INV oath that had no instru-
mentality in bringing the first Lieutenant Colo
mel before the Military Board for examination.
Ii can be proved BY several officers in high posi-
ton. among them General Wood, that | was APP
pointed a member of that Board without my
consent and in the face of nv earnest protest.
i am willing to answer before heaven, and to my
cOunfrv for the trnlv concentrations and faithful
manner in which l discharged NV duties to the
Irish regiment. For a long time the corps was
not supplied with more than half its compliment
OF officers, which quadrupled nv lahors; but /
preferred this to making il a common receptacal
for such political pensioners as Mullen. whom
Governor Morton might be able to purchase for
the promotion of his selfish purposes. Because
was disposed to vindicate the rights of the brave
men who started out with me in the service. and
while the regiment. during hazardous marches
and the occupancy of dangerous outposts, in
which | remained with il, in sickness and in health,
was earning a reputation for discipline and use
fulness unsurpassed by any other in Tennessee,
an immense amount of indignation was aroused
against me. Where? Not in the regiment; for
no officer ever succeeded in winning more COM
pletely the friendship of those under his command
than ] had done. The trouble was at home. among
persons who had been discharged for inca pacity.
and others who desired to obtain positions in the
regiment which they were unfit to hold. None
know these facts better than Col. Mullen. Yet,
he has the hardihood 10 state that the larger per-
ton of his old (6lst) regiment deserted when
they heard they were to be placed in my CON-
mand. To show that Col. Mullen was in the
habit OF telling prodigious falsehoods about his
regiment, | will publish an extract from a letter
written by him to me, and dated
HEADQUARTERS 6lsr RECT I'm. VoLs.1
IN apfco~ Rahrnarw II 1880