Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-03

Letter from General ROseCrans 20 the IN.
diana legislature.
In response to resolutions Of thanks from
the Indiana Legislature, General Rose
Grams has written the following letter.
HrApouARrrns DEPT OF THE CUMBERLAND
MURFREEsBoRO,' TESN., Feb. 18th, 1865.
GENTLEMEN I'm the name of the Off
GERS and Soldiers of the Army Of the Cum
berIand. I thank you for the resolutions Of |
coner ltulatien, approval and coincidence, |
Won havs sent US on account of the battle |
Of Stone River.
At the call of constitutional liberty, the |
brave and true men of the West laid aside |
peaceful pursuits, left their homes and
sought to qualify themselves to fight for a
Government that had cost the blood and
treasu es Of two great wars and eighty
years of time, to establish.
For twenty weary months, this Army
has stood guard to keep the Confederate
\ Wolf from your doors. They know what
hunger, cold, weary marches, and painful
watchings it has cost to preserve our homes
from invasion, and our friends and neigh
bors from CONSUMPTION; it is therefore
doubly pleasure to hear these free and
cheering words now from home.
The INSCRIPTIONS despots IN our front
call us Lincoln hirelings," and we hear
that this calumny has lately been repeat
ed at home, by some of the men whose
property and persons have been kept safe,
by our toll and blood, from the ruthless
hands of Kirby Smith, Bragg and Nor
gan. Presuming on our absence, these
men talk as if we we're not citizens, and
speak moekingly of our patriotism. They
stab in the back the NEST generous, true
hearted men of the country, while stand
ing guard in front of their doors, and they
proloIg the war by encouraging the reb-
iOmes. A--n fn- divided nnunsels 81 V"'
speak the conviction of the officers and
men Of this army, when I say that we
fight to secure equal rights to all, under
the Constitution and the Laws-we fight
in defence of our homes and hearths, sure
to be invaded, if the rebel despots, who
began the war, can get the power. But we
long for peaee-we pray for peace; and
we fight for peace-not for dishonorable
peace-not for a hollow truce. We have
once been deceived by the cry Of No CO.
erciOn," and Of estate rights" and have
seen how the rebel leaders practice, in
East Tennessee, Missouri, Western Vir-
ginia, and Kentucky. We have met the
masses of the South, and are witnesses of
the falsehood, calumny and perfdy by
which they have been led to wage war
against us. We have seen flags of truce
violated hospitals, ambulances and boats
bearing flags, fired upon and our sick and
wounded stripped Of their blankets and
robbed of their food and medicines we
have been approached in battle by rebels
wearing eur uniforms and carrying our
colors.
After witnessing the wholesale slander
of US, their perfidy and treaehery towards
the masses of their own people, and the
unfair and dishonorable means to which
they resort to gain an advantage, we have
been forced to the immovable but sad con-
viction, that the leaders of this rebellion
are perfdious, treacheroas, unscTapulous and
cruel-their leaders never will nor can be
peaceable, or true friends and neighbors.
And that, as Mr.. Davis has said, they only
want the power, not the will, 10 invade
and subjugate US.
We should rejoice to see the power Of
these leaders fall by the hand of their own
people whom they Oppress; that people for
whose rights we fight, in common with our
own; but unless it does thus fall, we
must destroy it, or it will destroy our Ma
tion, and our children will pass under
the yoke of a military despotism raised
. on the sable foundation of negro slavery,
and the more degrading servitude Of
the "poor whites, such as now overshad-
ows the South. say "our children will
pass under the yoke, for that could only
happen, after the brave and true men Of
the country-her citizen-soldiers-shal
heart-brOken and despairing, shall quit the
field and give to slavery and to its domin.
alton all those who love money more than
honor, and peace more than freedom.
"The issue is plain one. If we who
battle for national existence are not to be
sustained by our own friends at home the
sooner we know it the better. We do not
wish to be deceived as to our position, nor
fall victims to the treachery, cowardice or
selfshness, of those whom we have loved
and trusted
"W. S. ROSECRANs,
] Mai -(1n