Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-02-03
Senator doves plan for Taking Richmond.

Senator Howe, of this State, incidentally
defended his plan for capturing Richmond, in
/ the course of a recent debate in the Senate
The bill amending the conscription act was
/ pending. Senator TEUMBULL offered an
amendment empowering the President to call
out 100000 men for one hundred days, to
/ serve in Virginia Senator Howe supported
the amendment, but wished TO increase the
number. We annex his remarks from the
/ GloJe
I Mr. Howe. l wish the Senator from Illinois
would increase the number to three hundred
/ thousand
! Several Senators. Make it million
Mr.. Howe. The Government is supplied
+ with any quantity of arms, as | am informed.
/ The Senator from Massachusetts, thinks these
men cannot be raised, and thinks they would
/ be useless If they were raised. ] am i'm
pressed with the belief that lie is mistaken
! upOn both points. ! introduced proposition
I here the other day, which some Of my friends
+ haye-I suppose intending to fiatter my judg-
ment At the expense Of my sincerity-profes-
/ sed TO think was intended joke never
/ was more sincere in proposition in my life.
I ] believe the men would come, come at once,
and / believe they would do good work when
/ they do come and if the Government viii
consent TO arm the people of the loyal States,
+ ! believe you can put an army in every road
/ that leads into Virginia, within ninety DAYS
/ as large as that which defends the direct road
4 to Virginia.
/ Mr.. Fessenden. | should like to ask my
/ friend if he thinks we could put one ON the
/ road south of Richmond
! Mr.. Howe Yes, sir.
I Mr.. Fessenden. How are you going to get
/ them there
| Mr. Howe. Through North Carolina very
/ easily, by way Of Goldsborough.
/ Mr. Fessenden l should like to ask my
! friend another question, whether he can give
! US any assurance that while we are raising
/ these one hundred thousand men the prisoners
| will be kept at Richmond retained there until
/ our men get there to take them
/ Mr.. Howe. They might not wait for the
/ execution of proposition OF that kind; and
! if they would retire before "A threat, is it not
worth something to the Government that they
should retire
! Mr.. FESSENDEN. But the prisoners them.
selves would they not be sent off TO some
! other place
/ Mr.. Howe. Let me say to the Senator from
/ Maine that if they will be content to send the
! prisoners further South and to remain there
/ themselves, we shall be abundantIy able to
make reprisals to indemnify the people Of the
4 United States.
/ Mr. Fessenden That would not release
! Mr.. Howe The honorable Senator admits
/ that the proposition to arm these people
would amount to something. If it would not
secure the withdrawal OF that body of men
/ who call themselves the government of the
/ Confederate States, but would lead to the
| Withdrawal OF the prisoners, why would it
/ to that. Because they would not be safe at
! Richmond If they would not be safe, til It
organization called the government of the
/ Confederate States woUld not be safe
! / have had piles of letters on this subject
! within few DAYS. / received letter from
/ Pennsylvania the other day from d gentleman
/ whom / do not know, saying that he had a
/ hundred men in his employ, and that he and
/ every man he had would 90 if the Government
( would arm them. A gentleman, one of the
1 most energetic men know in Wisconsin, was
/ in the gallery when my proposition was offer
/ ed, and he said that every man capable of
/ bearing arms in Wisconsin conld be put I'M
/ der arms, and he could arm4a regiment in
! tweuty-four hours | have had letters from
/ Massachusetts,, | have had letters from New
! Yorll, and from other States TO the same eff
I feet.
/ The President of the United States has
/ said Il great many true things, and one of the
/ trUcSt things he ever said | think he said in
! 1861 and that was that the people OF the United
/ States would put down this rebellion if the
| Government but did its duty indiffcrenty
| well | want 10 improve upon that remark,
/ il il be possible 20 improve upon it. by saw
| ing to-day that the people of the United
/ States viii put down this rebellion if YOU Will
/ let them do it. | do not know that one hun
/ dred thousand men would be adequate in one
| hundred days to achieve any decided adyant-
| ages, but YOU can have three hundred thous-
| and as quickly rs one hundred thousand, and
| the more YOU viii call for the more YOU will
| have | know that in 1861, when the first
| call was made, almost every man in the loval
/ States GOT up at once and was ready to offer
| his services. \ great deal of fault has been
/ found with the army OF the Potomac. 1t has
! seemed TO me that the army OF the Potomac
/ has had too heavy a burden, too heavy a Ia
! Dor imposed upon it. 1t has had the double
| duty imposed upon it Of defending Washing
| ton and of taking Richmond. The result Of
| that double duty is that they have been re
| quired 50 far to 90 toward Richmond over
| just such route General Lees army has
| prescribed 90 them; and if General Lee, hay
| ing the choice of position and standing ON the
/ defensive cannot defend Richmond against
any one hundred thousand men YOU can send
! there, he ought not command an army. Let
| an army stand between Richmond and Wash
| iugton call for other men to 20 where Lee
/ Is not; take routes which lie does not pre-
! scribe to YOU Gen. Lee has not been able
! TO march over the army of the Potomac when
! commanded by Meade or Hooker, or ANYBODY
/ else, but twice he has marched around that
J army I wish the Senator from Illinois
would increase the number that he proposes
to raise. | shall vote for the propositions any
/ how.
+ TroukIe dawn IN DiNia-ENtpartS fran Rebel