The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-03-15
John Minor Bolts.

JOnl MINOR BOttS.
Those who, like ourselves, have been
eager believers in the loyalty of John
Minor Bolts, and swift to honor the
most trivial exhibition of his hostility
to the rebellion, have sometimes felt
puzzled and saddened by inconsisten-
cies as little reeoncilsble to loyalty as
to common sense.-When he published
a three column letter in the Richmond
Enquirer defining his position, after the
appearance of certain letters IN the
Northern papers, illustrating and eulo-
giving his loyalty, had drawn the atten-
ton of the rebel press TO him, no never
uttered word that indicated any more
regard for our Government than JEFF
Davis might have felt He held him
self, as the Enquirer in commenting on
the letter said, on a sort of elevated
ridge between the contending parties,
associating and sympathizing with
neither, but looking from his fancied
elevation on the conflict like one of
Homers gods from his cloud on the
fights before Troy When one of the
correspondents of this paper stated that
in the course of a skirmish near Mr.
| Bolts residence last summer, one Of
our officers met him and inquired the
direction taken by rebel squadron en-
gagged in the fight, and received the re-
ply, II am John Minor Bolts, under
parole TO the rebel government and can
tell nothing of military matters, but a
Union man without an If or but Mr.
Bolts deemed it too close an implca-
ton of sympathy with our government,
and contradicted it. If he had been
loyal as Maynard or Brownlow are 10y
al he would at least have said nothing
for the correspondence anecdOte in
volved no act or word that could Dos
sibly be construed into violation ofhis
parole 1t was as Union man, and an
enemy Of the rebel government, he was
paroled, and to avow it was nothing
But to deny the avowel e something
that We can't easily reconcile with the
sturdy loyalty with which Mr. Bolts
has 80 long been credited. When he
was offered the Senatorship of Eastern
Virginia he declined it, not because he
modestly avoided public life, but that
be might stand as q mediator between
! the North and South A loyal man
knows there can be no mediation be-
tween a government justly provoked
and rebels causelessly in arms Media
ton implies mutual errors and mutual
concessions, and if Mr. Bolts believes
the government has anything to be for
given for but its leniency to the villains
who have assailed it, his loyalty Is not
worth the breath that declares it.
7 These and other expressions have led
more than one to wonder what sort Of
allegiance he considers himself as hold
! ing to a government which he stands so
far above that he proposes himself for
| its mentor and mediator" An officer
/ of one of our Indiana regiments which
was encamped nearly all winter on Mr..
Bolts farm, near Culpepper, has given
us a few facts which enable US, if not TO
/ solve at least 10 see into this puzzle
somewhat He says that every farm
for miles around Is held in Mr. Bolts
name, and is thus protected from in
jury by our troops. The rebels who
own the property pay him handsomely
1 for his guardinship.-In his cattle pens
and pastures are the stock of dozens OF
rebel neighbors, who pay for its preser-
walton from the frying pans of soldiers.
One man led by curiosity to find out
just how many people really did 60 to
the composition of that gigantic land
and stock monopoly, John Minor Bolts,
counted thirty different marks on the
sheep in his pens And while pocket
! ing handsome sum for protecting reb-
ell property, he stuffs breeehes, coat and
Z frrIl 81
property sold to the government at
outrageous prices. He charged 81 a
cord for wood in the tree, the cutting
I splitting and hauling to be done by the
soldiers He charged &, 800 damages
| for tho encampment Of one of our
regiments on his property. He present
ed a bill for 5000 for injuries to other
/ property And he got il all General
Birney, who considered the charges ex-
I orbitant, refused TO endorse the &C
/ count, but General Meade allowed it,
and 50 Mr. Bolts loyalty was made
profitable With these facts in view, it
is not impossible to understand why
\ Dir. Bolts does not desire 70 be on such
/ intimate terms with our govern
ment as 10 make therebel concern con
fscats bis property, and yet wants 10 be
/ friendly enough 10 save that Of his rebel
7 neighbors "for consideration" Proba-
! bly, no set out in his hostility to the reb-
ell government as sincerely and reso-
lutely as he was believed to do through
out the North, but like Etheridge,
couldn't understand any sort Of loyalty
that didn't assert the right Of any man
with a white skin to sell and whip a
man with black one, aud when the
North began 10 see that it was just pos
sible for loyalty 70 DO synonymous with
humanity a. well az slavery, he con-
Guided TO stop where he was Ifso, there
let him stay-IadiGnapohs Journal