Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-08-12
HafIer rom Gonernl nneIll
From the Philadelphia Age.
nrropn gpptrre Iulg 10 1864


BEfORD SrmEgs, july 10 1854
DEAR SiR The public have seen no olfi-
cal announcement OF Tie iact-thoaQh il is
no doubt BY THE time very generally known
that have resigned my posidonin the army.
have several times since been assured that
my personal friends, and many who without
the claim OF personal acquaintance have taken
an interest Ia ny official career, ieit hat some
explanation Of toe circumstances aud motives
Of ny action is due them Accepiing the claim
upon me, have ready answered some Of my
friends ip substance as do YOU now
is perhaps unnecessary TO enter into an
exposition OF the circumstances my super
sedure n tennessee in he fall ol 1862, sioce
the particulars, though not without certain
value involve interests OF my own with which
it's not my wish to weary you A. far rs facts
are concerned il will suffice for the present to
say that after the adjournment, about be lst
OF May, 1868, Of the Commission" which in-
yestlgnted my campaign my correspondence
" th the Department was couhned 70 O. month.
y report made 20 the Adjutaut General
that | was waiting the actiob,of the War De.
parlment or the the proceedings OF that Com
mission that about the FIRST week Of pri, last
was offered commands under General Sher-
man, my junior, which / declined, that month
later / was again offered commend under Gen
era Candy, also my junior, which dechued;
that about, three weeks later ] received motif.
cation that was mustered out Of my rank 40
Major General OF Volunteers, AMI that on the
same day sent in my resignation ga Colonel
in the Adjutaut Generals Department Of the
Regular Army.
The impulses of most men would approve
my course in this matter, ifit even rested on
no other ground than determination not to
acquiesce u any measure that would degrade
me but had a higher motive than that /
believed that the policy and means with which
the war was being prosecuted, were dlscredlt-
able TO the nation, and STRAIN upon civil Ia
uou that they would only fail TO restore
the Union, if indeed they had not already
rendered its restoration impossible, but thai
heir tendency was to subyeri the Institutions
under which the country had realized unex-
ampied prosperity aud happiness and to such
II work | could not lend my hand
While there may have been more or less
Of personal ambition mixed upin the move
ment Of Secession, as there must generally be
IN the management of political affairs, yet ]
do not doubt tbati was mainly determined
by the honest conviction ia ths minds OF
those who engaged in 1t, that the control OF
tut OOFtIuufut udu ldhetu' GEInautIlly lllO
the hands of sectional party which wou I'd
soon trample on the political rights of the
South. This apprehension was shared in BY
a very large portion OF the people who did no
favor Secession, and who we're 80 anxious for
the preservation OF the Union, that even CO.
ercive measures, if tempered by Justice aud
mercy, would not have estranged tnem. IN
der these circumstances the use of military
force to pat down armed resis auce was not
incompatible with the restoration Of the
Union with its former glories and affections
provided the means we're employed in such a
manner as to convince the people that their
constitutional rights would be respected Such
a policy, therefore, in the use of force # force
must be resorted to, had the manifest advau-
tage Of weakening the power oil the rebellion
and strengthening the Government, iudepend'
emily Of the moral force, which dignity and
justice always lend to authority
A policy which recognized these prnci-
pies was wisely declared by Congress in the
beginning OF the war and from a lervent de-
sire for the preservation Of the Uuiou, in
which uride OF country and all my interests
as a citizen entered, not less than from nat
ural impulse, / gave that policy 10Y earnest
support. Unfortunately il was too often
cheated Of its due effect by the intrusion OF
sectional rancor, aud the iniudicious or un-
faithful acts of agents ofths Government and
when, at the expiration Of year, a system OF
spoIation and dsfanchiseme was inaugnr
ted, the cause was robbed Of its sancuiy, ana
success rendered more difficult Of attaipmeut
You have in these few lines, an explanation
of the motives Of my conduct while | was in
command, as we'll as the step which after
twenty-three years OF service, has closed my
career as a soldier and broken up the pro-
essional habits and association to which !
was educated and ia which have passed the
larger portion OF my life am very far from
casting unfayorable reflections upon the thou
sands in the service who, perhaps, with views
similar to my own, have not chosen my course
Few of them have been similarly situated, and
| rather commend the patience with which
they have struggled on in positions which
must otherwise be filed by less scrupulous
men, and in which they might mitigate some
ofthe caamitss which they yet could not
wholly prevent.
Very truly you're, D. C. BUELL..