Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-05-13
LEErER FRoM pR. wHEroN.


EDITOR OF THE LEADER:-A communication
appeared in recent number of your paper over
the signature of"A. D. o." under date of the
18th of February, ult., so filed with arrant un-
truths, necessarily known to the writer to be
such, and calculated to effect unfavorably as far
as such communication can effect, the character
and official action of Maj Gen. Hurlburt, COM
mander of the 10th Army Corps, and Brig. Gen.
Buckland, present commandant of this post, that
I feel constrained in simple justice to them, to
respond briefly thereto, over my own signature,
as one necessarily cognizant of the facts.
Prior to last June, was and had been for ma
ny years, the owner of servant man. John, and
his wife Pauline, the former for several years
prior to that date an invalid, incapable Of and
not required to labor or me, but supported and
provided for by me, all his wants being supplied
as regularly, and / may add, as cheerfully as
as those of my own white family;-the
latter, when sober, industrious, but not
very reliable or trustworthy woman, and when
drunk-as often the case-insOlent and un-
manageable, and unusually brutal towards her
own children, beating them at times most I'M
mercifully. John was careless and thriftless un-
able or unwilling to provide for himself or fani-
ly, and careless as to the preservation of what
was furnished him by others. They had, as be-
fore remarked, been in my family for several
years, having been purchased by me-had been
always well provided and cared for, and neither
the one or the other had at any period of their
lives, been stricken by me, or by any one un-
der my orders After the occupation of this city
by the forces of the United States, in addition
their wOrthessness and thriftlessness, they both
man and wife, became so insolent and unman-
ageable, and the woman especially SO brutal to
her children, that, as a necessary measure of
protection to my own family and to their chill
/ ha1 hot htyn of Z fbo
authorities here, placed in the contraband camp
at Memphis, or in its vicinity, and at the same
time, purely as a matter of humanity to the
children, who, from their infancy and surround
ing circumstances were, and were likely to con-
tinue, an incumbrance and charge to me, solic-
tied and procured from Major General Hurlburt
writing protecting the children at my house
from the interference of either John or his wife,
in the way of removal. My house was distant
from the Contraband Camp less than half mile,
and either parent was at liberty, when sober and
behaving themselves properly, to see them. At
tempts were once or twice made by unauthor-
lied soldiers in collusiOn with the man and wife,
and as have reason to believe, the officers of
the Contraband Camp (OfwhOm in the capacity
of Chaplain, or otherwise | expect "a. d. o." to
be One) to remove these children from my house.
and such attempts would have been successful
but for the protection of the papers granted me
| by Generals Hurlbutand Veatch which the pse-
udo authorized soldiers were rather afraid to
run counter to. Finally after the departure of
Generals Hulburt and Veatch to Vicksburg, up
pom the recent expedition, suppOsing they could
then do so with impunity, and in my absence
from home, John accompanied by a squad Of
soldiers-ive in number-frOm the cOntraband
camps, came to my house, surrounded by an
dinary five plank horizontal fence-such as sur
rounds the residences of nine-tenths of our citi-
zens (and which "a. D. o." magnifes into
"half prison wall fence, and in contempt Ofthe
known orders of Generals Hurlburt and Veatch,
bore off the children to the Contraband Camp.
Ascertaining upon my return home what had
been done, called at the headquarters of Brig.
Gen. Buckland, commanding then and now the
post, laid the matter before him and exhibited
to him the papers given me by Major Generals
Hurlburt and Veatch. Brig. Gen. Buckland
very promptly and properly wrote an order to
the commander ofthe contrbaand, requiring him
to cause the children to be delivered
to me, and at my request sent officer
with me to see that the order was complied with
| Upon the delivering of the order to the officer
commanding the camp, we were very grutfiy
told that aif we wanted the children we could
find them"-and to our inquiry as to the local
ity of Johns quarters, were answered as grufiy
| that sbe did not know" We were in the mean
time detained until the 'telegraphic system" of
which "a. D. o." so complacently speaks was
put into operation and the children were spir-
tied away, as graphically detailed by your truth
ful (chaplain) correspondent. We returned to
Gen. Buckland's headquarters, reported the con-
duct of the commander Ofthe contraband camp.
It's unnecessary to say any more in this con-
nectiOn, than that General Buckland satisfied
Capt. Hay that his orders were to obeyed.
will only add, further, that am not, never
was a secessionist, rank or otherwise, never did
furnish a substitute to the rebel army, or any
other army; that l never "kept this very wo-
manor any other woman-a long or short time
at work in making clothing for that army" and
was not at that time, nor have been at any time,
boarding rebel officer, paroled or otherwise
These are each and all gratuitous malicious, un-
truths falsehoods known to be such when
uttered, and are of like piece with the parts done
up in the sympathetic style" at the close OF
this rare communication.
In conclusion. ask that, in simple justice to
all the officers involved, Generals Hurlburt,
Veatch aud Rucklandl you will insert this re.