Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-04-28
Weekly National InteIiigencer.
THURSDAY, APRIL 2S, 1864.
THE DOCTRINE OF MILITARY 1MPUrATIoN

Immediately after the last repulse of our forces
at Olustee, in Florida, it generally felt by the
public press that a scapegoat must be selected to
bear the patriotic indignation of the country at
such calamity. 1t was admitted on all hands
that " somebody had biundered." The only ques-
ton was, "Who shall bear the blame% The
political friends of the Administration were quite
unanimously agreed in appointing General SEY-
MoUR, the commander of our troops in Florida, to
perform the office of expiation demanded by the
melancholy occasion. The New York Evening
Post, than which the Republican party has no
more intelligent or influential organ, was among
the foremost to raise the hue and cry against this
officer. And, lest any body might suppose that he
was selected at random for the purpose of being
vicariously offered up to appease the military gods
of the nation, the reason OF his imputed military
guilt was carefully assigned by our contemporar
when it described him as an "habitual contemner
of the negro race" also of "negro troops" and q
"vrulent pro-slavery man." 1t is known that
these are the qualities which are judged to be in
dispensable to modern military scapegoat A
Senator, Mr.. HENDERSON, of Missouri, speaking
on the subject only few days ago, remarked:
Congress keeps up the old theme, devisng ways and
means to cripple savery. We act though Presden-
tia proclamation against slavery would end the rebellion
diseased and morbid sentiment the subject has spread
abroad We want something done, after which doubt
that slavery Is dead his stessness leads us
into many errors. Some of the capacity of
officers in the field. not much by successful strategy
sgans the enemy by their activity in freeing slaves In
eagerness to accomplish end we lay precedent
which, under change OF may place our own
rights at the mercy of military power, An illegal procla
nation against slavery Ike mantle of charity to
cover multitude of faults 1t is the waters Of the
Jordan, washing out the taInt of eprosy He who is
known to be anti-siavery may drive ten thousand
men to unavailng slaughter. The country laments
the dead but honors the hero. Why mott Cesar lost
Dyrrhachium Hannibal lost Zama; Napoleon lost Lepsic
and Waterloo The country may bleed but the heart OF
hero right He thats thought To be doubtful upon
this alabsorbDg question is under constant suspicion
Ten nor twenty successful battles hun. The tale
OF an idiot against him Is believed"
, Gen. Seymour, it seems, is not willing to bear
the burden of the lost battle at Olustee in defer
ence to this modern doctrine of imputation. In
letter to the editors of the Evening Post he says
"Pro-slavery sentiments-even in moderate form-I
never entertained But despse and scorn the hypocrt
cal and sancmonious philanthropy of who fat
teninR-persouay pecuniarlly, aud pocally-upon the
OF the black but who have been very careful
to HIM example the battle field. And that have
faithfully carried out the desires and commands of the
Government, far as have had command Of colored
troops, the following letters will best show"
linen loHoWs an array Vi Nsulnony iom mapy
officers associated with Gen. Seymour which fully
exonerates him from the charges of the Evening
Post and that journal had particularly inveigh-
ed against Gen. seymour because of his alleged
contemptuous treatment of Robert Small, the
gallant coored pilot who brought the steamer
Planter out of the harbor Of Charleston, and who
is one OF the heroes of our war" the General very
cogently produces letter from Robert Small fatty
contradictng the Posts statement. Gen. Sey-
.mour, we doubt not, quite right in supposing,
as he does, that Roberts testimony would be .
"clincher" with the Evening Post. Accordingly
he cannot be disappointed to find t. at contem-
porary makes honorable amends for the error into
Nhich it fell when it pronounced him bad General
because of bis supposed opinions on ethnology and
politics. The Post says:
In respect to Gen Seymour, whose brave services at
su nter aud elsewhere have been always prompt to
aud against whose courage honor word
has been Whispered we must observe that we have
fad nothing upon rumor hearsay Our remarks
hAye been uuded upon the letters OF various correspond
ents on whom have had every ~ rely and upon
the personal observations Of of own stsf. But
brings against these the testimony OF officers who
have had better opportunities OF witnessing his depoit
nent bound to CONSIDER his letter compete and
exoneraton Let add that il gives the
Ntest pleasure to learn that have been mistaken In
regard To bis sentiments slavery and bis treatment OF
the coored troops His viDdicaton will also be read with
interest by large part Of the loyal community which
de,res to ts soldiers like the humane aud cbvsrCus
BAyurd not only without fear, but without reprosch