The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-08-26
Gen, Shepley INDICATED.

A correspondent of the Wdtchmoa and
Reflector of Boston, under the head of "Per-
.ecuting Freedmen" has recently brought Sc
rious charges against Gen. Shepey to the eff
feet that he broke up q school for colored
children, who occupied a room which was al
so used for public worship, Ia Portsmouth,
Va, on the preteBse that it was needed or q
hospital; that this was the only loyal church
in the city, while all around it, aud much
more conveniently situated, were secesh
churches of. various denominations, which
might have been used for this purpose; and
that in other respects the freedmen were i'll
reated by Gen. Shepley. And the cores
pondent closes his communication by suggest
ing that his clerical friends cannot put a
CALF hour to a better use than in writing
ietter to the President or Secretary Stanton
ON the subject"
The following reply TO these charges ap-
pears in subsequent number OF the Watch
man over the signature OF "E. s." and is w
aoubtedly from the pen Of Judge Shepley Of
this city who speaks pb authority:
..The statements which have been made in
| AnS " tttNMuH Uttt IiT.fttLtof VI oui1 -C-I.
| respecting the use of me Baptist church in
Portsmouth, Va, for ahospitai, are erroneous.
No member of the church which wOrsbipped
/ mere has been known 10 complain. It was
necessarily taken for the relief OF wounded
/ ylored soldiers. The hotels and public halls
| there had been previously used Tor hospitals.
! Wounded soldiers were constantly arriving
nom the front. The day before that church
was taken telegram was received by the
surgeon that three hundred more were on
their way. More room was necessary. The
surgeon in charge applied tor the Baptist
church; and the provost marshal also urged
ITS occupation as being nearest 10 the hospital,
and best adapted TO the purpose. Cen Shep-
| ley, before conserving 10 its occupation, per-
sonaIly inspected the hospitals, and the build
, ings which could be taken, and found that
tnere were apout fourteen hundred patients
20 be provided Tor, while the number of .medi-
| cal and other attendants had been provided for
about four hundred only. This church could
sasiig be connected tgiH the priRcipel hos
DitaL IL was nearer than the other churches,
md much better adapted to hospital purposes
had a yard not exposed 10 the street for ReceS-
sdrg purposes, which The other churches exam
lned had not. Neither the surgeon who APP
| il.ed for Il. the military officers who recon-
| mended it as the most suitable, nor Gen.
Shepley, who permitted them to take it for
the immediate relief of sick and wounded
freedmen and soldiers, had the slightest refer
ence to or thought Of anything but its supe-
frior fitness for the purpose. The other
| churches must be taken when needed, il no
other building is provided fer the relief OF
| suffering soldiers. Rev. Mr.. Stockbridge, q
chaplain in the navy, charges Gen. Shepey
with depriving c0lored children of their
school, Did lie not well know that no schools
are there kept open in July and August
The school would have been closed In a few
days, as the other coored schools have been
for the usual summer vacation. During this
vacation Gen. Shepley is having a census
taken of all the eolored children in that
military district, preparatory to more com
plete system of education for them all.
Ia addition TO the statement Of Judge
Shepley, the editors OF the U'atchmda ap
pend the following remarks:
ave have received from another accredited
source-a surgeon in the Portsmouth hospi
tals-a communication which covers suhstan
TALLY the same ground of the above, showing
that the initiative in the action complsiued o
was not taken by Gen. Shepley, and further
most fully exonerating that officer from
blame. Our correspondent, according e
these two witnesses, must have written hi
article under misrepresentation of the fact
in the case"