The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1865-09-13
Letter from General Henry A. Wise to


We take the following from Richmond cotcm-
porary-the I8nes-of the 5th. 1t is among the
most remarkable of the productions of most re-
mariable man:
Our readers will remember that General Wise
recently made application to General Terry for
county, as under the terms of his parole. General
Terry Through General Mann) refused, for speci-
fled reasons.
Under date of September 1st, General Wise has
written letter to General Grant, forwarded
through General Terry, from which we make eX-
tracts. Hereples in succession to the points made
in the letter of REFUSAL and after declaring that he
never abandoned fliis home except in going to
camp to defend it against invasion, with the full
determination to return to it soon as the
chances of war should permit, he says: 81 found
home for my family; they were simply
refugees from the old" He then writes follows:
"lf General Terry was governed by earnest and
honest conyctions of duty, Of right and authority
was I. If he gave proof of his devotiol-so did I.
If he thought he had the shield of constitutional
law. and political sovereignty to protect him
against the charge of rebellion and treaaon-so
thought had. If he loved and cherished the
Union of these st ates loved and cherished it 30
cordially that never from choice would have Sc
ceded from it, but prepared to fight in the Union;
and if he wonders how now can truly declare
these sentiments, after voting for secession and
taking up arms against the acts OF tho Federal
EXECUTIVE and Congress. must beg him to re-
ent schools Of politics. and that will account for
our differences of opinion, and ought to allow q
large margin for charity at least if not liberation
II he was trained i'll the school of Hamilton and
the elder Adams, was in that of Jefferson and
Madison; and he would boldly expose himself to
the charge of bgotry and presumption who would
charge either school with teaching rebellion and
treason. 1t is dangerous to either to adopt the
dogmas of treason and rebellion against the other,
alternating. in domination rs they have done 30
and hang the other by turns in the course Of half
''If General Terry believed in consolidation, be-
lieyed in States rights and powers. If he believed
that the Federal Executive and Congress and the
Judiciary possessed absolute, I believed they had
only relative and delegated sovereignty. If he be-
by other powers, believed that the whole system
OF the United States, State and Federal, was COM
posed Of reciprocal checks and balances, and that
that the States We're not anun,, but plurib,ts
ununa, and this many in one, one in many. When
ginia's bucker, and claim that my sovereign State
Is sole sponsor for tho acts OF her own citizens and
subjects I am no rebel or traitor, and never was,
sna M th 9e e bs mas eu
States, and by the original authority before it ever
existed, unless she is now utterly demolished by
force which has demolished her.
''These are still the tenets Of my faith and be-
lieye these truths will perpetually revive and pre-
vail to the epnb%sssn freedom @ St
for which devoutly pray really comes again,
can, without hindranee fall on the bosom Of my
country and weep with her "for any wrongs we
have DONE" am now prisoner on parole.
daro not no,c ask Of her any favor, great small
claim only Of her good faith the precious privi-
lege. promised me by her highest agents, to 60 to
my home and be at peace.
ESQ far from my being opposed to the name
freedmen as indicating the condition Of slaves
freed by the war, tho chief consolation have in
tho result of the war is that slavery is forever
abolshed-that not only the slaves are in fact, at
least, freed from bondage, but that I AM freed
from them. Long before the war, indeed, had
definitely made up my mind actively to advocate
emancipation throughout the South. I had deter
Mined If I could help 1t, my descendants should
never be slbject to the humiliation have been
subject to by the weakness, il not the wickedness,
OF slavery; and while cannot recognize as lawful
and humane the violent and shocking mode in
which it has been abolished, yet accept the fact
most heartily as an accomplished one, and am de-
termncd not only to abide by it and acquiesce in
it, but to strive, by all the means In my power, to
make it benefcent to both races and blessing
especially to our country. I unfeignedly rejoice
at the fact, and am recOnciled to many of the
worst calamitics Of tho war, because am now
convinced that the war was O special providence
OF God, unavoidable by the nations at either ex-
treme, to tear loose from us black idol from
which we could never have been separated by any
other means than those Of fire and blood, sword