Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-09-14
General Sherman.

General Sherman.
Major. Gen. w. T. Sherman has become
decided favorite with our Sham Democra-
needless defeDses and viDdications, they laud
bis first arrangement for Peace with 10.
Johnston; they even talk at times Of run
ming him for next President. He is no
Radical" he stood out stoutly against
negro soldiers; he has BOT yet rubbed of the
rust Of all bis old West. Point prejpdices;
and all the world knows he is honest and
outspoken. Whatever testimony be sees fit
to offer, therefore, on the issue of the day.
is entitled to their respectful consideration.
The Huntsville Advocate (Ala.) of Aug.
81, contains q private letter, written in
August Of last year, by Gen. Sherman,
while besioging Atlanta, to an old South
ern friend, Mr.. ID. M. Martin Of Sand Noun.
tain, Ala, who seems to have been swept
into the vortex ofRebellion. In this letter,
along with much Of merely personal interest,
Gen. Sherman says
II was never q politician, but resigned
from the army and lived in California till
three children, who wanted to be near home
but had the old army so ground into my
composition that civil pursuits were too
tame, and / accepted an offer as President
ofthe Louisiana Military Academy. There
fore, at the time of Lincolns election was
at Alexandra, on Red River. saw and
you must have seen, that the Southern
politicians wanted to bring about secession,
separation. They could have elected Mr..
Douglas but they SO managed that Lincoln's
election was made certain, and after they
had accomplished this, was it honest and
fair for them to allege it as cause OF war?
Did not Mr.. Breckinridge, as Vice.Pres-
I dent, in his seat, declare Mr. Lincoln the
lawfully elected President Of the United
States? Was it ever pretended the President
was our Government Don't you know
that Congress makes the laws, the Supreme
Court judges them, and the President only
executes them? Don't yeu know that Mr..
your rights? Now, was in Louisiana, and
while the planters and mechanics and indus
trious people were happy and prosperous,
the politicians and busy bodies were schem
ing and plotting, and got the Legislature to
p IS an ordinance of secession, which was
submitted to the people, who voted against
it--yet the politicians voted the State out
and proceeded to take possession of the
United States mint, the forts, the arsenal
and tore down an old flag and insulted it,
That, too, before Mr.. Lincoln had got t.
Washington. saw these things, and beg
ged Bragg, and Beauregard, and Gov
Moore, and host of personal friends, 4
beware. In that was high treason. Blu
= they answered the North was made up o
mean manufacturers, of traders, of farmers
| who would not fight. The people of tn,
North nerer dreamed Of interfering will
the slavery or property of the South
They simply voted as they had right t.
do nd xrk
| the people Of the South should begin t,
: take possession of the United States fort
and arsenals till our government had don
I something wrong-something oppressive. =
D The South began the war. You know il
1 and millions of others living at the Sout
!, know it; but the people OF the North wer
= as innocent Of it as your little grand chill
D dreD. Even after forts had been taker
g public arms stolen from our arsenals an
distributed among the angry militia, tn
brave and honest freemen Of the great Mort
: could not realize the fact, and did not unit
- Beauregard began to fire upon a garriso
:, of the United States troops in a fort bull
y y by the common treasury of the ohole country
! Then as by mighty upheaval, the pcopl
a. rose and began to think of war, and nc
!, until then"
I" Gen. 8. is mistaken as to the submis
slOU IuO OUuNcuttOu Ol bOulSlaUd VI
l. Ordinance Of Secession to vote of the pei
3 pie. q. They were a great deal too cunnin
e for that. But he is emphatioaly right O
tho main points, namely:
|. That the Southern Democratic leat
ers engineered Mr.. Lincoln's first election
A. 2. That Secession and Disunion we,
Df contrived and carried by those leaders
r defiance Of the popular will;
j. 3. That the war was commenced by thos
leaders before Mr.. Lincoln was iuaugurt
q. ted; and
e 4. That the position of the North in tn,
u War was essentially defensive against wa
ton insult and aggression.
" TO show that these are not Abolition
0, assumptions, we clip one brief passage fro
10 the close Of Gen. Sherman's letter-as fl
lows:
% 81 care not a straw for niggers. IT
moment the master rebels, the negro
+ free of course; for he Is a slaJe only by tau
Ia and, the la,s broken, he Is free"
r, When this doctrine was first distinct
of enunciated by Edward Everett, it was m
by a howl of execration from the Cope
o. head journals, as the desperate device Of
ly conservative turned courtier and radical i
he his servility Here it isq quito as broad
affirmed by Gen. Sherman, in languag
even more terse and forcble than Mr.. E
~ y, erett's. How shall he be answered?
be We insist that our cotemporaries wi
nj still assert that the North made war on Il
il. South, or provoked the South to seced
No shall either try to confute Gen. Sherman
to summing up of the case or cease their tier