Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1865-01-13
Il II f. w r.

! oil the New York Herdtd:
"The news of the Presidents Order No. |.
series of 1865, removing Major Gen. Benz. f.
Butler from the command of the Department
of Virginia and North Carolina is causing much
comments but, so far as | can learn, little or
no animadversion. Whether rightiully or not,
! Gen. Butler has for months past been losing
the confidence Of the officers of the army, until
very few will regret his departure outside of
those that swarm around and attach themselves
to those in power. 1t has been Gen. Buffers
misfortune to appoint too many of these selfish
and irresponsible persons TO official positions
| of trust and responsibility. Their indiscretons
have often cost him dearly, and are supposed
to be in no small degree instrumental in caus-
ing his present removal
The ostensible grounds for depriving him of
his command are undoubtedly his recent fas-
cos OF Wilmington and Dutch Gan But a
mountain Of dissatisfaction has been accumu.
| latng against him for months on account Of
alleged illegal and arbitrary arrests imprison.
ments and punishments. 1t is said that many
cases of glazing injustice have come to light,
and many others are expected to be developed
| by his supersedure.
Major Gen. Butler is ordered to turn over
his command, all moneys and government
| property, and the civil fund in his possession,
to the person named by Lieut.. Gen. Grant as
his temporary successor, and to proceed to
Lowell, Mass and to report to the War De-
partment by letter.
Major Cen Edward 0. c. Ord commanding
the 24th army corps, has been named the tenn
porary successor of Gen. Butler, and will at
once take charge of the department.
THE MISSISSIPPI EXPEDITION. The success
| OF Gen. Grerson's operations on the Mobile
and Ohio Railroad has been announced in our
! dispatches. A letter from the Nashville cor
respondent of the Chicago Tribune adds these
interesting statements:
"An important expedition is in progress, of
which YOU have heard intimations, but of which
i nothing definite las been published. refer 10
the raid, or more properly, the advance of the
force from Vicksburg. While the rebels have
been raising furious cry for more men to de-
fend Mobile against Gen. Granger, force has
been moving out of Vickshurg following the
line of the railroad to Meridian, aft the man.
ner OF Sherman, destroying the track as it goes
Nor is it to stop at the point named. Ii viii
proceed to Cahaba and limo, and cut the com
municaions in that region. 1t is sufficient,
strong for that purpose; its numbers will ena
BILE ii o meet Hoods entire army in an omen
field and defeat il, even If that rebel command.
er should succeed in getting across the Tennes-
see.
AS for Dick raylor's force, it numbers bu,
, two thousand men, and with all the militia
which can be gathered it cannot be made to ex.
coed six thousand and of these will every man
be required at Mobile, SO that Dana's force
, from Vicksburg will have a clean coast, unless
he meets Hood, and if that commander does
escape and march in that direction, our cavalry
will follow him closely, and form a junction
with Dana.
Important as the severance of rebel commu-
ncation is in the region of Central Alabama, it
is not the only object of the expedition. We
have n large number of prisoners there who are
to be released if possible. They were carried
there at different periods, and are said TO num-
Der about four thousand men.
There are no formidable batteries on the riv-
err between Mobi and Selma, and few if any
obs'ructions and once get the mouth of the
river open and with the cooperation of the land
forces, Selma and Montgomery will fall as easy
d prey as Savannah. The Alabama river is
navigable to Selma for the largest class of
boats all the year; and to the mouth of the
Coosa, above Montgomery, at least eight
months"
Col. Ewing bearer of dispatches from Gen.
Sherman, contradcts the Richmond story, thut
Gen. Sherman has given assurances that the
war will not change the status of slaves, and
that he will not allow his army to interfere with
| the slaves. Col Ewing says that Gen Sherman
would be glad to have fifty thousand negro
| troops in his army, though he does not profess
TO place as much reliance upon them as some
commanders. He has already taken measures
to organize all the abe-bodied negroes who
went to Savannah with him. There are yer,
positive reports, however, that some of his off
GERS, Gen. jeff. {. Davis especially, treated the
negroes with great cruelty on the march. and
there should be rigid investigation of the
matter. 1t is not only the duty of our officers
to further the general policy of the govern
ment, but they must learn also TO forego their
old prejudices. and treat our colored soldiers
al least with ordinary humanity.
Mr.. Blair senior, started for Richmond on
Saturday, and is doubtless there and in con- |
ference with The rebel chief by tn time The |
Tribune snys he will propose peace on the con-
dition OF The return Of the rebel states to the
union but that nobody expects The offer will
be accepted. Mr.. Blair can really make no
such offer, and the attempt to blink the slavery
question, or TO seem to blink it, is so transpa-
rent deception that it gives the moral advan-
tage 10 the rebels rather than the government.
They may well say, Why do you send a man
here to insult us with the offer of peace on con.
ditlon OF our return TO the Union and the con.
stitution, when you have determined not TO
make peace on any such terms II is true that
the rebel chiefs will not accept peace on such
terms. isqute as true the government will
uot. What is gained, then. by this hugger-
muggery OF Mr. Blair? Nothing but to prove
the government guilty of duplicty, so far as it
is responsible for his mission. Let us be hon
est and manly even in treating with the reb-
els.-Spr Republican.
The Colorado Indians are more active ard
violent than ever On Saturday last party
consisting first Of 60 Indians, and afterwards
swelled TO 1900 by rentorcemenls. seem to
have had things their own way in the neghbor- I
hood of Hinesburg. Trains were robbed and {
stage stations burned, and nineteen citizens and I
soldiers were killed. The Indians finally re- c
treated, being prevented from making gen :
eral massacre of the whites as they intended, c
by The active musketry and artillery fire our
handful of troops kept up. Kit Carson is re-
ported to have fallen in with big Indian band s
in Colorado lately. and to have
been badly whipped. Our Indian policy in the {
Northwest needs some revision. We had Il
either better leave the field to the Indians who Y
are there, or else have forces enough to pro-
tect our emigrant trains and stations The II
present policy is unfair both to Indians and !,
whites. The Minnesota Indians are reported r
70 have sued for peace, and to have given up :,
Mrs. Kelly, the Minnesota woman whom they !,
seized in 1862, and have retained as prisoner ;
ever snGe.-Spr. Republican. II
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