Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-05-31

I pst II \ ~, ~ dla Saa "a - r..
~ oedsr - - see2er WI - ~ Pose-
~ las..(1s wh1cotEs.
u - :. & I 4 ~ e .sssry Ic e
q: s ~ ~ =. =. - % I.r,s arb! |
ssiv "A exprsssly stated that e. !ns r ~s
Ssneaded ucon ths approval o. ~ " 81. ~,
III Without k4exjedgs q - shrir !
81 "mcsrs and men persoso III. s.y
nsw oSEss .,s,cs g sapfssse e - .s.:a
cou@uc h. uu.. Alone. merely ios their
talked " Pc ~: Ga any nea- seAo the
ePo ~;tbout approving NJ ,,
order nor ,,~.-sd tho advice Of Halleck to ig-
Inen ~ y lnsult Sherman, and to arrest
Des,rAnt Of subordinate officers, not
sDe .";shont the knowledge but in defiance
cey .s - ehsnsusAnd this uas acoomRar
s:.J & ths military offence Of HAlleck's dis
s n.ss ~ I socs ipd acuAlly invadlng "a.
other military Department to assent an en-.
emy under terms Of surrender. II Was for
tunate that this order WAS countsrmanded in
time Of IN actual collision might hsvv oc-
Cured ia violation Of truce between two
armies Of our noble heroes. For this Hal
leck ought alone tD,be held rsspopsihle. Il
he Vas Of any service At oil other than an
expensive luxury, tried and lslseled Away
where it WAS supposed he was harmless, he
should Is vTitG on military law, have
been the last man TO advise the breach Of .
truce-the soldiers "higher law" He knew
thst Jollnson had surrendered, was await
ing the action Of the president upon that
surrender, and that Grant, his superior Of
| Acer, was convey ipg that action to sherman;
and yet he advised course that could only
be Testified by the clearly ascertained fact
| that both Grant and Sherman were traitors
To their country.
And then. why publish this orderf What
motive could possibly Induce this! n some
gave exigency justified the order,it should
have been kept secret Is the grave. lfthey
found Sherman was playing the traitor,
their prscaution should have been concealed.
In opy aspect the publication Of this paper
seems Che erossest folly or the meanest NAL.
ice. lfjustided by events it was blunder
1 to publish their plans, but when viewed BY
| the light Of events It was most gross pub
lie insule hsapsosnpon soidier while 10 the
successful dischasee Of the. highest duties.
The writer of this does not know that either
Stanton or Hallcck authorized its publica
ton, but he does know the whitening effect
it had on Shcrman's reputation, not for
what was alleged in it, but from what was
fairly implied from it.
WHY'S not this explaincdY VINO pun
lished it? Where was the pubic censor
them Why not not now announce In an
equally specific order that the iears upon
which Il was based proved utterly GROUND
i n1n~1 leo
and will not now openly acknowledge that
it was founded in error, he continues an
insult and evincc malice. Then he must
expect open defiance and insult, and neither
his person or rank can shield hun. 1t can
not be denied that after this order was is
sued, while the telegraph was under strict
military censorship, the public mind was
poisoned against Gen Sherman by kilograms
since shown to be false, ~ that he refused
to obey the summons Of the congressional
committee, and that facts relieving him
from blame were not stated, as that the or
der Of Gen. Weltzel was approved by Mr..
Lincoln, but afterward Withdrawn. And
this, too, while Gen. Sherman was beyond
tho reach Of letter or telegram, actively en-
gagged in his official duties. 1t is true that
Mr.. Stanton neither can or ought to control
the press, and IS often roughly hadled by it.
Yet had not IN officer in Gen. Sherman's
position the right TO expect some effort on
the the part of his department to stay the
tide ofcalumny, the very moment the return
Of Gen. Grant withe unconditional surren-
der of Johnston proved how grcundless
and foolish had been the idle fears at Wash
iDgton
Now, it is plain that the true course is to
publish the official report; to respect the
natural resentment Of soldier sensitive on
account Of q palpable wrong; to avoid ming
ling personal feelings with the general joy
over great triumphs, to noither force or op
pose publec Judgment upon the merits Of
l controversy no longer important to the ma
ton, and leave to the country and history
to settle the credit due to the prominent act
ors in the war The writer Of this is not
disposed to belittle either the services of
Gen. Sherman or the energy of Mr.. Stan
ton, and would rather see both expended on
the common enemy.