The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-06-10
to send to Augusta ai,scnce what clothing and

small stores be c0tlo spare dor Generai IL
! son, and to open up q line of certain coInmu
nicaton and supply with him at Macon
Within an hour the captured steamboats, jeff
Davis and Amazon, both adapted to the shal
low and crooked navigation of the Savannat
river, were being loaded, the ore at Savannah
/ and the other at Hilton Head. The former
started up The river TIE 1st of May IN charg
of 4 very intelligent officer Whose name
crn not recall and,4S men (ali the boat
could carryj with orders to occupy teinpOra.
rily the United States arsenel at Augusta
aud open up communication with General
Wilson at Macon, in the event that General
Upton's division of cavalry vas not already
there; the army followed next dav, and Gen.
Gilmore had made the necessary orders for
brigade of Infantry, to be commanded by
General Molyueux, to follow by II land march
to Augusta. as its perEsanent garrison
anoth.r brigade was ordered to occupy
Orangeburg, South Carolina, the point fur
thest in the Interior that can AT present De
reached by rail from the sea coast Charles
tony
On the lst of MAY ! wen. to Savannah.
Were General Gilmore also joiaed "a, and
the arrangements ordered for the occupation
of augusta were consummated. AtSavannah
! focud the city under the most admirable
police discipline, under direction " Brevet
Major General Grover, and the citizens man
Tested the most unqualified joy to hear that,
SO far as they were concerned, the war wa.
over. All classes; Union Is we'll As for
mer rebels, did not conceal however, the APP
prchensions naturally arising from a total
ignorance Of the political conditions to be
attached 10 their future state. Anything at
all would be preferable 10 this Dire j uncer-
taintv.
On the evening of the 81 Of Nav, re
turned 10 Hilton Head. and there fyr the :irst
time received the New Yorh paqcrs Of April
%. containing Secretary stanton dispatch
OF a. III. of the 29th OF \ pri! to Genera! Dix
including Gel neral Hal!eck'S from Richmond
OF p. m the night before. which seems 10
have rushed with extreme haste before an
excited public. VIZ: morning OF the 2-th.-
You will observe from the dates these de-.
patches were running back and forth from
Richl-sni and w. t.n9ton tc New York,
aud there published. while General Grant
aud we're together IN R,leigh, y. C., adjust
ing, TO the lest of our ability, the term, OF
surrender Of the only rem aiming formidable.
rebel army in existence NJ the time east OF
itc N5s-issip,i -iver. No. pl,e word o! in
s,rucgi5a had beer. seat u tle of the dis
pleasure OF Ihe goy=rHmen; "i'h nv otAcia!
cUnduc but only the naked dIsaPuTnval vi i
skeleton memorandum sent property i,r the
action Of ih- President OF the United States.
The most Objectionable feature Of my memo
r.1dum h-d already (APril2 been publish
el % the World Ia violation If Official us7 =,
and the contents Of my accompanying I-'tet> :
- Ga4..a Halleck, General Grant and sec
r.talY Stanton. Of even i.te though II hsud.
erre suppressed In all t,rse letters i':s-.
stated clearly a;.d disGgtiiF that JO' u>tsu =
army would .ol l2hj. lUt Ii pushed would
"Li.L-u4" AID scatter iptn small anu danger
uU, guerrilla parties as injurious o. tf., JHI-
ie., States 10 the peopl. themselves; that
all parties admitted that the rebel cause ut
Tie South MAS abandoned. tlat the negroes
were free, and that tie temper of all vas
most favorable - "a lastIug peace. say all
these opinions Ci mine wrre wtaheid trum
the public with seeming 2arToss. And
d. contend that my official experience aud
i5r.nrr scryg"e<, "a well us nv -l,ast Eie ant
f,miiIariiy With Iho people a.d ogr'phy oi
tie South emitted my opinions % ~ least q
decent respect.
N Though tbs dispatch M. S;auton's. q
April - was printed official. II had co ne
10 me only Ia the questionable shape OF j
newspaper paragraph headed Sherman :
truce di,rcgarded." had already done what
Gen. W.soG wanted rAe to DO, 'i2; had sent
hun sg,-;,l.e, of clothing al TODD. vi h clear
rud dislinct ORDERS and in.:r@ctiOns how to
carry out Western Georgia the terms for
,r,. sure der ot arms aud paroiiug the prs
ouers made 10y Gen. Johnston captGlatIon
Of \ pril Is, aud had properly and mos: "p
portuuelv ordered General Gilmore TO oc-
cupy OrauEehurg and Augusta-SttaieEic
poiuts OF great value NJ all tines. IN peace
uuI war. BIT as the Secretary had taken
upon him nseli 10 order my subpriIsaie g-rtr
al 10 disubey my '"ricrs. | exp aimed +
General Gilmore that would no Longer
confuse iim o- General Wilson with 'or iers
that III ght conflict with those Of the Secre
Grv. wi.ich. "a reported, were not sem
through me, but IN opes disregard OF me and
OF my lawful authoriiy.
1t now becomes my duty - Toint in Justly
sever, character the s;ii more offensive and
dangerous Is matter oC Geae-al Ha!lrck's di,
patch OF Ap'l % 20 the Secretary al War
embodied IN h- TO General Dix OF April -
! General Halleck has been chicfot staff Oft Il
/ army at Washington. in which capacity h,
r. celyed my liiiclal letter OF April Is wherr
! In | wrote clearly that II JohusfOns arm
/ about Greensbt rough WAS pushed 1t woulC
/ ..di,persc' '-,in event which | wished 10 pre-
I vent About tha, tirie te seems TO have
/ been seui from Washington to Richmond Il
/ command tle new military division of tht
/ James, in assuming charge OF which on III,
/ I'D he defines the limit of his autho .itv TO b.
/ the department of virginia, the Army o
d. the Potomac; and such part OF North Caro-
/ lima AS may NOT be occupied by the com
/ n.and of Major General Sherman" See hi
/ General Order, No. |. -Four DAYS late
/ April 26l he reports Is tie Secretary tina
/ be had ordered Generals Meade. Sheridan
/ and Wright to invude that part of North Car
olina which WAS occupied by nv command
! and pay mo regard 10 any truce or Uruer OF
mine They were order d to push forward
regardless t. any orders save those of Licn
tenant General Grant, and cut off Johnston
retre.t" He knew, at the time he wrot.
that dispatch and made those ordesss tha
Johnston was not retreating, but was halt,.'
ulder foriy-eight hours :ruce with me. an'
was laburiug to surrender his command an,
prerent its dispersion into guerrilla bands
! and that | had on the spot a ma -niiicen
army at my command. amply sufficient 70
all pun poses required By the occasion. Tt'
4 plan OF cutting off a retreat from the direc
ii N of Burkesville aud Danville is hald'
worth. of one OF his military education an
genius.
When he contemplated an act so question
able rs the violation OF ii truce made by com
petent authority, he should have gone him
self aud not nave sent subordinates, for IL
knew Iwas bound in honor to defend an
ntui..tain nty o,ca truce and pledge OF faith
even at the cost of many lives. When a
officer pledges the faith OF his government, h
is bound 10 'leteud it, aud he is no soldle
who would violate it knowingly.
rs to Davis anl his stolen treasure, d.
General Halleck, as chief OF staff, or con
nianling officer of the neighboring milltar
division. notify me Of the facts contained l
his di>pftch To The Secretary No he di
not. lf the Secretary OF War wanted Davi
caueht, why not order II, instead of pnblisi
ing it in the newspapers, putting him on hl