The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-09-16
Letter frona Gen. H. "A. wise to Gen. er.e..
!, We talks the following from Richmond

We taks the following from Richmond:
cotemporary-the 7iaaes-of the 9th lis
among the most remarkable Of the produc-
tions of a most remarkable man.
Our readers will remember that General
Wise recently made application TO General
IerTy for permission to return to- HIS home
IN Princess Anne County, as under the terms
OF his parole. General Terry (through Gen.
NANNY refused, for specified reasons.
Under date Of September 1st,' Gen. Wise,
has written q letter to=Gen Grant; for
warded through Gen. Terry, from which We
make extracts. He replies in succession to
the points made in the letter Of refusal.
and after declaring thai he mover ssaban-
dosled his home" except in going to camp
tocdefend it against inyasion, With the f1fl
determination toreturn to it as soon as the
chances of war should permit, he saws: ssI
found no new home for my family; t:lcy
were sinply refugees from the old He
then writes as follows. -
.1f General Terry was governed by eatn-:
est and honest Convictions of duty, of riaht
and authority in all he did-so was [. If
he was a patriot WIS I. If he gave
proof of his devotio1i-+so did T. ii he
thought he had the shield of constiti1ticnal
Law and political sovereignty to. protect him
against she charge .,s rebellion and treason
so thought I had. IF he loved and che
| rished the Union Of these States, loved and
/
| choice would have seeded from H:tbIit pre-
pared to fight lin the Union : and if he won
Eders how now can truly declare these sem
| t1meHts, after voting for secession and
taking up arms against the Federal Exc
tlye and Congress, I must beg him Il,
member that he and + have been taught l..
different schools of politics; and that will
| account for our differences of OPINION. a,sd
ought to allow q large margin for charity at
least, II not federation. y If he was trained
In the school of Hamilton and the elder
Adams, l was in that OF Jefferson and Madi-
son; and he would boldly expose ito
one ss,,9a charge OF bigotryaE presumption who
kxebelEon and aseaa6nnss is aanasroas e
either to adopt The dogmas Of treason and
rebellion against the. other, alternating in
domination as they have done 80 often
already in our history. Each might shoot
and hang the other BY turns in the course
OF half q century.
# Gen. Terry believed ed1in-consolidation, L
believed in States: rights and powers. IF
he believed that the Federal Executive and
Congress and the Judiciary POSSESSED abso-
| lutte, believed. they had only relative and
delegated sovereignty. Ii he believed that
they were unchecked and l,nba1anced by
other powers, [ believed that the, whole
eral, was composed of reciprocal checks and
| balances, and that the sovereign States we're
| the basis, checks and balances of the Federal
Government. l. was taught. that the Ststes
| were not ununa, but plu1ibus u,auAa, and this
| many In one, ono iaa mdzy. When called
rebel, 1 shall point to the - of Virginia b,
buckler, and claim that my sovereign State
Is sole sponsor for the acts of her bwn citizens
and subjects. ammo rebel or traitor, and
never was, and my State cannot be either.
she has still sovereignty by the Coastitts-
taon of the United States, and by the
original authority before it ever existed,
unless she IS now utterly demolished by
subJugaton, and unless that is. destroyed by
any force which has demolished her
These are still tenets Of my faith, and I
Deleve these truths will pertually revive
ana prevail to preserve the republican free
dom OF the people of the United States
When the civil liberty for which I devoutIy
| pray really comes again, i can, without hin
drance, fall ton the Bosom of my country
and weep with her ''for any wrongs we have
Done. am now prisoner on parole I
snsaN claim only Of her good faith, the
precious privilege. promised me by t.hsr
hsghe highest agents togo to my home end be- at
$50 far from my being opposed to the
name freedmen, as indicating the condition
! ef slaves freed by the war, the chief conso-
! lati9n have in the result of the war is that
slavbry isffOrever abolished that not only
the slaves sares il fact at least, freed from
bondage, but that. .T am freed from them. J
Long before the war; indeed, I had definitely
| made up my mind actively to advocate
! emancipation throughout the South Ihad
determined, if i could help it, my descen-
dants should never be subject to the hn-
! n1iliahon I have been subject to by the
weakness, i1.s.ss The the ~ieikeiHess Of iYery;
and while I 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 determined not only to abisle
by it and acquiesce in it, but to strive, .by
oil the means in my power, to make it bene-
ficent to both races and q blessing especially
to our country unfeignedly rejoice at
the TACT, and am reconcilcd to many Of the