Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-05-30
A Sharp Letter from Gen. Sherman,
"CANP NEAR ALEXANDRIA, Va |
May IL, 1858

khNf NEAR 4ALEAA NuhiAi W.
May IL, 1858 )
Col. w. S B0lomdH
Dear SRI am just arrived All my army
will be in to-day, | have been lost 70 the
world in the woods for some time, YET On ar
irving at the settlements lind have made quite
d Sur amony the stay-at-homes, and that the
most sinister motives have been asotibed 10 me.
have made llequent olhea reports Of my Off
cal action IN ali public matters, and all OF them
have teen carefully suppressed, whilst the most
ridiculous nonsense has been Industrl)usy spread
abroad through all the iustrumentalities OF tel
egraphs and newspapers. We'll, you know
what Importance attach to such matters and
that have been too long fighting with real reb'
els with muskets in their hands to be scared by
mere non combatants, no matter how high their
civil rank or station, IL Is amusing to observe
how brave and firm some men become when all
danger is past bave noticed on fields Of bat
tie that brave men ueyer mutllAte the dead OF
insult the captured, but towards and laggards
always do. cannot now recall the act, but
Shakespeare records how poor Falstaa, the prince
OF towards and wlts, rising from a leigned death
stabbed again and again the dead Percy, and
carried his dead CARCASS alglt in triumph tC
provo his valOr
Now that the rebellion in our land is dead
how many Falstad3 appear to brandSh the cyl
dence OF their yaor and seek to appropriate
honoIs and the public applause for eeds thai
never were done.
As to myself, ask no reward no popularity
but dlre the War Department to publisI
my Official letters and reports.
| assert that my official acts have been pur
poseiy suppressed, while all the power Of The
press has been Indignantly turned against IN,
while | was unconscious Of the damning plot
! But time makes all things even, if we but wal
the hour.
do want peace and security and the return
to law and justice, from Maine to the Ri
Grande, and II il does not exist now, il is 10
State reasons beyond my comprehension. |
may be counted strange tina! one who has u
fame but soldier should have bsen 80 careful
to try aud restore the civil power VI the Gov
erument and tho peaceful jurisdiction Of th
Federal Courts but 1t Is very difficult to dis
cover in tina, TACT any llst cause OF oifense to a
enlightened people. Bat when men choose t
Islander aud DjuTe they can easily invent ID
necessary facts for the purpose, when the pre-
posed victim Is far away, engaged in public Eel
vice OF their own bidding. Bus there is consC
latlon in knowing that though truth lies in til
bottom Of well, the Yankees have perseverance
enough to get to the bottom. Your friend
W T. SHERMAN"
" Burleigb, the well known New York col
respondent OF the Boston Journal writes thu
he has the bestauthority for saying Mr.. Stantc
has never had in bis possession the report. Gel
Sherman alludos to above. They were mae
to Gen Grant, Shermans superior officer, an
i. IS stated that Grant withheld them from pu
lica ion contrary to Stautons desire The
ports ore soon to be published.
Il is to BE- regretted that any misandcr,t.n.
ing should have arisen between Sherman, Star
ton AMI ilalleca, as much bad feeling has Their
by been engeui RCD, and the end Of the Vi
happy controversy appears as far distant as eve
TIE parties have all been too seryiceable to Il
country, and male too brilliant and eniurir
a record ia the struggle now SO happily term
u mated to allow a moments doubt Of their o
triotism or the purity of their motives She
mans impulsiyc temperament and Stanton
bru'quc manner OF treating every Oppcaran
+ of wrong doing may have betrayed both in
indIscreet and unfortunate statements aud act
9 but the nation will be slow to impute selfish
J. unpatriotIc motives 20 either Of those cbeftair
Tho people gratefully remember Sherman
= bruiRnt botjl's aud marches, and Stanton
energy and ability IN the management OF &
War Department, ard would gladly lotget
i that might tend TO dim the rasplendeu, fame
T the hero and the statesman.