Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-02-13
LETTER FROH BREvET SIAJ.-GEN. 4
r EaehE.

Hon. J. n. Armstrong. + Frankfort, Ky;
Dear Sir: I havethe honor TO Oacknowl-
c4re the receipt Of your telegram of this
date, giving me notice Of meeting o.
your legislative committeeat Lexington,
XIV on the third inst. Ihave responded,
asking that the investigation be delayed
until rnvreturu TO Kentucky. Ny duties
win 6-tain me in Washington for several
days. hope to be at Frankfort by the
twentieth OF twenty-fifJh inst, ami VIII
then he pleased 10 meet your commltiee
aad aid v0u IN investigating mol Only
the cases % which / referred IN my I'm
c-nuaI speech. but many Others oI SINH
1s- cna-a4ter Of which complaints are
made in different sections OF the state.
/ rrilsf that great good will result from
this invsstfyat Let us 60 down %
the rasrd psu,' and ascertain lne exact
coalition Of the freedmen Of Kentucky,
and the disposition OF your people toward
them.
Reports Of outrages upon returned col
ored soldiers especially are contnealiy
reaching me from the "blue-grass' ami
t1bscc3-produciug sections of your state.
It's charged that in some localities the
civil authorities utterly neglect 10 pro-
recr the freedmen, that In other sections
they refuse % do SO, and i'm few places
that they are poweriass in the presence
of outlaws who pursue with wrath and
vengeance our mustere3-out soldiers,
without distinction Of color.
] know from my own observation that
there Is some truth in these reports. ]
was az Lexington on the niteentn and
sixteenth ult. Ihsd been expected there (
for many DAYS, and a number Of freed I
men from tie surrounding counties 4
had couzregsted az that point ID I
meet me and make known their
complaints. I saw thirteen Is
coiored men who had been soldiers in the [
army. all Of whom stated that they had
been Iaaitreated by their former owners
when rhev had returned % their old
homes % ask for their wives and chill
d-sn. some Of them, from Garrard
county, ] tLiuh, with their bruised heads
and swollen eyes, gave evidence OF Sc
we're treatment. Others stated that iney
had been cruelty beaten aud threatened
with shooting. Bourbon, Woodiord,
Madison, Montgomery and Garrard
Countie- were represented az Lexington.
Thee men were intelligent They ap-
uearsd honest. sud bore the mark Of
upon their persons. ! as
sure You TtbJu1hf, from their statements
and anpearauce, that thew had been brU-
fGIy treated I referred them TO the 7
proper parties, that tleir complaints +
might he duly investigated anti their [
wrongs relre-sed. 5
/ was informed by gentlemen in whom 2
I lad great confidence that the civil au- g
thOrittes gave no attention 10 these out /:
RACES, and ] left Lexington with the con- Z
viction that the freedmen Of the Blue :
grass section ought 20 have more pro- I
lection than The civil authorities could d
OF would afford.
ts'4l e
lT EentUcky, through the War Depart /
neuu st Washington, had been referred T
10 myself for action, in which similar
were made and the Govern Z
meut's protection invoked. / made q
strong statements at Cincinnati. ! was Z
-peakInE at the Anniversary Of the Il
y eEteru Freedmeu's Aid Commission, "a
IN organization which has expended II
many thousands OF dollars contributed !,
1y benevolent people in both Europe and e
America for The personal relief and edu- d
.at ton Of the freedmen. ] desired 10 Il
-eure-eut the true condition Of jhe peO- z
be over whom 1 had supervision. {,
had met persons in Cincinnati b
Who charged that all Kentucky was in %
to freedom and Justice. / de 3
ned the charge, aud stated tIat hy far q
ne greater portion of your DeOple-I
while they pr0teSted that the abolition Of
lavorv was a great wr0ng-sccepted the -
act tla- slavery was abolished, and
we're treating the freedmen with Justice .-
nd generosity. / stated that cases Of ~
rutal treatment were exceptional 1 IN
lso statei that the Kentucky law makers y,
would be reigctant 10 enact laws that n
would secure impartial justice 10 her n
-eedmen. and I certainly reached that a
1ueIu-i0n when I was al Frankfort. =,
.oua v-as mistaken IN that particular ~
spoke ia most piimeRtary terms Of ;,
be action Of y0ur State Agricultural =
convention which convened at Frank -.
lrt on the eleventh ulJ. ] assure you q,
fat I did not iBtend anything 10 exten- =
ate or aught set down in malice, and il !,
non investigation - strict and thor nj
ugu-it shall appesr that ! have in the
east misrepresented your people, ! viii n
aake honorable amends by retractiOn d
et1re the world. 4
r. on the other hand, I present % your y,
omm.ttea proof as strong a. holy writ !.
hat 7 did not misrepresent yoD, I rust 4
be gentlemen who have denounced ma ri
: O. .iar and slanGerer' viii permit me r
o f5rgive them their trespasEes against :,
be. God forbid that any words Of mine r
hsulG mI=represent the people OF any n
.ate. or tLst L shogld be instrumental o
q producing disc0r1 or stgitH. lt is my r
e-ire 70 devote myself 10 the promotion n
Z .-anCui'!rv. 70 aid in restoring conf j.
enee and go0ily fellowship all over the n
and. and ~ follow the things that make i
Or a peace permanently established In d.
lst.ca and truth. 4
: s-1. sir, With great reS1e-f. ylur ob.t servt 4
Bvt. Naj.-ls-ll. aud Ass'l Com'r n