The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-09-29


II II but an set Of justice to General
Wickham on onr part to reproducc the fol-
lowing card, and but an act Of justice TO
ourselves to say that we are not the parties
to whom he alludes as lendcavoring to in
jure him in the good opinion Of his neigh
bors. We admired his conduct during the
war, and are therefore gratiAed to know
that he did not write the letter read By Mr..
Bolts at Paterson. We still think the au-
thor of that letter is as bad as Bolts; but
We do not now believe that any prominent
rebel officer wrote it. General Wrkham
is the only distinguished rebel officer whose
intimacy with Mr.. Bolts would JUSTIFY the
public in attributing its authorship to hlm'
and as he repudiatcs it, they will be very
ant to conclude that the author was not
prominent or distinguished during the war:
| HANOVER CorxrY, September 49, lS66Sssss
James Mcdonald, Esq, Eitor Of the Wing:
Sir,-In the Dispatch Of o-day appears the
following editorial:
- AN Ex.RgBEL OrRIcER's OPINION OF THE
LOYALTY OF THE PEorLB.mlhe ioIiom, VIII,
1
army was read by the Hon. John NJ B9tts ~
| the Union meeting at Paterson, NJ. j., on
"Wednesday evening last, and is highly com
mended by the New York Tribune. Ihepuonc
| of this section will be very apt TO Tx us au-
thorship upon an officer not below the rank OF
| general who has for years been warm friend
Of MIR. Eotts. He is as bad rs Bolts himself.
| Although my name is not mentioned, learn
| that IL Is supposed that am alluded TO. And
as, so far rs 1 know, am the only "ofiiccr" in
| this section not below the rank OF general VINO
| has for years been warm friend OF Mr.. Botts'
| am forced SO to conclude, and TO regard TINS
rs part of the systematic effort set on ZOO
| and diligently kept up for the past twelve
months by those who have always been my
political opponents, covertly to injure me IN
| the good opinion of those amongst whom
live, and to the advancement OF whose lnte
rests nearly the whole of the past ten years OF
my life has been exclusively devoted.
am not the author of the letter read by
Mr.. Borts.
In a Friendship which has existed for twenty
| five years between Mr.. Bolts and myself, we
| have sometimes differed upon political mat
| tiers. There are points upon which we now
| differ. He advocates constitutional inhlbi-
tion from eligibility TO office on all partici-
| pan Is in the rebellion l wish all such to be
made equal with others under the Consttu.
| ton and law, but then want a fair field end
| an appeal to me people not again to trust with
| the management of their public affairs those
men whose incapacity for such management
consequent train of horrors.
| opposed in 1860 and 1861, with all my heart,
disunionism us the greatest i'll that could be-
| fall us.
| When the war was brought on was not 60
| ing 10 desert my own people, wrong or right.
| l abandoned three several public POSITIONS,
either one of which would have exempted me
| from military service, and went INTO the nelu
where rose without solicitation, unaided by
extraneous influence, and in spite of my
known political opinions, from captaincy to
| the rank of general officer. l was elected to
| the Confederate Congress, and thus again be.
came exempt from military service, but l
| would not leave to the care of another the no.
BILE brigade which looked to me rs its leader
| in the campaign of 1854, and thus again was
q volunteer for hardship and danger, whilst
many of those who now malign me were shel-
tering their carcases behind petty offices, under
Congressional exemptions, or bomb proofs !;
and yet, Notwithstanding this, am de-
nounced- covertly denounced-by those who
wish, for their owl r,3s, 10 destroy my lnilu-
ence with our reople, because, forsooth, nave
| remained steadfast in the political principles
have always entertained, and because l have
dared to saw that disunoIism, which frst
| manifested lis power in the disruption OF the
| Democratic party ut Charleston ana the or
ganiZation of he Breckenridge party, ana cul-
| minated in the overthrow of the nnbounded
prosperity of Virginia and tn" South, was, IN
great part, the work &c secession leaders, and
that the people should not again trust its in
stigators Win the management OF thelr pupiic
affairs.
| want no constitutional inhibitions, but l
| want the people to show those men who
steered the ship ont OF 4 safe harbor upon ru-
inoas breakers that they will hold them ac-
| countablc for il; and if we are permitted
| quietly to manage our own affairs, | firmly be.
| lieye that their good sense will cause them TO
do so. For myself, / accept fully and COM
pletely the results of the war. am III favor
| of perfect and entire reconciliation-sociala and
political 1 regard the whole United States as
| my own country; will look with rs much
pride as in former days upon its growing
| grandeur and above all, l shall devote my
| whole energy to the resusctation of the shat
| tered fortunes of Virginia as one OF the pest
means OF increasing that grandeur. shall
| labor most earnestly to restore to oil the
| States every legitimate, constitutional right of
| the States i'll which restoration Massachu-
| sctts has the same future interest with Virgil.
| MIA nor shall allow all the clamor of these
| would be Democratic leaders, to whose out
| cries have long been accust toned, to deter me
| from following such line sf policy as in my
opinion is best calculated TO attain these ends.
| Your obedent servant,
| WILLIAMS T.. WICKHAM.