The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-01-31

....sa.z.E.sz.z!
|. a MsgTaoeful I General Order
+ A paper was issued lately from. rths
Hsadquasters Of the Military Division o
the Tennessee under the.style of 3 Gene
IFal Order Nnnlbar Forty and pnrportine
to have been uttered by the authority o.
Major General Thomas. This General Or
der was made Che vehicle sof ! L scufrilbn.
attack on the character ofthat eninentge
ltlemaa and true Christian, the Reverend
Doctor Wihaer, Bishop Of Alabam@ The
cloth Ola clergyman always protects hin
from indlgnity amongst gentlemen. That
la Bishop Of the church. d NAH Of learning
|piety, purity Of life, and winning gentleness
FOL malitier, should llave been iiisalted~ PAD.
licly by any man, and that man a, soldier
a Soldier Of faiiik would have exceedpfp rom
belief if we had not ,seens what Adjutant
General ,Whipple calls = General Order
Number Fort. 3 Z This order results from
the Presidents lifection'to General dhom.
as to revoke the order whereby he closed
the Episcopal Churches of Alsbama, aad
suspended the clergy Of that diocese. The
military tyranny which was thus snubbed
in assertion Of civil law, found no alterna-
tive but to submit; and the character Of
this Order OF General Thomas illustrates
the vindietiye reluctance of the submission.
The insolence and virulcnce Of that paper
cannot be illustrated otherwise so we'll as
by its full text but we shall give here few
extracts illustrative, Of its general tone.
Speaking OF the Bishop Of Alabama, the
General Order holds the following style Of
cantiug scurrility:
Alarmed at this imminent and impending
peril to the cause in which he had embark
ed with all his heart and mind, and desiring
to check, if possible, the spread Of popular
appreciation and grateful appreciation ofthe
magnanimous policy Of the President, in his
efforts to bring the people of the United
States back to their former friendly and ma.
tional relations one with another, an indi,
vidual styling himself Bishopiof Alabama,
forgetting bis mission to preach peace on
earth and good viii toward men. and being
animated with the same spirit which,
through temptation, bagaiIed the mother Of
men to the commission OF the first sin
thereby elltaiipg eternal toll and trouble
on earth-issued from behind the Shield Of
his office his manifesto Of the Goth, etc.
"Thc individual styling himself Bishop of
Alabama" is the language in which an
American soldier speaks Of the dignitary of
a Christian church! Nor does he hesitate
to assail the Bishop heart, and mind, and
loyalty, and Christian duty, round terms,
which certainly transcend somewhat the
Of even. common decency.
The General Order goes on to say of the
Rev. DR. Wilmer: - -
The man, in his position of a teacher Of
religion, charity and good fellowship with
bis brothers, whose paramount duty as such
should have been characterized by frankness
and freedom from all cummings thus took adj
vantage of the sanctity Of his position to
mislead the minds Of those who naturally
regarded him as d teacher in whom thew
could trust, and attempted to lead the@
back into the l.ayy..urns of treason. For
this covert and cunning actheTwas depriv-
ed Of the privileges Of citizenship, in so far
as the right to, siiiciate as minister OF the.
Gospel, because it was evident he could
not be trusted toioRiciate asd epnGnei his
to matters Of religion alone; in
fact. that religious matters were but d see
ondary consideration in his mind, he hay-
ing taken an early opportunity to, subyert
the church to the Justification and dissent
nation of this reasonable sentiments.
This il d sad spectacle to men who re-
member period which, though not very
manly years ago, may yet be described as
{ the good old time when the uniform of
The United States was o badge Of cultiva-
lion, honor and chiyalry, In those days
there was lofty esprit de corps among the
officers OF the army, to which an appeal from
such an outrage as this social General
Order Number 40 would not have been
taken in vain, and before such tribunal
The officer issuing that order would surely
have been held guily-of conduct "unbe-
coming an officer and gentleman"
But the brave and generous soldier who
issued g General Order Forty has left his
to put the grossest possible insult
on the Bishop'of Alabama beyond all room
tor, charitable doubt, The conclusion of
MS scnrrilous g Order" contains the follow,
ing Billingsgate: 99flf. OIL 4 4
Therefore the restrictions heretofore .im7l
posed upon tile Episcopal clergy Of Ala
oama are hereby removed, and Bishop Will
ner is left to that ;renorse Of conscience
to the exposure and failure of
he diaboIical schemes ofdesigning and cor
'ppt minds. VIZ t.sltsx.s,s "a a4.3]
Here the Bishop Of Alabama is, berated
IS a base fellow Of the manner sort who has
been detected in. schemes That are denounc-
ID as adiaboIical," and whose mind is char
lcterized BY corruption! There is mol
Court of Appeals to which this abominablel
outrage on the decencies OF life will be re-
erred in assertion Of even the respect due
% the rank ofan officer in the army Of the
United States, Butboth the reference and
he Court might be, created by the authori-
y of General Grant or Of Mr.. johnson,