The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-09-07
THE ROsECRANS AND LEE CORRE.
SPONDENCE

influence as its authors intend 1t to have, be-
cause 1t comes from a class Of men who are of
no account poihcally-men who have struck
At the life of the nation, and who did all In
their power to destroy the American Govern
ment, and to make human slavery perpetual.
1t exposes, notwithstanding 1t Is adroitly got
ten up, the aim and purpose Of the ultra South.
ern rebels, and the ultra Northern copperhead
Democracy The unity Of these factions is
complete, and their purpose Is the overthrow
ofthe American Government, and the throne.
ment OF popular liberty on this continent.
1t will be observed that both letters bear date
of August 20, and that Mr.. ROsecrans' deslreis,
with HIS "hcdr in his hdni"-Quite affected
indeed-to know the opinions Of those "scIC
Idcrt fcing men who sustained the COnfederacy
for four years. that's, In plain words, whether
these patriots % mean to get up another re-
beuion, or whether they will not condescend
to forego that pleasant pastime, and consent .
to stand by the Union, provided they can be
permitted to rule it as OF old 1t would be
naturally expected that Mr.. Lee and his thirty
conferees would have taken, at best, \ day or -.
two to consider the very polite and eulogistic ,
letter OF the Union General but no, they at
once reply on the same day, and, for ought we
know, the very same hour Why this haste
The probabilities are that Mr.. Rosecrans
sat down 10 the midst Of these, thirty or forty |
ex.rebels and talked the matter over, and |
agreed TO the various propositions Of this |
strange manifesto. What n sight for true /
patriots, and for the men who fought to save
this nationl How would the boys in blue"
feel, on looking IN upon this scene on behold
ing this Union general In loving concord with
the unrepentant rebels who sought to destroy
them and the land they love so well what
II sight for men and angels was this' The
only wonder is that the starved and murdered |
victims of Andersonville and Libbey did not
burst the cereuents OF the tomb and stalk
through the halls and poiut their skeleton
fingers at these men, and utter with the
sepulchral voice OF the dead, "Ye did IL"
Astonishing, Is 1t not, that Union general
could calmly set down 10 such presence and
hold loving counsel with such men and not
think Of the thousand battle.helds and prison
pens where lie the murdered Union soldiers
Did one of these men say to our sclf-appointcd
minister that he was sorry for the past sorry
that he did his best to break up the American
Union; sorry that so many mCn lost their
lives ia that unnecessary and sanguiDtry
strife; sorry for such . waste Of the nations
treasure Not a word OF this sort was there
uttered This was not he intention Of the
meeting. These high I'd ~ southern gen.
tlemen did not NEE. Nj .oscciaas to he told
their faults and their e! 3. They came for no
such purpose They came to drmand their
rights under the Constitution; that COnstltu-
ton which thCy had tfamplcd beneath their
feet, which they did their best to destroy.
No word of confession or intimatiOn Of
wrong-doing fell from their lips 1t WAS left
for Mir. Rosccrans to do the humble, 10 make
the confession, to go upon his kGccs with ibis
heart in his hand" o tell them how much he
4 49,, -
hoped for pardon for ever having doubted
their patriotism and good intentions, to beg
them to come back and assume their old
places In the Government. Can anything be
more nduceaiiRg, more sycophdRiic more dis
gustingly losthsome than this letter Of Gen
Rosecrans, taken In connection with his
position and the position Of those to whom It
Is addressed 1t must be so viewed by all
true Union men.
II General Rosecrans was DESTROYS OF adj
dressing anybody why did he not send his let
ter to Gen. LUngstreet, Ex-Governor Brown,
Of Georgia, Hon. Joshua Hin, Governor Hol.
den, Michael Hahn, aud others Of that sort !
These are the men entitled TO speak for the
south, and not those unrepentant rebels who
do not confess their wrongs, but who on the
contrary ask the North to confess to them.
The real object OF Mr.. RosecranA' VISIT was
on behalf Of the Union. 1t will he a miserable
failure, however, and cannot add one vote to
the CoppeFhead ticket.
Mr.. Leo says that these questions OF slavery
aud the right OF States to secede from the
Union, were settled by the war. This IL well
But whether Mr., Lee knows 1t or not, the wal
settled some other questions also, one oil
which is, that the loyal men, whether black OF
white must rule, and not rebels nor these who
undertook to destroy the Government, and are
stlI not sorry for what they have done. Mr.,
Lee Will be likely to lind out that the war has
settled several things, II he lives long enough
There IL much In this correspondence upon
which We might desire to comment, but ",
must forboar st this time. There Is one para
graph In Mr., Lees letter which merits, at thii
juncture, a passing notice, 1t Is Ss follows:
THE great want Of the South Is peace; The
people earnestly dCrire tranquility aud the
restoration Of the Union, They depTeCate dis
order and excitement AS the most serious OBJ
Btau!e to their pTOsperity.n
In the light OF the existing state Of things H.
the south this statement must appear absurd
aud false even to its authors, i.yOk to the In.
cipient rebellion IN Arkansas. Look to the
threatening letter Of Forrest and the almos,
rebellion In Tennessee. Look to the fact that
even In kentucky, the United States marsha
cannot enforce his processes, Look tOcNeIud
Ing OF cOlOred men from the Georgia LeglslN
ture because they are black, In short, loOI
to the general dIsquietude VI the south, an
the muFdCrous deeds Of the Ku-Klux, ant
then, In the hght Of these patent facts, ohserv
what n Haunting lie 10 tins statement Of Mr
Robert +. Lee,