Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-09-18
The ROsecrans-Lee Correspondence.

THE letter of General Rosecrans TO Gen.
eral Lee was evidently written in the in
terest of Seymour and Blair 1t is accord
ingly couched in the language with
which the Northern Democracy are wont
to approach their superiors. General
Rosecrans draws near to General Lee with
his heart in his hand, to learn the condi-
tions, wishes and intentions of the people
of the Southern States" He had forgot
ten that General Lees conditions are writ
ten in a parole which he took at Apo
mattox Court House. They require him
TO obey the ldlcs tn force aohere he resides
Perhaps General Rosecrans never heard of
those conditions. 1t would have been be-
coming in General Lee to have reminded
him of them before reciting any others.
General Rosecrans proceeds to say that
he especially desires to "ascertain the
sentiments of those brave, energetic and
self-sacrifcing men, who, after sustaining
the Confederacy for four years, laid down
their arms and swore allegiance to the
Government of the United States" The
spirit of self-sacrifce which enabled Gen
eral Lee and his men to lay down their
arms at Appomattox certainly requires
certificate from somebody to establish it.
General Rosecrans ought to have put it in
the form of an affidavit. Without the
solemnity of an oath it might be ques-
toned by some people, and might fail to
pass into history as veritable and undis-
puted truth, especially where it is known
that General Roseorans is no friend of
General Grant, and that he might seek to
disparage the latter's military achieve
ments by making it appear that Lee and
his army were not captured, but laid down
their arms in a gush of self sacrificing
patriotism.
Generals Lee and Beauregard, in their
answer, acknowledge that peaceable Sc
cession and the restoration of slavery are
no longer possible, and that they consider
these questions settled. General Lee then
states, on his own responsibility, that at
the close of the war the Southern people
laid down their arms and sought to re-
sumo their former relations with the
United States Government" This is not
exactly true. When the Southern people
had their arms taken from them by su-
perior force, and when their Generals and
their soldiers were captives in the hands
of the Union armies, the war closed and
not before. The Southern people never
laid down their arms, but it is true that
while their leaders and politicians were
going about, as it were, with halters
around their necks, they did seek to be
restored to Office and to the control, man
agement and direction of the government
they had fought to destroy. These men,
who upon oath abjured all allegiance to
the Union who had upon oath repudiated
the National Constitution, the moment
they were taken prisoners of war, and
were liable to be hanged for treason, de-
msnded the right to cast two votes each in
all subsequent elections, one for them
selves and one for their liberated slaves.
The American people have put an end to
that anomaly, and, therefore, General Lee
and General Beauregard, AID the other
recent rebels, doubt whether there can be
permanent peace. In 1960-61, these men
said there could be no peace so long as
the Union sought to maintain its authority
against the objections of Sovereign
States" The American people, however,
found out a way to enforce a peace, and
they will maintain that peace, whether
Lee and his associates are content or not.
These men say that "if the advances of
the Southern people had been met in
spirit of frankness and cordiality" the
wounds inflicted by the war would have
been healed. In other words, if the rebel
Senators and Representatives had been in
vited to resume seats in Congress If
Howell Cobb aud Jake Thompson were
restored to the Cabinet; if Lee and Beau
regard were put in positions in the army
on terms of equality with Grant and Sher-
man if the Southern dynasty were re-
stored to power and peace, then the
South might have, in measure" for
gotten the injuries she sustained in the
war.
These gentlemen rebels tell General
Rosecrans that the Southern people would
have no hostility to the Government were
they not deprived of their rights under
the Constitution these rights they ask to
have restored to them. "Above all" say
they, "they weuld appeal to their coun-
trymen for the re-establishment in the
Southern States of that which has justly
been regarded the birthright of every
American-the right of selfgovernment."
, This birthFight of every American, these
rebels say, cannot be, by any possible
means, extended to four millions of native
born free people OF the Southern States.
"The birthright of every American"
means, according to their logic, the right
Of nine millions Of persons to do all the
voting for themselves and for four other
millions of American citizens. -Four gen
erations Of blacks have grown up under
the fostering care, the humanizing pre-
cepts, the Christian example, and the "mu-
taal Kindness" rule of the whites; and yet
these whites demand that they must con
tinue TO rule and govern these blacks, be-
cause the latter are sunk in the depths OF
| ignorance, and are hardly better than bar
barians. Experience 10 the best of guides
1 The Guardian who xvould claim 46at ~.