Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-11-10
Fitzpatrick Branded as a ''Blackguard, a
Liar, Scoundrel, and a Poltroon."
MENptJJc Octohar % 1919


H. K. ,Shackleford, Esq, NeD Havea, Conn:
Sir,-The false and mendacious representa-
tons of me made by General Judson Fitzpatrick,
of New Haven, on the 10th instant, to which
you call my attention, is not the first in which
he has INDUCED since his appearance on the
hustings in this canvass. l understand he free
ly employed his criminal capacity for ribald in
vention in all of the speeches he has made since
his return to this country, and that have been
the objective point Of many of his unprinclpled
and indecent libels. The northern masses have
been so prone to misunderstood any appearance
that have made in the present campaign that
[ have been content heretofore to torego any
notice of General Kilpatrick's inventions with
reference to myself, and to trust that some
future and more suspicious time would afford
me an opportunity ofstrpping the impostor and
of exposing him-the base counterfeit he is-to
the contempt of all just and fair minded people.
Ny forbearance, however, is construed by him
as license to additional and more slanderous
detraction, and am constrained to notice his
New Haven speech as it appeared in the Re
custer of October q, 1868 In that speech he
is reported as saying that Forrest had mailed
negroes to fences, set fire to the fences, and
burned the negroes to DEATH" This charge is
but the natural offspring of Fitzpatrick com
mon and merited fame as an unprincipled and
I feel | will be believed and sustained by every
chivalric officer and soldier of the Federal army
that what he has said of me in the speech
referred to is the elimination of slanderous
falsehood, rendered the more odious that it is
deliberately forged for effect upon the unthink
ing and too confding portion of the people of
the North, whose votes he intends to steal by
such criminal and disreputable invention. All
such reports, whether emanating from this
creature Fitzpatrick, or from any one else, which
tends in any way to create the impression that
[ conducted my humble part in the war upon
any other than the strictest principles of civiz
CT warfare, are utterly untrue. and are the cor
rupt and feculent fctions of designing and
rascally slanderers. [ am not prone to obtrude
matters of this kind upon the public notice, and
would have been glad to have met Fitzpatrick
and settled this affair in less public and more
emphatic manner and if it should happen that
this note should meet his eye, and he should
make it the provocation of any additional dis
play of words, any one VINO may hear him is at
liberty to assure him that am ready to meet
him in any way that be may choose and whilst
[ am averse to personal conflict, should muoh
prefer to crafty any wish he may cherish in
that way to being the further subject of his un
manly defamation and unsoldieriike misrepre-
sentation. 80
[ think public will justify me In denouncing,
as | now do, General Judson Fitzpatrick as a
black guard, liar, a scouDdrel, and potroon.
IF he is the heroic figure he would have the
northern people believe him, my friend General
Basil W. Duke, at Louisville, KY, is authoriz
ed to receive on my behalf any communication
he may choose to make. Respectfully,
se N. b. FORREST