Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-11
KNoxvIILz, TENN, March 9th, 1893.
From the New York Sun.
Buell. and JOhRs0n...The VeFaclty OF
the President.
u the EQltof 81 the NNn

10 the Editor OF the Sun.
SIR: In your issue of Monday last YOU
called attention TO the fact that Gen, Buell.
had in his defence before The Commission
called to investigate his conduct as com.
mander of the Army of the Ohio, charged
Andrew Johnson with having sworn to q
false statement, knowing it to be such.
Such is the fact; but there were cireum
stances attending that affair which serve tC
throw light upon the character Of this bad
man
Andrew Johnson, the Military Governor
of Tennessee, had filed the public ear with
grave charges against Gen. Buell. He
was instrumental in procuring the relief OF
that able officer as commander of the Army
of the Ohio, and forcing the investigation
that followed. When, however, the Com
mission met in Nashville, and the Judge
Advocate (Col. Dom Piatt in accordance
with instructions, called on Gov. johnson,
he discovered that the charges so readily
made were very difficult to prove. That
Gen. Buell., in commander of seventv-two
thousand veterans, had retreated from be-
fore Chattanooga to Louisville in the face
of only thirty thousand men under Bragg.
was as well known in Washington as in
Nashville. But that he had done this with
the traitorous design Of abandoning all ter
ritory south of the Ohio river, as Andrew
Johnson charged, could not be shown. At
last the Judge Advocate called upon An
drew johnson to appear and state under
oath his knowledge of Buell's evil designs.
This he declined doing, In connection with
certain kilograms that were found to have
passed between Buell. and Halleck, the evil
dence of Andrew Johnson became impor
tant, and the Judge Advocate made every
effort to procure his attendance as a wit
ness. In this he was aided by Gen. Buell.,
who said openly that Andrew johnson
would never dare swear in his presence to
what he had publicly asserted At last the
pressure became so strong that Andrew
Johnson fed to Washington to escape fur
Their process.
To Washington the Judge Advocate fol-
lowed the reluctant witness, and succeeded
at last in procuring a sworn statement very
much softened from that made by the same
Johnson through the Rev. Col Moody,
President Lincoln, and the press generally.
This affidavit the Commission treated with
deserved contempt, and Gen. Buell., before
the Commission, had in his published de-
fence, denounced it as false in every par
ticular
1t became evident to the Commission
that Andrew Johnson was as deficient IN
courage as he was devoid of truthfulness.
But the confdiDg Judge Advocate, still
having remnant of confidence in the noisy
demagogue, urged him, after he became
acting President, &c open the controversy,
and at least make rejoinder TO Genenal
Buelrs damaging charges. In this he fail
ed This man he found willing to rest I'M
der the charge of perjury, preferred against
him by an officer, whose word at least has
never been doubted; and it is rather late
for one thus impeached to make charges
that must rest, If sustained at all, on his
own word against man so well known as
Gen Grant for courage and heightened in
tegrity
A MEaBER OF THE COMMISSION.
NEW YORK, March 2, 1868.