Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-09-09
leading journal publishedin the city of
st. Louis: .i ..43E 81. ~, 10 517 ~ "a

The Secretary read, as follows: -
The GALLANT IowANs.-Iowa is a
young State, but it is the home of he
Hroes. With the present war she has
begun a war history that yields in splen-
dor and honor to that of no State in the
Union and no country on the globe
Her soil is the birthplace of new
,chivalry, and she has become the moth
er of a new race of heroes Her: sol
diers boast little, and. she has no indus.
trious penny-a-liner to boast for them
Her soldiers are as modest as they are
brave. o. They are not fierce braggarts.
They are as gentle and tractable as
children, But when the storm of blood
begins they are the guiding and govern
ing heroes ofthe tempest. Where the
harvest. of death is to belreaped,, they are
the foremost of the feapers. Where al
perilous assault is to be, made, somehow
or other thereis always an Iowa regi-
ment, or the wasted shadow of an Iowa
regiment, to lead it. 1t was SO at Will
sons Greek; it was 80 at Belmont; it
was SO at Fort lDonelsen; il was SO at
Shiloh; it will ever be so throughout
the war. All our Western troops have
been heroes, but the Iowa troops have
been heroes among heroes. The Iowa
First, Iowa Second, Iowa Fourth, and
Iowa Seventh are bodies of men who
would have given, an additional lustre
even to Thermopyl@, Marathon, Aus
terlitz or Wagram, and all Americans
may be proud of Iowa.-St. Louis Nesos.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore-The
Chair thinks it proper to remind the
Senator that debate on the resolution is
continued only by the unanimous con-
sent of the Senate, to the exclusion of
the special order; but the debate will be
allowed to continue until some member
shall call for the special order Of the day.
The Senator from Iowa will proceed.
Mr.. HARLAN-I shall detain the Sem
ate but for moment longer. General
Halleck, in an official communication
addressed to the Adjutant-G General of
the State of Iowa., has mentioned the
Iowa troops at the battle before Fort
Donelson as ''the bravest of the brave"
Nor do know that General Grant, or
any other general, has ever withheld just
commendation. therefore repeat that
1 have no personal grievance to redress
for myself or for the troops of my State.
And would have remained silent on this
subject in the Senate. if the speech of
the Senator from Ohio had not made it
necessary for me to speak for do not
deem the Senate chamber the proper
place for criticisms on the conduct of
General in the field. I think it much
betterto present our personal convictions
in relation to the character of our Gen.
erals to the Secretary of War and to the
President. For myself, uniformly
pursue this course, and regret that it has,
in my judgment, become necessary to
depart from it in this case. But, sir, it
is often as dangerous and as wicked to
praise the unworthy and incompetent as
to detract from the meritorious. If my
convictions are correct, it would be a
crime for me to remain silent, and suffer
influences to originate in the Senate
chamber which may result in re-
storing a General to an active
command whom I and the people I in
part represent deem unworthy of such
a trust. Iowa has sent to the field
about twenty thousand troops. They
have behaved, I think, well on every
battlefield where they have appeared.
AS far as Iknow, no Iowa regiment has
ever faltered in the discharge of duty,
however perilous. Their numbers have
been reduced by the casualties of the
field and camp nearly one-fourth. They
give their lives with firmness to aid in
restoring the supremacy of the laws.
But, sir, they believe, and I believe,
that a large per cent. of this loss was
useless, and is justly attributable to the
carelessness or inability Of General
Grant. And he shall not, with my con-
sent, be continued in command. There
is nothing in his antecedents to justify
a further trial of his military skill. At
Belmont be committed an egregious and
objectionable military blunder, which
resulted in almost annihilating an Iowa
regiment. At Fort Donelson, the right
wing of our army, which was under his
immediate command, was defeated and
driven back several miles from the ene-
my's works. The battle was restored by
General Smith. the enemy's works were
stormed, and thus victory was finally
won. And so on the battlefield of
Shiloh, his army was completely sur
prised, as believe from all the facts |
can procure, on Sunday, and nothing
but the stubborn bravery Of the men
fighting by regiments and brigades,
saved the army from utter destruction.
The battle was afterwards restored and
conducted by General Buell. and other
Generals, who came on the field during
the evening and night; and our forces
ultimately succeeded in completely rout-
ing the enemy. Now, sir, with such a
record, those who continue General
Grant in an active command will, in my
opinion, carry on their skirts the blood
of thousands of their slaughtered coun-
trymen. With my convictions, 1 can
neither do it myself nor silently permit
it to be done by others.
FROM LOND0N. H