Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-10-20
GEN. FORREST.

General Forrest addressed a large meet
ing at jackson on Wednesday. He con-
cluded with the following defence Of him
self against the misrepresentation and
perversions TO which he has recently been
subjected:
wish TO be understood. !, with my
brothers in arms, have surrendered, We
have given our paroles. That 1 mean TO
keep in spirit and in letter, and so does
every honorable soldier who did likewise.
While | say this, / must say have done
nothing hut what believed right, and un-
der similar circumstances would do again.
| wish, also, to say to the soldiers in blue,
lee they whom they may, 70 every man Of
them. while Won and / may differ az to the
causes Of and Justice Of the war, that have
la cause to quarrel with yon; between rs
the tomahawk Is buried, and here ia
my hand in Friendship to each ard cry
one Of you, who did not forget you IS ere
gentlemen as well as soldiers. As efforts
are made in the Northern States to misre-
present the condHct of the Southern people,
with regard to their former slaves, with re.
gard to peace, and with regard to the
Northern people, beg leave to make the
following statements: We have no feeling
of unkiHdness 10 freedmen. la seeking
their freedom, they have only done what
every human being similarly situated
would do. Being free, there is not a man,
woman or child in all this land who wOnld
reinslavc them, or one of them, il they
could.
We now see that our system of culture
with large plantations was wearing out
the country about as fat as we could open
it-ruinOus 10 every interest, and that slav-
cry, in that respect, was an evil. In hav-
ing been dispcssesscd of slaves, We are re-
level Of heavy responsibility.
Oar newspapers are row teeming with
appeals-in which | concur-urging every
owner Of large plantations to cut them up
into small farms, and invite citizens from
other States and from other countries 10
come among Us and live. So far from OPP
posing the settlement Of people from the
Northern and Western States, we desire
them to come among ia, above all others,
without regard TO their politics. And We
now say to them, If they will come, we
will welcome them, aid and protect them,
and if necessary, defend them TO the death.
There will be no necessity for that, how
ever; they will be IS secure as they were
in Ohio or elsewhere. If any OF them will
come to me, | will take them by the hand,
show them farms that they can purchase 1t
onc-tifth the prices asked for open planta-
lions in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York,
Pennsylvania, or the New Eugland States
quite as productive as the lands they
leave, in a better climate, on or near rail-
roads, and convenient TO markets. Ii
they do not credit these statements, try us,
There is one class of population we do
not want-the low, base, vulgar, lying,
thieviug men, VINO come among Us 10 get
office that they may plumber. Having no
merits, 10 qualifications, they seek TO get
office at the hands Of the ignorant freedmen,
and as the best way Of doing that, they try
to array the freedmen against the whites.
To such men We say keep off; we don't
want you.
There is another class we do not want
the tools Of the abolition party, sent ont
here to live upon us and misrepre5ent Us.
The efforts making to cause the North
ern people TO believe that we are still
Rebels, fomenting discord and another war
is wrong. If the people will only think,
Lley Will themselves see lldt IL Is ldlSe dHN
without foundation.
Impoverished by the war, by the failure
Of three crops, there is nothing we so much
need as peace, well knowing If there is war
or even strife, that we shall be plunged
deeper and deeper in ruin and distress.
When they tell you otherwise, don't credit
their statements; they are untrue. All we
want is peace, equal laws, our rights in the
| State and in the Union.
While the Radical party are in power
we see no hope for that; therefore we de-
sire their overthrow, believing if that is
not done, civil liberty and free govern
| ment will be lost to us forever.
One word to the editors of papers in the
| Northern and Western States. You hav,
not hcsitated to publish many gross calum
nie7 against myself, now ask as a mattel
Of Justice that You will publish this, my
yiniication. II yOu refuse, | am left t,
conclude, and 80 will others conclude, tina
vour are slanderers, without manliness o.
! honor.