The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-10-02
GRANTS MOST IMPORrANT LETTER.

put IllS SOnliOl Tic
into the hands of those who lifted their
own against it"
GRANTS MOST IMPORTANT LETTER.
The New York Tribune says: The
following letter has been placed in our
hands by gentleman who furnishes it
from collection of autographs. 1t was
written by Major General Grant to his
father, from Mililken's Bend, La, du-
ring the Vicksburg campaign. We
print it just as it is, word for word. We
have no hesitation in saying that a
more remarkable document, and one
that reflects more credit upon the illus
trious writer, has not before been given
TO the American people:
MILLIKEN's BEND, LA.,p
April q, 1868.
DEAR FATHER: Your letter of the It'll
of April has this day inst reached nae. /
hasten TO answer your interrogations.
When l left Memphis, with my past
experience, ! prohibited trade below
Helena. Trade to that point had pre-
viously been opened by the Treasury
Department. / give no permits TO buy
cotton, and if / find any one engaged
in the business l send them out of the
Department and sieZe their cotton for
the Government. l have given a few
families permission to leave the coun-
try, and to take with them, so far as
Memphis. their cotton. La doing this,
l have been deceived by unprincipled
spectators, who have successfully
struggled themselves along with the
army in spite of orders prohibiting
them, and have been compelled TO sus-
pend this favor to persons anxious to
get out of Dixie.
| understand that Government has
adopted some plan to regulate getting
the cotton out of the country. / do not
know what plan they have adopted, but
l am satisfied that any that can be
adopted, except for Government to
take the cotton themselves, and rule
out spectators altogether, will be 6
| bad one. l feel all army followers who
are engaged in specializing off the mis-
| fortunes of their country, and really
aiding the enemy more than they posi-
/ bly, could do by open treason, should
4 be drafted at once and put in the frs
/ foriorn hope.
| move my headquarters to New Car
thage tomorrow. This whole country
is under water, except strips of land
| behind the levees, along the river an6
bayous, and make operations almost
! impossible. struck upon plan which
l thought would give me a foOthold
upon the east bank of the Mississippi
before the enemy could offer any great
resistance. But the difficulty of the las1
one and a half mile next to Carthage
makes it so tedious, that the enemy car
not fail to discover my plans. | am do
ing my best, and full of hope for com
plete success. Time has been consumed
but it was absolutely impossible t.
avoid it. An attack upon the rebe
works at any time since l arrived her,
must inevitably have resulted in tn,
loss of large portion of my army, i
not an entire defeat. There were Blu
two points of land, Haines' Bluff ant
:, Vicksburg itself, out of water at an,
place from which troops could march
These are thoroughly fortified, and i
would be folly to attack them as lon,
as there is prospect of turning thei
position. | never expect to have an al
my under my command whipped un
less it is very badly whipped and can
help it, but / have no idea of bein;
,, driven to do a desperate act by tn
, howlings of the press. 1t is painful t.
me, as a matter of course, to see tn
course pursued by some of the papers
, But there is no one less disturbed b.
= IilcIEl IIlttIi ScIls HlNC IlCNCA sOts2
a large command, and have no ambi
tious ends to accomplish. Were if no
for the very natural desire of provin:
! myself equal to any thing expected o
. me. and the evidence that my remoya
would afford that I was not though
equal to it, l would gladly accept les
! responsible position. l have no desir
f to be an object of envy or jealousy, no
+ to have this war continue. l want, an
will do my part toward it, TO put dow
!, the rebellion in the shortest pessibl
!, time, without expecting or desirill
: any other recognition than quite
p approval o. my course.
L beg that you will destroy this letter
al least. dc not show it.
!, Julia and the children are here, bu
a will &C up by the first good boat. | sea
tor her TO come down and get instruC
lions about some business | want al
! tended to, and see no immediate pro:
!. pect OF attending to myself. ULYSSES.