The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-06-10
5eli6seI a,ongstreet and Other Confede-
kafe Generals IN new Orleans.

lkespondence trorsi virginia, which ep-
pearsd in the Banner ef 10 South.
Fsthsr Ryan's paper broadly init
mailing that General Longstreet had
been badly treated by many OF the Con-
Efederate Generals, then residing in New
Orleans, after the publication of his let
ters advising quasi coalition with the
radical pafty and that this ,bad treat.
ment was all the more shabby since these
very Generals were Just as deep in the
mud she was in the Emire.s AT the re-
quest OF several Of the Generals, we ap-
pended some remarks of our own, re-
questing General Longstreet to come
ont over his own signature md reveal
the names of those of bis former compa-
nions-in-arms who coincided with him
in the opinions expressed in his letters
The charge made in the above mentioned
correspondence was II sweeping one, and
many of our Generals felt deeply ng-
grieved at the imputntions cast by this
anonymous writer upon their honor and
probity. General Longstreet, it seems,
has thought fit to maintain profound
silence upon this subject. In order to
clear mp, MS far rs may be, the mystery
attendant upon this matter, the Augusta
(Ga.) COnstitutionoliss has been permitted
to publish the following letter from one
Of the Generals thus Implicated, which
throws a deal of light upon a very dark
subject. For obvious reasons, the Con-
stitutiondlist suppresses all names, but
the author can be identified by any per-
son having proper claims to such know
ledge: .i -t. .....
MYDEAR -: I wish to give you in
brief SO much as I know about Long
streets unhappy tergiversation.
In April, 1867, L was invited by au cx-
Confederate officer, in Longstreet's name,
to be present at II meeting to be held in
Longstreet's Office on the succeeding
Wednesday evening. l replied that l
would endeavor to be present. Mean
time, however, 1 ascertained that the
meeting was to be sort of caucus of
Confederate officers who were supposed
to approve of the views Of Gen. Long
street, as set forth in his first letter to
the New Orleans Times, upon the politi-
cal situation of tho South, aud our du-
ties under it.
Therefore I did not attend the meet
ing. 1 have since been informed by two
Confederate Generals who were present
- and - that the object an
nonnced by LopSstreet, in this meeting,
was to organize in New Orleans II Demo-
cratic club, Of which he expressed his
willingness to be the President. The
club to be called the Grant Club, in
honor of Gen. Grant, who was then be-
lieved by him to be IA Democrat, and the
probable leader of that party.
Neither -- nor --- approved of
Gen. Longstreet's views or purposes,
and both of them have assured me that
they used means to dissuade some of our
comrades from following Longstreet's S
lead in this matter. On the Sunday fol-
lowing the meeting, another letter from
Longstreet appeared III the New Orleans
Times, which was very much and gene
rally disapproved by the Southern por-
ton of this community. 1t seemed
indeed, to be the death-knell of the
Grant Club, wich fell still-born Mt once
l think it was about two weeks after
this that we were all much disgusted mt
learning that the Massachusetts Senator,
Wilson, was em route to New Orleans on
canvassing tour in behalf of the radi-
cal party.
1t is now generally believed that Long
street went up to Canton to meet him,
and came with him to New Orleans, and
it is n matter of notoriety that he sat on
the platform with Wilson while he ha
rangued mixed nssemblage of whites
aud negroes in Lafayette Sqnare-Long
street, according to popular renown,
having consented to serve MS Vice
President of this radical meeting. A
few days afterwards. third letter ap-
peared from Longstreet, and from that
time to the present he has ceased to be
one of us, or to have anything in COM
mon with us save the recoliections OF
the glories Of the Confederate armies
The statement published on the 3d of
April last in the Banner of tie .Souh
does. great injustice to the "Confederate
Generals in New Orleans" 1t may be
that one or two of them in the begin
ming Of Longstreets career in this most
unfortunate direction, acquiesced in so
much of his purposes as seemed to pro-
mise relief to the people of the South
through cooperation with the Northern
Democrats, but these quickly fell away
from him when they perceived the ten
dency and effects of such course, and
l know that the greater number of us
decidedly and earnestly disapproved and
deprecated his letters and his course
from the very beginning.
In common with the whole Southern
people, we have remembered his distin-