Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-01

| MI. NdLlEIQu lOI us NOHlC1lLS.
The paragraphs in the debate in
which alIusiOn is made to me are a:
follows:
Mr.. Cameron-"I remember that
Captain Somebody, who became 8
General in the rebel army, had the
command of a battery here, and he
was going to start off not only with
himself, but with his battery, but
somehow or other the battery did moi
get of. He cleared off in a few eve.
nings after, however, and got across
the bridge.p
Mr.. POmeroy-"That was the Cap.
tain who escorted the President to
the White ouse?''
Mr.. Came On-'The same man.
He escorted the President to the
White House, and l heard him say to
the President that he admired him,
and was going to stand by
him during the war. He said that
the evening before he went away"
l will premise, in reference to the
above, that as L was the only officer
that commanded a battery in Wash
ingtOn at that time and afterward
became a General in the Confederate
army, Mr.. Cameron could have meant
none other but myself. The rest of
his remarks are false in every partic-
ular. In fact, they constitute one
n1OnStToUS, malicious, reckless and IN
famous lie. For in the first place, l
Fever was with Mr.. Lincoln in the
Presence of MI. Cameron, in my life.
Secondly, / never escorted Mr.. Lin
coin to the White House, for l was on
nay way from or in Europe at that
time, a the military representative
of the country, sent by Mr.. Buchanan
to inspect and report upon the armies
Of Europe, and did not reach Wash
ingtOn until after the Inauguration, l
think about the 10th of March, 1861.
In fact, l never was in Mr.. Cameron's
company but once in my life, to my
knowledge, and that was at a dinner
party in the house of my brother,
Commodore George A. Magruder, of
the United States navy, in Washing
ton, whilst Mr.. Cameron was Secre-
tary of War, about the 18th, 18th or
18th Of March, 1861, when Mr.. Came
ION offered in a conversation with
me, as l was sitting by his side at the
dinner table, to send me to Russia,
there TO remain until the termination
of the impending war, if 1 would
agree TO it. l looked upon that as the
NEST d~isgraceful position an officer
could occupy. To stand upon the
s1il of a foreign country, to receive
his pay, fold his arms and look from
a distance upon a deadly conflict of
his cOuntrymen, without taking sides
with one or the other, was, l felt, the
most ignOble course of all, and |
treated Mr.. Cameron's offer with the
silent contempt which / thought it
deserved. 81
In your note you ask me to state
circumstances under which ! did
leave Washington for Richmond, Va,
at the commencement of the war. l
do so with pleasure. The day on
which President Lincoln received the
telegram from the Governor of Yir-
my native State, declining to
send his quota OF troops under the
first proclamation, or the day after
that, Mr.. Lincoln sent for me and in
formed me of that fact. My State had
not yet seeded. l informed him that
l regretted deeply the course events
had taken; that if my State seeded,
| was a soldier, obliged to fight either
for or against her, and that l would
fight for those among whom l
was born and bred, my relations and
friends, all of whom believed they
were right. 1 stated to him that 1
a graduate of West Point, but
West Point was not a charity
that it wa supported as much
by the Southern people in proportion
10 cadets from the South as by the
in the same proportion; that
Government had always recogniz-
I'd the right of officers to resign unless
hey were officially charged with
and that the obligations to
an officer subscribed were sim
ply to obey the lawful orders of his
iUperiors so long as he held the COM
mission of the Government, and that
every officer had this right to resign
when he thought proper. MI. Lin
,oln acquiesced in the prOprietyofthese
shut, / added, "Mr. President,
will be perfectly true and faithful to
he obligations of my commission as
ong as l hold it, and you and your
will sleep in safety whenever
am On my guard" eyes" said he,
i know it, for you are an officer Of
he army, and a Southern gentleman,
nd incapable of any but honorable
onduct." l thanked him warmly
nd said, "Mr. President, if l do re-
ign you shall bethe first to hear of it
fter my resignation is placed in the
ands of the adjutant, if l can reach
on, and l will remain at least !
Welve hours in Washington af I
er my resignation" "Why," !
aid he, with some surprise, ''shOuld !
on do that?" "Mr. President" l |
81 wish to be gracefully off !
18th the old love before am on with !
new" 81 am sorry to lose YOU" :
e said with great animation, "but if /
on must go III help you to be grace !
lily of with the old love-" meaning, !
supposed, that he would accept my I
when the time came TO !
ner 1t. A day or two after this my q
seeded. | handed my resigna- !
- Colonel G. +. Smith, COM \
about eight or nine
oao n repaired at Q
~ to get admission ii
brother officer, who said ba a9AS1 y
see the President that mo-LNu 4
X, tofnform him that / had resionaI =
'hich L presume he did, took leave 3
penly of my friends, and found INV. i
If at the Long Bridge, in a hack. d
Ist three minutes after nine p.m., too q
tie, the orders being not 20 lower the d
after nine. 1t was q a
right moonlight night, and as L got n
ut of the coach, / found my W il
atte& guarding the bridge. The il
len uncovered as l passed through d
lem TO see the lieutenant in charge.
asked him If ne would be Kind a
rough to lower the d~rawbridge for y
70, as / was all packed and ready. n
I'd was only three minutes behind n
time. He touched his hat and h
c0urteously, "ColoneI. / al
i'll lower the draWbridge, but I 81
Ould do it with far greater pleasure n
you were coming from Virginia 81
stead of going 10 Virginia" n
/ departed, taking of my hat to my n
comrades, some Of whom i had nj
mmanded for thirty years. and r
it'll a sad heart babe them farewell. r.
a day and a night at Alex w
ldria, and there'received the accent 81
ICE Of any resignation, which L al n,