The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-05-24
From the Philadelphia Telegraph.


From the Philadelphia Telegraph.
A ss,arp letter frSyn cx-COnfeherate
General Magrutlee-Gsrwvc hffsanua'
stems nxaanst Carter SA's vcraefsy-
How MnErutler Crossed tho Loire
Bridge into Virginia, and Ho" aA'
Dsd mot Cross IT. 49,,
Below we publish a letter wrssfsn Wy tue
ex-ConfetIerate General MagrlidSL W - ~.
tieman in this CITY concerning tsS clirulI-
stances which attended his rcs,Sha,t"n ~
the regular army at the ontpiesh w sho
war. and the manner IN wn'en nv ~. hts
PARTIAL and crossed the Potomac OH niS
way south. x.rs ,s-o
Desrr Sir-I have not had an opportunity
n answer vour letter Of April 16th until
rnyv, M have abstained from p0itf'cs en-
t,re,v sSttret the war. I regret that ancof
relied TO write ii letter which viii DC cor
strned by some, ~ Rast, as being OIL poh-
fical character. II Is not SO, however. 'oi
this letter is purely personal, ana Wr'tten
solely in defence of my hGSor. Wmcn has
been recklcssly, maliciousy, ana nehaa,
tiS,tslv, attacked by Senator cameron, OF
Pkunsy tyania, In debate in the Senate OF
fhe fth ultirno, rs appears from the Con-
orcssionol Globe, which you, though unac.
3,,ainfed with me personally, beless had
fhr Endncss to send me. for Which thahk
}eiY sincerely. Before going farther, WITT
here SAL THAT. you arc not only at liberty TO
puhIisii ills htttr, but that hope you Will
do so, and III such newspapers that Mr.;
Cameron will be f0rttd 90 read it, us l hold
niyself responsible personally at any time
10 Mr.. Cameron for its contents:
The paragraphs in the debate ia Nh'n
II -, An In
M. Enbaer5u.-"I rt'Tpember that Cap
tain somebody who became 4 General in the
rebel army had the command o. srt'tcIy
here. and he was goir1a 70 START OF, not only
with himself but with Wig battery but
somehow or other the battery cid not get
off. He cleared off in a few ereiIlffse5 aver
however, and got across the bridge.
Mr.. Pom eroy.-" That was the captain
who escorted the President to the " h''e
Housed"
Mr.. Coyneron-" The same man. lie cs-
pofted the President to the White House,
ana heard him say to the President that
Re admired hift, and was going TO stand by
him durinp the war: He said that the eve
fffrs BEFORE bic went awaS|
%ity premise in reference to the above
that as I WIG the only officer that com
manded a battery = Washington at that
time, and afterwards became 6enerai ID
the Confederate army, DIR. Cameron comfo
have meant none other but myself. !he
rest Of his remarks are false in every particu-
lar. In fact, they constitute one moastrous,
malicious, reckless, and infamous lie; Tor,
i'm the first place, / never was Win
Mr.. Lincoln in the presence Of Mr..
Cameron in nv life. Secondly, never
escorted Mr.. Lincoln to the White House.
for was on my way from or in Europe AZ
that time as the military representative OF
the country, sent by MIR. Buchanan 10 IN
spcct and report upon the armies OF Eu,
rnne. and did not reach Washington until
after the inauguration-I think about the
10th of March, 1861. In fact, never was
in MIR. Camcron's company but once
i'm nv life to my knowledge. and that
was mt dinner party in the house OF my
brother, Commodore George A. Magruder,
of tho United States Navy, in Washington,
whilst Mr.. Cameron was Secretary oil war,
about the 10th, 18th, or 18th of March, 1851,
when Mr.. Cameron offered, III CONVERSE
ton with me, as Twas sitting by his side AZ
the dinncr-table, to send HE TO Rus>Ea,
there to remain until the termination of tho
impending war, if l would agree to II.
looked upon that as the most disgracclul p0-
sition an officer could occupy. TO stand
upon the soil of 4 foreign country. TO receive
his pay. fold his arms, and look from i dis
lance upon deadly conflict of his country
men, without taking sides with one or the
other, was. / felt, the most ignoble course
of all, and treated Mr.. Cancron's offer
with the silent contempt which l thought
it deserved.
In your note you ask me to state the cir
cumstances under which did leave Wash
ington for Richmond, Va, ut the COM
mencement of the war. do so with plea
sure. The day on which President Lincoln
received the telegram from the Governor OF
Virginia, nv native State, declining to send
his quota of troops under the first pro-
clamation, or the day after that, MIR. Linz
coin sent for me and informed me Of tnat
fact. My State had not yet seeded, IN
formed him that l regretted deeply inc
course events had taken; that IL my state
seeded. was soldier, Obliged 10 hSnt
either for or against her, and that l would
FIGHT for those among whom l was born
and bred, nv relations and friends, all
of whom believed they were right. i
stated to him that ! was graduate OF
West Point, but that West Point was not
charity school; that it was supported as
much by the southern people, IN proper
ton to cadets from the South, a. 10y the
North in the same proportion; that the 60
yernment had always recognized the right
of officers to resign unless they were otli-
cially charged with crime, and that the obi
CATIONS to which an officer subscribed were
Simply to obey the lawful orders OF his SUI
periors so long Us he held the commission OF
the Government, and that every officer had
this right to resign when he thought proper.
Mr., Lincoln acquiesced in the propriety OF
these views; "but," | added, :" Mr.. presi-
dent, 1 will be perfectly true and faithful to
the obligations of my commission as long rs
hold it, and you and your family will sleep
in safety whenever / am on guard" Eyes"
sud he, 81 know it, foryou are an officer of
the army and southern gentleman, and
incapable of any but honorable conduct
i thanked him warmly and said, Mr.. Pre-
sident, if ! do resign, you shall be the
first to hear of it after my resignation is
placed in the hands Of the adjutant, if
can reach you, and / will remain at least
twelve hours in Washington after my re-
signation." "Why," said he, with some
surprise, "should you do that? 2" "Mr.
President" / replied, 81 wish to be grace
fully of aoith the old lone before I am on
tcith the netc." 81 am sorry to lose you,"
he said with great animation, "but if you
must 60 I'll help you to be gracefully Oft
with the old love-" meaning, | supposed,
that he would accept my resignation when
the time came to offer it. 4 day or two
after this my State seeded. l handed
commanding, about s or o'clock A.
NJ, and repaired at once to the White
House. Failing to get admission, asked
brother officer, who said he would GER
tainly see the President that morning to
inform him that 1 had resigned, which
presume he did, took leave openly of my
friends, and found myself at the Long
Bridge, in hack, just three minutes after
p. M.-too late, the orders being not
to lower the drawbridge after 8. 1t was
a bright moonlight night, and as got out
Of the coach found my own battery guard
ing the bridge. The men uncovered as |
passed through them to see the lieutenant
in Slrnrl l,nx hr,l Il