The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-24

5, o,,as no ws,s cissable Of, that New York
s.o,Id r,,arf zoo O0oarnlesl men 10 she assisi-
arce Of fhes rcbelIieus States III the event oi
war; s6yanswers that the statement ~ III
It's cntircty, false. Ssss
fNS facfs are these: Upon the ADJOURN
n,ent of the Thirty-sixth Congress, OF wh'cn
7 was n member and the Inauguration Oh
President Lincoln, in the spring OF 1851 pc
fore returning to my home in New YORK,
visited Richmond with the view OF -seetne
and possibly, Of aiding the friends OF the
Union in tile Virginia State Convention,
then sitting there. Within an hour after
INV arrival was confronted by Henry a.
Wise in casual public controversy IL, u'o
hotel, where, in the presence OF acroMu; W.,
absorbing topic of the day was dchateu vi
tween us. 7 maintaining the Union side anu
the listeners sympathzing with the dis,h hnl
sentiments of Governor Wise. IL 80 Har
pened that Colonel Lay, NlrSinla', l.,.'s1
with reference to the anticipated seccssloi. y,
Virginia, resigned his commission III .n nc
| United States army, WINS on tue "..e,
| tl,e ,lay to he scrcnaded by his 1r'chas. !
wox told by the leading Union members
Of tbe Convention that it was clniilleu ~
rho seccssioni:ts that the popular VOC
was largely for secession, and that Us the
serenada to Colonel Lay would lurnlsl an
| on,.rtunity to disprove it, ! must coli-
cont to address the audience. Expressing
| INV rnwillingness to intrude ide's ui'
fn,;no from those of Colonel Lay at sere,
nad,. in his honor. at length so tal .,elu ',d
To their opportunities rs to consent, sn1u'1
= General call be made, after Colonei Lay ltu
retired. Under such circumstances siohe
from the balcony of the hotel to the masses
in fine street. When retired was accosted
| ~, several of the Union members Oh the Coii-
yantion with congratulations on the service
hid done them, and with assurances til't
thr rerrnrion of nv remarks had dclnonstra'
tod that the peopic Of Richmond were LOT
thc Union. At consultation that evening
of the Union members OF the Coh'en.loh'
where were George Summers, Mr. whey,
Mfr. Baldwin, Mr.. Lewis, and others, II was
Judged to be highly important that shonid
| return forthwith to Washington with Iheir
concentrations to the President. Mr.. Seward,
and General Scott, that If the Government
would refrain from reinforcing the garrison
at Fortress Monroe their counsels would
Intimately prevail in the Convention
and Virginia would be held in the
Union. Tile suggestion, however, was
also dclbcrated whether | had not
better remain to reply to Dir. Roger A.
| Pryor. who, it was supposed, would within
a few days answer me in public speech.
| But the majority being Of opinion that my
l.immediatc return to Washington with their
| message to the President was of greater i'm
portancc, I left on the ensuing morning
| bearing letter of credentials from George
Summers to Governor Seward. discharged
nv obligations by communicating 10 Ires',
dent Lincoln, Governor Seward, and General
Scott the message with which | was com
missioncd, and by delivering to Governor
Seward the letter of Judge Summers. linus,
rs carly as the Sth day of March, 1861, was
the Government in Washington placed IN
confidential communication with the Union
members of the Virginia Convention.
have never seen and believe there was
no extended report of my speech III tllc
| mpcrs; but afterwards, when the Union
army was living before Fredericksburg. q
| private of my brigade, attracted by my name
ON the fragment of Il newspaper, brought II
TO me. when | read from it this paragraph :
{. Hon. John Cochranc is in Richmond on {;
| mission. it is said, of some sort IN connection
with the proceedings of tho Virginia Con
| vcntion. On Wednesday evening he was
scrcnaded and made Union speech dld
| not appear before the Convention nor speak
TO it. | visited it while in session us a pr
| yate spectator, and, holding converse OH lls
business with none, retired when the SESSION
closed.
have thought, sir, that this old calunn!
had been sufficiently exposed, but It's re
| ncwal now by "a Grant Man !" Is but an
| other instance of the provcrbial truth thai
drowning men catch at straws."
| Respectfully, yours, JoHS CoCIEASE.
| Nc1U York, June IS, 1872.