Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-26
WAS THE SOUTH sCHEATEDn INTO
A SURREFDER?

This seems rather silly question to ask
at this late day, but its solution will throw.
a food of light on the perfdy Of The sinling
party in Congress. A Florida correspon-
dent OF the Savannah Neaos writes as fol-
lows:
"a letter from Gen. Sherman to lady in
South Carolina, written, according to my
recollection, and given to the public about
the time of his capture of Savannah, would
help to solve this question. l wish it could
be reproduced in your columns. In that
letter, written so short a time before the
surren Ger, this distinguished officer of the
United States Government, to whom In fact
the surrender was made, announced that
South Carolina had but to submit to the
Federal authority az did New York and
Massachusetts, to take her place by their
side in the Union and have guaranteed and
secured to her al the rights enjoyed by them.
There was not the slightest intimation given
that she would have to submit either to the
loss Of her slaves or the less Of her State
Government. / speak from memory, but
am sure am not mistaken as to the tenor
of the letter; nor can be as to the effect
that such assurances were likely to have
upon the Southern people,"
Did Gen. Sherman make this promise?
The Neaos adds its testimony as follows:
eve remember reading, at the time, the
letter to which our correspondent refers,
and which, according to our recollection, is
correctly reported by him as giving assur-
ances of perfect restoration of the Southern
States to their former relations and all their
rights in the Union, ON condition OF their
submission TO the Federal authority. Not
only did Gen. Sherman bold out the pro-
mise of full recognition and guarantee OF
q ! the political and property rights of the
Southern people, the institution OF slavery
included, but Congress itself in its rcsolu-
tons, and in its diplomatic circular to the
European governments emphatically declar-
ed that The United States Government was
not waging war for the conquest or sub
jngation of the Southern States, and that If
the Confederate States would lay down
their arms and acknowledge the Constitu-
tional authority of the Federal Government
they would be at once restored to the Fed
eral Union, with all their political rights and
institutions intact. This avowal was CONT
nually made by the leading men and presses
of the North, and thousands who fought in
OA1O Aehno Va SAO " AtOu a. 0ASJ CUP
posed for the preservation of the Union and
Constitutional Republican Government, be-
lieved that such was the basis of the settle
ment at the time of the surrender Of the
armies of Lee and Johnston. Not only wss
the South cheated into q surrender, but the
honest masses of the free States were de-
cleveland cheated into the of war coer.
cion."
There seems no doubt that Gen. Sher-
man wrote letter of the character de-.
scribed. The question now is, upon whose
authority did he.make the promise it con-
tanned? Did he make It of bis own motion,
or was he instructed by one higher in au-
thority than himself to bold oat the promise
to the people of the South that if they
would surrender, they should a. once re-
sumo sll their relations to the general gov
eminent, the same as New York and Mas
sschusetts? If the latter be the case Con-
gress has played false not only with the
South, but with Gen. Sherman, and he
should wash his hands of completely in this
outrage upon the Southern people.