Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-06-19

rARsON BROwNLOw AGAIN
ON THE WAR-PATl1.
scsthing Letter 20 Gen. u. III.
Hiii---Deience OF Candy
and Thomas.
From The Knoxville, (Tenu.) Chronicle.
To D. H. Hill, late Lie"t. General o.
the Rebel Army:
SlR-An article Of yours. which re-
Gently appeared in the Charlotte, IN.
CO. Home, Of which you are editor, l
iud going the rounds Of tho newspa-
pers, in which you make an attack up
on.the character Of the late General
Candy and other deceased officers Of
the United States army In this edi-
torial, you do mo the honor to bitterly
denounce mo. I shy honor, for / es-
TEEN it an honor for any man who has
been loyal to his country, to be black.
guarded and vilifed by you. Were I
20 unfortunate ~ to be the recipient Of
your commentator, I should feel like
exclaiming, AZ did Socrates, when ap-
plauded by a bad man like yourself,
" What crime have I committed?"
You exult over the death of the brave
Candy. assassinated by savages, and at
tribute bis death with that Of Abraham
Lincoln, Edwin NJ. Stanton, George H.
Thomas, Professor Mahan, Of West
Point, ex-senator King, Of New York,
and tho late Senator Lane, Of Kansas,
70 = retsibution Of God, because in the
late cruel war they opposed the effort
to destroy the government Of the Uni
ted States.
You cay of General Cauby that while
he Vas in command At Richmond, Va.
he personally supcrinteuded the hang:
ing Of. white man, BY the thumbs, for
kicking an insolent negro" Now this
is your version Of Cauby's conduct, and
tho whole editorial you have written
breathes so iiendish and brutal spirit
as to make you unworthy Of credit.
Besides this, General Hill, the whole
life Of General Candy gives the lie to
your assertion, that he did anything
vulgar, inhuman or unbecomiug high.
toned soldier. Canby was = man Of
learning and ability, and christian
gentleman, as we'll as model soldier.
l am not prepared to deny that within
Canby's department white man was
tied up by the thumbs. While he was
commanding at Richmond . negro, un-
der the Constitution of the United
States as amended, which Canby was
sworn to support, was entitled to all the
rights aud privileges Of other citizens.
AS a West Pointer, and An officer Of the
United States Army before the war,
you know that to ito malefactor up
by the thumbs was . common mode Of
punishment in tho army, and Candy
failed in his duty if he made distinc-
ton between criminals on account Of
race or color, in mating out the pains
and penalties required by good order
and military discipline.
While, ~ a matter Of form and du-
ty, az Department Commander, Candy
would approve the verdict Of q militia.
~ court, indicting just and necessary
punishment upon criminals violating
the laws, it was his duty to enforce, he
was above being his own executioner.
The management Of tho details he left
to q man Of brutal instincts, like your.
self:
Now, General Hill, while you are
falsely accusing General Candy Of bru.
tality, I propose to enlighten the world
as to your military record. While in
command, in North Carolina, DURING
the late war, twenty six white men were
tried on the charge Of being loyal to
the United States. No other offence
was alleged against them. They we're
put on trial late in the afternoon, and,
blythe verdict Of drum-head court
! martial, acting under your orders all
were hanged until they were dead, be.
fore breakfast next morning, without
even the benefit Of clergy.
Are you not = beautiful specimen To
assail C.aby on the score Of brutality
T can think Of nothing 10 supremely
ridiculous, unless it would be for you
and your friend Captain Jack to write
4 treatise on civilization for distribu-
ton amoug the Ku-klax Of North Car
olins. Indeed, if I did not know that
you were in North Carolina, I should
infer from the brutality Of your assault
ON Candy, Thomas aud others. that you
were in the lava beds, when it was writ
ten, and that the article was joint
production Of yourself and Captain
Jack.
Your assumption that the death Of
tho noble George II. Thomas, by apo
plexy, aud the sudden deaths Of Lin
coin and other loyal men are retribu-
ton of the Almighty for the side they
took in the late war could be inspired
only by the malignancy born Of dissp.
pointed ambition and the spirit which
possessed the devil, the founder Of Sc.
ceseion democracy, Of preference to
ruling in hell to serving in heaven,
I am happy in the belief that thou.
sands Of the honest masses in Tennes
Gee, North Carolina aud elsewhere, who
were misled aud coerced into rebellion
by just such men - you, Gen. Hill
now repudiate your leadership anc
loathe your teachings.
If l were disposed to initiate you
I could give a long list Of men in Owl
aud military life supporting the rebel
lion, who have come to sudden, and il
many cases dishonorable deaths, but
prefer not to do 20.
You rejoice over my paralysis AZ 4
punishment Of God, because, as you
say, cast my lot with the abolition
ists" I recognize the hand Of Gcd il
my case, bot Iregard him as interfering
in my behalf: Probably not one man
in thousand would survive the expo
sure and bardships to which I was sub.
jected while driven by rebel cavalry in.
TO the mountains, and incarcerated in a
rebel prison in rhid.winter. While !
am now in improving health, with a
clear conscience, nearly all the men
who were instr amental in my imprison'
ment, and who iusultcd me while in
prison, are dead. Most Of them died
with delirium tremens, or in some othe,
unnatural way: I would not parade