The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-04-25
The Bulletin
SATURDAY, APRIL rs, 1874.
THE CLAIM OF ANNA ELLEN
CARROLL.


This year, as for several years past,
Miss Anna Ellen Carroll comes before
congress with her claim for compensa.
ton for services rendered during the
civil war. For while this claim was
laughed at on general principles, be-
cause Miss Carroll was woman. AZ
forwards it was irowned upon, as disre-
spectful in its essence to some Of our
great captains. But it gathered strength
and consistency all the while, until at
last it obtained the suiirages Of many
congressman aud the favorable report
Of committee. IL is by no means
impossible that it may yet be reco,r-
nized by considerable parties in both
houses and even that Miss Carroll may
some day receive the compensation she
asks. Her claim is certainly an extra.
ordinary one. She asserts and assumes
to prove tina, that she originated and
suggested to the government the plan
for opening the Mississippi and break
Ing the rebel power in the Southwest,
which was finally adopted aud carried
out. She claims TO have made out 4
detailed plan for the campaign in which
our armies assembled the Tennessee
river to the decisive position which
they occupied on the Memphis aud
Charleston railroad. She claims fur.
Their to have written an important re.
ries Of papers on the rebellion, for
which the war department promised
her a compensation which she has not
received. The latter claim is not 50
serious, and will scarcely hold, but the
proofs she brings to sustain her asser-
tons in relation to the Tennessee cam.
paign are of a character which il l. al
most equally difficult to ADM, or deny
The Hon. Thomas \. Scott assi'.
iant secretary Of war, certifics to the
Justice OF her claims in the most posi-
tive and unqualified terms. His state
ment is worth giving in his own words
PHILADELPHIA, June -, $50.
On or about the Both Of November,
lsGl, Miss Carroll as stated in her me.
mortal, called on Inc as Assistant Sec
retary of War and suggested the pro
pricty Of abandoning the expedition
which was then preparing to descend the
Mississippi river, and to adopt instead
the Tennessee river, and handed to me
the plan OF campaign, as appended TO
her memorial, which plan submitted TO
the Secretary of War, and it. general
ideas were adopted. On my return from
the Southwest in 1872, informed Miss
Carol, as she states in her memorial,
that through the adoption Of this plan
the county had been saved millions, and
that it entitled her to the kind consid,
alton of Congress.
THOMAS \. SCOTT.
Colonel Scott repeats this unreversed
declaration in two or three different
forms. The Hon. b. +. Wade is
equally emphatic He says the Presi-
dent Lincoln and Mr.. Stanton both in
formed him that the credit Of S'ie Ten.
nesscc cempaign was due to Miss Car
roll. The Hon. o. II. Browning, Sen
ator from Illinois, gives the same evil
dcnce with equal distinctncss. Chief
Justice Evans, Of the Supreme Court
Of Texas, goes further into details, Civ
ing the case OF the mcmorialists far
more fully aud strongly than she pre-
scented it herself. The venerable Eli
sha Whittlesey Joins in the same rep
resentaticn. Such legal authorities as
Reverdy johnson and Truman Smith
say that the evidence is complete in her
favor Finally the Military Commit
tee Of the Senate in the Mist Con-
gress, after maturely weighing the case
reported through their Chairman, Sen.
ator Howard, of Michigan, that Miss
Carroll had established her claim.
The case thus supported is one of
the most remarkable ones which has
ever come before the National Legisla-
ture' The decision is Of importance to
more than the memorialist. If it is in
her favor, the country will, Of course,
give her ungrudgingly the compensa.
ton she deserves, although Others have
been mlnifcently paid in money and
glory for the work she claims to have
| done.