The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-06-19
SHERMAN AND JEFF. DAVIS.
The Ex-President of the Confederacy
Makes Few Observation Regard
lng ". 7. 8

NdhoS Few OuSo1 ShIAO!A XtCSaI u
ing W 7. s.
, The st LOUIS Times has been per
mitted 10 make public the following
from Hon. Jctfel son Davis, in an
swer to n charge made by Genera
Sherman in his lately published
book of memoirs
. MEMPHIS, Tenn, May p, 1875.
Col. W. +. Mellcn:
=, NV Dear Sir-Plcasc accept my
thanks for your kind letter OF th'
10Th inst. and the accompanying
copy OF St. Louis paper contain
ing an extract from the forthcom
ing work Of General W. I. Sherman
My absence delayed tho receipt O
your letter and this reply to it.
The malace that seeks to revive
the nefnriously concocted and long
since exploded SANDER which con
nected my name with the assassina
ton of President Lincoln, is quite
il character with the man who con
Quoted his invasion of the South, ms
TO render Shcrman's bummers
the synonym Of pillage, arson, cru
city to the helpless, and murder OF
non combatants, and who closed his
career of arson with false accuse
ton against General Hampton in
regard TO the burning of Columbia,
South Carolina.
But the question arises, why did
Gen. Sherman at the date of his re-
ported conversation with Gen. J. +.
Johnston, suppose me capable of
completely in tho assassination OF
President Lincoln?
I Gen. Sherman never was person
ally acquainted with me and from
those who knew me, either in the
U. S. army or in civil life, surely
learned nothing to justify such sus-
picion In the conduct of the war
between the States, despite of many
baseless accusations, we can proud
ly point to q record, which shows
a strict adherence to tho usages of
war between civilized nations. On
what, then, did the suspicion of Gen.
Sherman rest? Was is not that
proceeding on the rule of Judging
| others by oneself, he ascribed to me
| the murderous traits of his own ma
ture?
He reports a conversation with
President Lincoln, from which it is
to be inferred a desire to have au-
thority for departing from the
course, which as soldier he must
have known was usual and proper
towards prisoners of war. Did he
hope to get instructions for the
slaughter Of the Confederacy's Pres
ident and Cabinet officers, as sot
forth in the orders of Col Dahlgreen
when he made his raid against Rich
mond? If the good natured char
acteristic reply of President Lincoln
taught him that murder was not the
approved measure, it seems to have
failed TO inspire him with the gener-
osi,y and charity which is ever
found in noble minds, or with the
chivalry which ever adorns the char
acter of the true soldier and gentle
man.
Among the articles of tho surren-
der Of Gen. J. +. Johnston there
was one prohibiting military expe-
ditions in the country east of the
Chattahooche river. That was the
| consideration obtained for the sur
render of armies, arms, munitions
and manufactures in that section,
and It was in violation of that arti-
Gle thai the brigade c. cavalry by
which 1 was captured, was scour.
ing the country and freely taking
from the unprotected people the Int
tie which was left to them for their
future subsistence. From the state
ment of Gen. Sherman we learn that
a story had been told to the effect
that was carrying in wagons, mil
lions of specie TO the South, and
therefore, we are left to conclude,
was made that expedition IN viola
ton of the agreement of surrender.
Though the story of the millions of
specie is now admitted by General
Sherman to have been a fiction, the
admission is made in such forms as
would lead the reader to suppose l
had been travelling with wagon
transportation, and had few thous-
and dollars of specie in valise.
But neither supposition would be
true. / had recently joined the wa
gon train, and was about to leave it
when captured ; my only baggage
was a valise, which was packed on
a mule and it contained no specie.
The few thousand dollars of specie
were in a pair of saddle-bags, be
longing to Secretary Reagan. Wheth
or that money ever reached The
United States Treasury, Mr. Reagan
from whom it. was taken, may be
able to learn after he shall have as
sumed his functions as Represen-
ta,ive in the United States Con
gress.
Should the course of the Com
manding General of the army, in
attempting, at this late day, to re-
suscitatc d defunct SANDER against
the President of the late Conteder-
acy, and to which SANDER not oven
suborned witnesses could give the
semblance of truth, be taken as the
exponent of the feeling OF the army,
that arm of tho general government
would seem to be ill-suited to the
task, Of late SO largely assigned to 1t
Of preserving civil order, aud of ~
storing harmony among tho people
of the United States. For public
considerations it is to be- hoped that
the ineradicable malignity of Sher-
man may be an exception to the
prevailing sentiments of the United
S ates army.
Again thanking you for your
friendly consideration, l am very
truly yours,