The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-06-24
DAVIS AND SHERMAN.

The President OF the Late COnfedcracy
Gees for recumseh's SealP-A Vitriolic
EpIsfis.
The st. Louis Times of Friday, pub
fishes letter form Jefferson Davis to
gentleman of that city, in which he
says Of Sherman's Memoirs:
The malice that seeks to revive the
nefariously concocted and long since
| exploded Islander which connected my
name with the assassination of Presi-
| dent Lincoln is quite In character with
| the man who so conducted his invasion
/ of the south as TO render g Sherman 8
bummers the synonym of pillage, ar
| SOD, cruelty to the helpless, murder of
nnncombatants, and who closed his ca
reer of arson with a false accusation
against Gen. Hampton, III regard to the
burning OF Columbia, 8. @.
But the question arises, why did
| Gen. Sherman, at the date of his reported
| conversation with Gen. J. e. Johnston,
suppose me capable of completely IN
| the assassination OF President Lincoln |?
Gen. Sherman was never personally ac-
| quainted with me, and from those who
knew me, either in the United States
army or In civil life, he surely learned
nothing to justify such suspicion. In
| the conduct of the war between the
States. despite Of many baseless acou-
satiOns, we caH proudly point to a
record which shows a strict adherence to
the usages of war between civilized ma
tions. On what, then, did the sus-
| picion of Gen. Sherman rest Was it
not that, proceeding on the rule of
Judging others by ones self, he aseribed
to me the murderous and malicious
traits of his own nature? He reports q
conversation with President Lincoln,
from which is to be inferred desire to
have authority for departing from the
course which, as a soldier, he must
have known was usual and proper
toward prisoners of war. Did he hope
to get instructions for the slaughter of
the eonfederacy's president aud cab
inet-officers, as set forth in the orders
of Col. .Dahlgreen, when he made his
raid against Richmond? If the good
natured, characteristic reply of Presi-
dent Lincoln taught him that murder
was not the approved measure, it seems
to have failed 70 inspire him with the
generosity and charity which is ever
found in noble minds, or with the chiv-
airy which ever adorns the character of
the true soldier and gentleman.
Among the articles of the surrender
of Gen. Johnston there was one prohib-
iting military expeditions in the country
east of the Ohattahoochie river. That
was the last consideration obtained for
the surrender of armies, arms, NUM-
tions and manufactures In that section,
and it was IN violation of that article that
the brigade of cavalry by which I was
captured was securing the country and
freely taking from the unprotected
people the little which was left to them
for their future subsistence. From the
statement of Gen. Sherman, we learn
that story had been told to the effect
that I was carrying in wagons millions
of specie to the south, and therefore,
we are left to conclude, was made that
expedition, in violation of the agree
ment Of surrender. Though the story
of the millions is now admitted by Gen
Sherman to have been fiction, the adj
mission is made in such terms , would
lead the reader to suppose that I
had been travelling with wagon Transport
tation, and had few thousand dollars
of specie in valise, but neither suppo-
sition would be true. 1 had recently
joined the wagon train, and was about to
leave when captured. My only baggage
was a valise, which was packed on a
mule, and contained no specie. The
few thousand dollars of specie were in
pair of saddle-bags belonging TO Sec
rotary Reagan. Whether that money
ever reached the United States treasury,
Mr.. Reagan, from whom it was taken,
may be able to learn after he shall have
assumed his functions as a representa-
tive in the United States congress.
Should the course of the command
ing general of the army in attempt
ing, at this late day, to Iesusci-
tate defunct SANDER against the presi-
dent of the late confederacy, and to
which Islander not even suboFned wit
nesses could give the semblance of
truth, be taken as the exponent of the
feeling of the army, that arme of the
general government would seem to be
lll-suited to the task of late so largely
assigned to 1t, of preserving civil order
and of restoring harmony among the
people of the United States. For pub
lie considerations, it is to be hoped
that the ineradicable malignity OF
Sherman may be an exception TO the
prevailing sentiment of the United
States army.