The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-08-05
SHERMAN AND DAVIS.

| The Assassination of Ln,roL- Gcpcral Bragg o
ne SmoI -ANeGcd AHcmps Ia A,sossiuio m
CoQciootc Prcdod
General Bragg was in the city severa
days during the past week. He re
ferred, in the course Of conversation
to the recent assertion of General Sher
man that he had suspected Mr.. Jeffer
son Davis of completely with the as
sassins of Mr.. Abraham Lincoln. Gen
eral Bragg said that he had seen Mr.
Davis tested in cases of this sort, ant
while two efforts were made by hiret
assassins in 1864 to destroy Mr.. Davis
life he never manifested the least signi
of iesentful feeling. 1t was in June,
1864, that Mr.. Davis, when riding along
tho defences of Richmond, was fired at,
the bullets passing very near his person.
Once afterward he was shot at when in
the outskirts of Richmond. But we
propose to settle this question finally.
Dahlgren's raid will not soon be for
gotten. Col. Dahlgren's address, rs
written and signed by him, was memo.
rized and spoken or read to his follow,
ers. They were disguised as spies, and
were captured as spies inside of the
confederate linea. They came, as stated
to murder Mr.. Davis. When they we're
captured and this paper was found on
the pc on of this man, Dahlyren, Mr..
d Wis cabinet and his military staff con.
Cured in declaring that the prisoners
should be executed in accordance with
the laws of war. President Davis, after
reading the paper and finding that he
was designed to be assassi-
lat lby Dahlgren, peremptorily forbade
other treatment than that accorded to
prisoners of war. Gen. Bragg pre-
served photograph copies of Col. Dahl
gren's orders If MIR. Davis We're
capable of enormities which Gen. Sher-
man would ascribe to his intervention
he would never have hesitated to punish
with death the disguised followers of
Dahlgren. And would it not be well
for Gen. Sherman to remember that
Mr.. Davis Mt all time intervened in be-
half OF the condemned? 1t was the
Of many confederate leaders
hat nobody could be executed who ap,
oealcd TO the president for pardon. He
pared Harrison Self, the bridge burner
# East Tennessee, and each unionist
7ho became a spy rather than soldier,
nd WIS captured within the confederate
nes OF all men Mr.. Davis personal
irtues and character have been most
misrepresented and misun-
erstood by northern people; even rs
incoln's character and spirit were ut
rst misapprebended throughout the
)uth. Mr.. Davis differed from Mr..
ircon in thut-both kentuckians and
9th reared in the midst of the same
loral atmo3phere-Davis was elabor-
tely educated, and taught and refined
/ all the schools while Lincoln's gen
rosity, neither greater nor purer than
hat of Mr.. Davis, was more coDspicu
us because of his personal rudeness,
nth which his womanly traits were in
trong contrast. Gen. Sherman is
nan of force and genius and a skillful
Iarrior his seliishness, and thus his
anity, is his most significant foible,
ften degenerating into an objectionable
ice. Occupying his position he had no
light to ascribe degree of criminality
D Mr.. Davis which could only be sup
osed just to the extent that partisans,
orth and south, traduced Mr.. Davis i'll
rider to make the cause he espoused
iious. Gen. Sherman, if morally
reat man, which he is not, because his
ces of intellect are great, should have
,nsidered the facts before pronouncing
l opinion, MS disgraceful to Sherman as
,signed to be ruinous to Mr.. Davis per-
nal fame.--AuStin 1eEaS States' c
an