The daily gazette., 1875-06-09
Letter from Mr.. Jefferson, Daci.'

Letter from Mr.JefersOst D0cis
HE GOES VIGOROUSLY FOR THE scAL1
OF GEN. SHERMAN. .-.-
The st. Louis Times Of Friday pub
fishes the following letter from Mr
Jefferson Davis, addressed to Col. w
+. Mellen, II former Confederate off
Ger, touching certain matters In Gen
Sherman's book.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, May ~, 1875.
My Dear Sir:-Please accept my
thanks for your kind letter of the 10th
instant, and the accompanying copy o1
st. Louis paper containing an extract
from the forthcoming work of General
w. T. Sherman. My absence DELAYED
the receipt of the letter and this reply
to 1t.
Tho malice that seeks to revive the
nefarionsly concscted and long since
exploded SANDER which connected my
name with the assassination Of Prcsi-
dent Lincoln Is quite in character with
the man who 30 conducted his invasion
OF the South as to render "Sherman's g
summers" the synonym Of pillage, ar
son, cruelty to the helpless, murder of
non-combatants, and who closed his
career of arson with false accusation
against General Hampton in regard TO
the burning OF Columbia, South Caro-
lima.
But the question arises, why did
Gen. Sherman at the date of his report
ed conversation with Gen. J. Z. John
ston suppose me capable of completely
in the assassination of President Lin
eolns
den. Sherman was never personally
acquainted with me, and from those
who knew me, either In the United
States army or in civil life, surely
learned nothing to justify such suspi.
cion. In the conduct of the war be-
tween the States, despite of many base.
less accusations, we can proudly point
to record which shows a strict adhe.
renee 80 the usages OF war between civ.
tlized nations. On what, then, did the
suspicion of Gen. Sherman rests Was
1t not that, proceeding on the rule of
judging others by oneself, he ascribe,l
to me the murderous and malicious
traits of his own natures
He reports q conversation with Pre-
sident Lincoln. frow which ic to be In
fsrred a desire to have ruthority 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 Presi-
dent and Cabinet officers, as set forth
in the orders of Col. Dahlgren, when
he made his raid against Richmonds If
the good-natured, characteristic reply
Of President Lincoln taught him that
murder was not the approved measure
it seems to have failed to inspire him
with the generosity and charity which
Is ever found In noble minds, or with
the chivalry which ever adorns the
character of the true soldier and gen.
tleman.
Among the articles of the surrender
of General ]. E. Johnston there was
one prohibiting neutrality-suspicious. In
the country east of the Chattahoochie
river. That was the best tconsideration
obtained for the surrender of armies,
srms, munition and manufactures In
that section, and 1t was IN violation of
that article, that the brigade of caval-
ry, by which was captured, was
securing the country and freely taking
from the unprotected people the little
which was left to them for their future
From the statement of |
Gen Sherman we learn that story had |
been told to the effect that / was car.
rying Ia wagons millions of specie to
the South, and, therefore, we are left
to conclude, was made that expedition
In violation of the agreement Of sur
render. Though the story of millions
of specie in now admitted by General
Sherman to have been fiction, the
is made in such terms as
would lead he reader to suppose had
been travelling with wagon transparta-
tion, and had few thousand dollars
of specie In valise. But neither sup
position would be true. l had recently
Joined the wagon train, and was about |
to leave it when captured; my only
baggage was valise which was pack. |
ed on a mule, and it contained no spe.
eie. The few thousand dollars of spe.
cie were in pair of saddlc-bags be-
Secretary Reagan. Whether
that money ever reached the United
States treasury, Mr.. Reagan, ,fromwhom
1t was saken, may be able to leal n after
he shall have assumed his functions as
a Representative in the United States
Congress.
Should the course of tho command
ing general of the army, in attempting
at this late day to resuscitate defunct
slandcr against the President Of the
late Confederacy, and to which SANDER
not even suborned Witnesses could |
give the semblance of truth, be taken |
as the exponent of the feeling of the |
army, that arm of the general govern
ment would seem to bo ill-suited to |
the task, of late so largely assigned to |
1t, of preserving civil order and of re.
storing harmony among tho people Of
the United States. For public consid.
Grafton 1t Is to be hoped that the ine-
radicable malignity Of General Sher-
man may be an exception to the pro-
vailing sentiments OF the United States |
army.
Again thanking you for your friend
ly consideration, I ann truly yours,
lREEERson DAVIS.
~