The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-06-03
eMisfeAaneons.
SHBRMAN'O HORNETS NEST.
ASCA THING LET TER FROM MONT
GOMERY BLAIR.
Wash. Cor. N. Y. Herald

l''N'''' N"a' 49, - ''N''''l
General Logan, who was here for few
days, said he should reserve his criticism
until he had read the book dispassion-
ately, and then he didn't know what he
would say or write. There is one, how
ever, who is too i'll and too feeble to re-
ply, and the opinion is generally ex-
pressed among army officers tina if Gen
eral Frank P. Blair was not an invalid
his treatmen by General Sherman would
have been far different His brother
Montgomery Blair, however, has come
TO the defense Of the General. | called
upen him yesterday to hear what he
might say in regard to his brothers. treat
ment, and was informed that he had been
requested to write a magazine article and
speak his mind plainly. 1t is not gen
orally known that Montgomery Blair is
= graduate of West Point, and served
with distinction in number of engage
ments during the Indian wars, while
Frank never had military education.
Mr.. Blair, too, has known General Sher-
man for forty years, and he was married
in Mr.. Blair's house, opposite the War
Department. The defense, then, which
he takes occasion to make in courteously
thanking the magazine publisher for his
request, may be regarded as the begin
ming of the hostile fire which General
Sherman will come under for his course.
The letter is as follows:
Vim. II. BroWne, Esq, Editor Of the South
ern Magazine, Baltimore, hd,;
DEAR SRI thank you for Jour kind
offer of yesterday to publish any reply ]
may desire to make to Sherman's reiec-
tions on my brother in your magazine.
But cannot now command the time re-
ouired to write a suitable article for your
magazine, nor do | think it necessary.
The people of this country will weigh
what General Sherman says only at its
worth, and properly estimate him and
my brother. All who know Sherman
know that he is of an envious nature, and
his book would be unlike anything else
he had done if it did not reveal this. |
recollect no generous eulogy by him of
any romrade, and the extracts published
in the Herald from his book are thor
oughly Shermanic. The purpose with
which he gives Halleck the credit of the
Tennessee campaign does not make it
necessary to qualify This criticism, for
that was thrust at Grant, to whom
Sherman owes everything, and whom
Hslleck superseded in the act following
up his blow at Donelson by the capture
OF Nashville, and 80 rendered his victory
fFuitless.
Whatever may have been the opinion
Of my brothers military capacity, Sher-
man, under whom he served, and whom
he succeeded in the command of the
Fifteenth Army Corps, is the first to i'm
pute to him selfish purpose in joining
the army. Being the recognized leader
of the military organization which pro-
tected the st. Louis Arsenal from seizure
BY the State authorities during the win
ter of 1860 and 1861, and the man who
took all the responsibility and shared in
all the danger Of The capture Of Camp
Jackson, which was the first blow truck
for the Union, he was offered by Mr..
Lincoln, on General SCOTS recQmmen-
dation, the first Brigadier Generalship
for that service. This he declined per.
emptorily, and insisted that it should be
given to Captain Lyon, the regular officer
whose aid e had succeeded in obtaining
10 command the troops on that occasion,
after applying to Sherman and failing to
obtain his services, who declined on the
ground that he had no confidence in vol
unteer troops, a principle to which he
steadily adhered, taking good care never
10 volunteer any service to the Govern
ment or lift finger for it till commits
stoned as a Colonel in the regular army.
Nor did my brother ever seek military
promotion 1t was only in response to
argent and personal appeals Of Mr.. Stan
ION. after the second Bull Run battle,
when great discOuragement was felt, and
recruiting had come to stand-stlll, and
il was necessary for the Government to
avail itself of the popularity of some OF
the public men in Congress, that he and
other Republican leaders left their seats
to recruit in their districts. He succeed
Cd in recruiting seven regiments within
a very short time, and it was with bri-
gade from part of his force that, in 1862,
he stormed the works at Chickasaw
Bluffs, which protected Vicksburg, and
which he faied to hold only because
Sherman failed TO support him,
Il recall two other signal occasions
when the force under my brothers com,
mand failed to secure the fruits OF well
fought fields by reason OF Sherman's
timidity. One was at Chattanooga. hay-
ing crossed the river and beaten the enc
my in front of them, the Fifteenth Corps
WAS in position to intercept Bragg army,
in full retreat before Grant, but Sherman
ordered the corps to be Withdrawn, and
let Bragg escape Again, at Bentonvllle,
where, while Johnston was attempting
and failed to crush Slocum, my brothers
corps, by rapid marching in the direc-
ton of the firing, was enabled to get
into his rear, so as to have efectually cut
off his retreat, the division commanded
by Mower being actually in the camp
which Johnston had left to attack Slo-
cum, he was obliged by Sherman's order