Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-27

The Assassination OF LincOIn-GeneraI
Braqg on IHe Siaud-AIIeged at.
tennis 10 Assassinate the COnfeders
ate President.
Austin Texas Statesman.
General Bragg was IN the city several
DAYS during the past week. tie re-
feTred. IL the course Of a conversation,
10 the recent assertion Of General Sher-
man that he had suspected Mr.. Jeffer-
son Davis OF completely with the as
sassins Of MIR. Abraham Lincoln. Gen
eral Bragg said that be had seen Mr..
Davis tested IN cases Of this sort, and
while two efforts were made by hired
assassins IN 1864 to destroy Air. Davis
life he never manifested tie least signs
of resentful feeling. 1t was II j une,
1864. that MIR. Davis, when riding
along the defeDces Of Richmond, was
fred at. the bullets passing very
near his person. Once afterwaTd
he was shot 1T when IN the outskirts Of
Richmond Bat we propose to settle
Shis question finally. Dahlgren's raid
will not soon be forgotten. Col.
Dahlgren's address, as written and
signed by him, was memOrized and
spoken or read to his followers. They
were disguised as spies, and were cap
tured as spies inside of the Confederate
lines. They came, as stated, to murder
Mr.. Davis. When they were captured
and this paperwas found on the person
Of thisman, Dahlgreu, Mr.. Davis Cab
met and his military staff Concurred
IN declaring that the prisoners should
beexecuted IN accordance with the laws
of war. President Davis, after reading
the paper and finding that he especially
was designed TO be assassinated 10y
Dahlgren, perenptOTily forbade other
treatment than that accorded 10 prls-
oneTs of war. lGeu. Bragg preserved
photograph copies Of Col Dallgr5n S
orders. If Mr.. Davis were capable Of
enormIties which Gen. Sherman would
ascribe TO his intervention ne would
never have hesItated to punish with
death the disguised followers Of Dahl
gren. And would 1t not be well for
Gen. Sherman to remember that Dir.
Davis at all times interviewed IN behalf
Of the condemned? 1t was the COM
plant Of rrany Confederate leaders
that nobody could be executed who
appealed to the President for pardon.
He spared Harrison Self, the bridge
burner of East Tennessee, and each
UnIOnist who became a spy rather than
soldier, and was captured within the
Confederate lines. OF all men MIR.
Davis personal virtues and character
have been most grlevousiy ILlsr5pre-
scented and misunderstood by Northern
people, even as Iincoln's character and
spirit were at first Inexperienced
throughout the South. Mr.. Davis
differed from Mr.. Lincoln III that
both Kentuckians, and both reared IN
the midst Of the same moral atmosphere
DAVIS was deliberately educated,
onG1 taught and refined IN all the
gcbo,1s. while LiuCain's generosity,
neither or. later for pUreT than that OF
Ms Davis "a -ss more conspicuous be-
cause Of his . eIsonal rudenc:S5' with
which his yvomanly' traits were n5Irong
contrast. Gen. Sherl, nan y a man oI
force and genius and a l'tliitni warrior
his selGshuess, ana thus h.>S Fanny -
his most significant fCIble, OfttN uSsS'I-
Grating into an objectionable vice. .Oc'
cUpying his position he had no right u
ascribe a degree Of criminality TO Mr.
Davis which Ouldonly be supposed Just
to the extent that parUisaus, North ana
South. traduced Mr. Davis in order to
make the cause he Dspoused odIoUs.
Gen. Sherman, # morally great man,
which he is Tot, because his vices Of IN
teIect are great, should have considered
the facts before prOnOungny an
opinion. as disgraceful to sherman IS
designed to be ruinous TO Mir. Davis
personal fame.