Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-06-22
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.ohaflestoWh. Jeaerson coanII, YES. fa.
5 IVEsDAY, AQRyIsG, JTsg q, 1916,
Letter rom M. PATTERSON Davis.

TUESDAY Z MORNING, IIsslGl, JUsg q, 1875.
Letter. rom Mr.. Jefferson Davis.
The St LOuiss Riin,esi publishes the follows
ng.letter, ,ffomsE PTesidentD Davis, addressed
to, COL " IF. Melleny asformeri Confederate
officer, I,euehing ecrtainsmattersihG Gem Sher.
mans beek;u aode 5at ts2ssis, i,st. }. q
5 slfspsplsis Tenn. May %, ls75s-+My Dear
Sir: Please accept my, thanks for your kind
letteraof the 18th instant, and the accompany>
ing copy of a St Lonis paper containing an
extract from tile forthcoming work Of Gen.
VT. Sherman. My absence delayed the
receipt of your. letter aud this reply to it.
$. The malice that seeks to revive the nefas
riously. concocted and long since exploded
SANDER which connected my name with the
assassination of President Lincoln is quito IN
character with the man who so conducted his
invasion of the South as 20 render ttSherman's
bummers the synonym. of pillage, arson,
cruelty to the helpless, and murder of nom
combatants, and who closed his career of arson
with a. false accnsatioh against Gen. Hampton
in regard to- the burning of ! Columbia, South
Carolina, a ,ss s,.i s7: -,
But the question arises, why did Gen.
Sherman, at the date of his reported conver-
sati6n with Gen. ). e.. Johnston, suppose ME
capable;of completely in the; assassination of
President llipcolnld n ssss7 ss. .yzs szse ~
General Sherman never was. personally, &C.
quainted with me, and from those who knew
ME, either IN the United. States army or in
civil life, surely learned nothing to Justify
such suspicion. in the conduct of. the war
between the States,sdespjte of many ebaseless
accpsstionsS We can proudly point to a record
which shows a strict adherence TO the usages
ofswar between civilized nations. On what,
then, did the suspicion. of Gen. Shcrmanrest2
Was it not that. proceeding on,sthe rule of
Judging others by oneself, he ascribcd' to me
the murderods and malicious traits Of his own
nature? ,@t=ia7, a,tsss % 'goualZ@z r. fa
He, reports a 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 towards prisoners of war
Did he hope to get instructions for the slaugh.
ter Of the Coufederacy's President and cab
met officers. as set forth in the orders of Col
Dahlgren, when he made his raid against
Richmond 2 If the good-na.ured, charac,
tcristic reply of President Lincoln taught
him-.hnt-murder was not the approved nca>
sure, 1t seems to- have failed to inspire him
with the generosity and charity which is ever
whichever ad0rus tho character OF the true
soldier and gentleman.
Among the articles of the surrender of
General j. L. Johnston there was one pros
hibiuDg military expeditions in the country
east of the Chattaloochie river. That was
the best consideration obtained for the eur
render Of armies, arms, munitions aud maou>
factories in that section, and it was in. viola>
tion of that article that the brigade of cavalry,
by which was captured, was securing the
country and freely taking from the unpro>
tectcd people the little which was left to them
for their future subsistence. From the state
meut of Gen Sherman VIC learn that a story
had been told, to the effect that / was carry
ing inswagons millions Of specie to the South.
aud, therefore, we arc left TO conclude, was
made that expedition in violation OF the agree
ment iof surrender. Though the story;of the
millions ofzspccie Is now admitted by Gen.
Sherman to have been fiction, the admission
Is madein such terms as would lead the reader
to suppose Bhad been travelling with wagon
transportation, and had few thousand dollars
of.specie in yalise. But neither supposi>
tion would betfue! i had recently joined
the wagon train, and was about to leave it
when captured; my only baggage was avalise,
which was packed on mule, and it contained
were insa pair of saddle-bags belonging to
Secretary Reagan. Whether that money ever
reached the United States treasury Mr.. Rea.
gan; from whom it was taken, may be able to
learn after he slisll have assumed his fuuc-
tious as a Representative in the United States
Congress, .z -,
Should the course Of the commanding gem
eraE of the army in attempting at this late
day to resuscitato defunct SANDER against
the President of the late Con!ederacy, and to
which slander not even suborncd witnesses
could giEe;tbe sembance of truth, be taken
as the exponent of the feeling of the army,
that arm of the. general government would
seem to be iIi-suited to the task, of late SO
largely assigned to it, of preserving civil order
and of restoring, harmony among the people
Of tho United States. For public .considera-
tious il is to be hoped that tho ineradicable
malignity of Sherman may, be an exception to
the prevailing sentiments of the United States
army. = -. z..s-tsl5 ,s ~ .gs. - -
Again thanking you for your friendly con-
sideration, nm very truly yours,
.F- -E-,2:s $50 JEFFERSON DAVIS.
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