The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-01-23
WAS oEN. THOMAS EVER A sEo.Ds-
SIONTST9
Zen. Thuv-ns Jordan Olives his Recolicettons
upon this On srttOn.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Str: is
reply 10 your inquiry In segard TO the truth or
faisitv Of paragraph goiae the rounds OF the
newspapers to the eject tha' my 81 ssmate' the
late Gen. Georgc II. Thomas. had wanted me
"to go to san Francisco aud start secesslonp1-
ncr there" several years before the war have
10 state that nothing of the Kind occurred nor
were he and stationed together at the Dalles
in Oregon. The origin Of the paragraph pre-
sumo Is to be found in the imperfect recolec-
ton OF some one here in Virginia who may have
heard me mention tho following facts' prooaoD
az far back No the summer OF 1851.
When Gen. Thomas was stll an oficer OF sr-
ullcrv. and stationed at Camp Yuma, on the
Colorado River Of the Pacific, probably In 1855,
he wrote me an elaborate and mainly political
letter expressing the confidence and belief that
tho Southern people were to be driven into &C.
cesslon I'm sheer self-dcfon' On this point Ills
views were given with the earnes,ness ana force
Of his character. lie regarded secession az
necessary step tor the states IN question, not to
be long delayed.
have taken no part In these discussions about
the form er opinions Of this Ill ttugushcd Amer
team soldier of our unhappy civil W r, hut IT las
ALWAYS amazed me to hear them denied WIN so
much heat, when there are 50 many persons
stu living who must remcnpcr tue Intensity oi
his pulitical views, not only during the Kansas
troubles but earlier as we'll as later-up TO the
opening Of 1861.
mat. IN splte OF kufU oIlNlHUNs TIC Nl'ulu
nevertheless remain In the service ut the Union
and fight so sturdiiy to rCpress what lie had so
recently regarded "a the filhtful course OF his
section to pursue. nave not found u r. all DIM
cult TO account for. In my own mind. without
coupling any unworthy motive with his acts.
When called upOn to decide Tor myself having
chosen my own side ] assurcdly would not
cues ion the motives which may have Rctuated
George H. Thomas, though must say that up
to the time 81 that decision never knew any
officer ~ OUT aay VITO seemed so deeply imbued
with the dogma Of secession as he was,
except possibly two others. one OF these, ten
times wounded In Florida aud Mexico,
becmae n Confederate General. anc fell Ia de-
fence Of his convictions The other rose to he a
distinguished Union General, and To- command
negro troops. 1t WAS this ast-naned oMcer
who. In 1852. when | was under orders for Calf
forni1, called ut my house in Washington and
urged that opon my arrival at san Francisco
should seek assignment to duty at Los Angeles.
10 the end that / might ntd in movement
division Of California aud the erection OF slave
State in that quarter. He was pleased to say
that, with the influence which could come TO
| exercise In that community.aided by the efforts
| Of his brother, himself, and others there. the
| measure could he achieved. This measure he
urged as particularly necessary, so that when
secession was no longer To D. averted, slavery
would have a foothold on the Pacific coast;
| This far reaching scheme, presented SIN all
possible earnestness, was assured would he
| strongly aided by the prcdlspositiOn and uredi-
| lectiuns Of the people Of thar part OF CALIFORNIA
| While decidedly believe ~ the rignt VI the
people Of the several States to determine such
! questions for thcmsclves, was IN no way III
| clined 20 become y recruit in my friends politi-
! cal campaign. or inclined to such propaganda
| of slavery. Nor did | SO carly as that. nor as
| have the idea that the South would be forced
| either into a q suuinn movement ar connected
! to live on wholly unequal footing In the lnion
! ResnectlulN, THOMAS JORDAN.
| I'm