The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-09-17
MosBY'S RECORD.
A Spirited Reply to Senator Vest
THE RECONSTRUCTED cONFEDE-
..- RATE TROOPER DEFENDS
HIMSELF.
Philadelphia Times, AHg. 30.


... Philadelphia Times, Ang. So
Colonel ]. 8. Mosby forwards to the
Times, from the United States consulate &C
Hong Kong, = copy OF letter written by
him in reply to one received fiom friend
at home. It will be found quite entertain
ing reading:
= ea, Hone Kose, July 90, 1880.
B. L. Fletcher, Esq.:
DEAR SIR. Il have just received your
letter informing me that Mr.. Vest, OF Mis-
souri,, had recently charged in the United
States Senate that nay com mand fought
under the black flag and was not recog-
nized BY the Confederate Government. II
Mr.. Vest made any such statement he sim
ply said what he and everybody else knew
to hs lie he would never have dared 70
utter the calumny II he had not known the
man whom he slandered was on the oppo-
site side Of the globe. There were doz-
en- Senators on the floor who served with
me In the army OF Northern Virginia and
knew tho charge to be false they did not
have the chivalry to defend me, or, rather,
the fair fame of our army, because with
them the interests of party are stronger
than the interests Of truth. No man who
| had the courage to face US In fight, or
whom the fortunes of war made prisoner
in our hands, has ever made such an accu-
| sation against us. 1t Is true that my no
tions Of war were not sentimental and that
did not look upon 1t as tournament or
| pastime. but az one of the most practical
of human undertakings. l learned the
maxims on which I conducted it from Ma
po)eon and not Waiter Scott. You may
remember that some Of our fiercest tight
ing was with the California cavalry battal'
lion, which was stationed in front OF wash
| inptcn, When I was in San francisco, on
| nv way here, some fifteen or twenty OF the
officers called on me In body to pay their
respects and talk over the battles we had
lost and won. They would hardly have
| done 40 II, as soldier, had not observed
| all the rules of honorable war. My COM
mand, which was the Forty third Battal-
lion of Virginia Cavalry, was just as much
a regularly organized portion OF the Con-
federate army as the " Stonewall Brigade" I"
| The Confederate records contradict everv-
thing that Vest said. I served nearly the
whole of the first two years Of the war as
a private In tho cavalry and then rose to
the rank of Colonel, having received five
promotions on the recomm endations OF
General J. K. B. Stuart and General X. 4.
Lee, under whose immediate orders l act
cd. Their dispatches attest the estima-
ton In which they bald me ~ well as the
value they put upon my services beside,
had the rare honor Of being mentioned
for good conducf three times in general or
ders TO the army. There was no officer in
that army In closer or more confidential re-
iations with those two great soldiers than
was, and I reported to them everything
that I did. III any odium, therefore, at =
taches to me or my men they must share u
equally with us. General Lee never. re-
proved me but once. One one occasion
when disabled from duty by wound.
went to see him at bis headquarters neai
Petersburg. When he saw me approaching
him on my crutches he came forward u
= meet me and said ....
, "Colonel, I have never had but on
> sanlt to find With you. You are Away
= getting wounded"
, II any man ever received any higher en-
h comium from him than this. history make
n no mention OF 1t. About six weeks befor
the surrender dined with him at head
quarters and shall never forget the affee
tionate manner with which he took ieav
of me and cautioned me against any ur
necessary exposure to danger. receives
+ a great many orders from him In bis ow
, handwriting-he very rarely sent me on
u through staff officer. The last order
% ever received from him was one assign'n
% me TO the command Of the whole distrit
4 OF Northern Virginia. This was the pos
y tiou held when the mournful tidings cam
.. that "young Harry Percy's spur u cold.
J. II YOU wish to know the de tails OF the o
ID panixation OF my command and its relatio
"a 10 the main body Of tho Confederate arm.
y I refer you TO the memoir BY Scott. IL 70
further desire 70 know the Judgment OF .
10 Intelligent foreigner, who served in q
II Union army, Of my character as soidit
I'd and the efficiency Of my command, ref
you to the history BY the Count Of Paris
D. the civil war in America.
e As you are no doubt aware, have ol
10 fsred on questioos Of public policy with
large majority Of the people Of the Sou
OF since the close OF tho var. Every Confe'
NJ erate soldier who has dared to do this b
er been treated as dsserter In war, deservi'
be 20 be shot. The South has initiated Satu
tb in devouring his o~n children. No amou
N service or desotion TO les cause dnril
m the war Ia permitted to extensate the Q
re fsnse Of defying the dominant sentiment
n the section since the war. II vas Tor u
mt REASON that Wade Hampton, by whose 81
mt I have often followed the plume Of Stus
no Ia the front rank VI tho battle, could
sct silently in bis seat and permit this cslu
mt nv, uttered BY man who was himself
In Confederate, to 20 unrebuked. But
nd not the only soldier Of the lost cause vht
n reputation IL has been thoughtneoessary
on sacrifice to gratify the rancor of psl
nd spiris. General Longstreet (wbo IN
~ la.t scene Of the great drama might n
10 aid. with almost ~ much truth - Nsy
'he on the frozen bank Of the Berosina, Il
70 the rear guard Of the grand army
p bcen discovered 70 bsve been no soldier
nj, and one Of his critics. who was ns
distinguished for anything except : b
be had Of alwnvs keeping ~hsrs thcrs
wss no danger OF gestiug hurt, has accused
tls. o. trsachsry q Gsttysbur9, vhils 10
,p,s himself during the battie in the rear '
Nv. the baggage wagons Al Lo0gstrse
the nov . Rspu blican and bis grsss antAgo'
an On that eysntful field 10 the Dsmocf'
Iim candidate for The Presidency, ! have
"A. doubt but that before The closs Of the Q
Ind. peign the soathsru psoPls wiii oe psfa
ru - t,.,s.ve hi II pAa Hancock and