The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-21


a,vre. A. nAny,s ANSWER TO COLONEL RIoS's
gpxrcn AGAINST KIM--wHAT GENERAL. GARY
eraILY THINKS or MRS. GRANT, AND WHAT
GENERAL LEE DID FOR GENERAL oARr.
u,~.,er n the wtnnsboros(s. o. Nsws.l
Allow IRE space in your paper to reply %
the extraordinary attack upon me oy Co'o.
mel ]. II. Rion In q speech De maze De'o'e
your recent County Convention.
nv attention was ealied 70 II our'ne .nc
session OF the Democratic state Conven'
ton. He begins by saying nase Nv
cross words with General cary snu p' a.
ceeds to repeat stale hsdica, s'" .assa =, ~
regard to General Grant ana MS wiz, ,, ~
these words: t"Gary, VINO 10 prome
meeting. NJ wrong time, IN WRONG
riscs before the wrong persons, made
a. ,,ssck upon Grant and upon his
w,sa shsf Grant can never forgive"
AZ 10 the time. place, and propriety
- nv speech, which was before the
Tax.Payers' Convention at Columbia, on
the 18th OF February, 1874, shall not as
cuss with the gentleman, but shall Simply
ref,,te the false and miserable SANDER that
made an attack upon General Granps whe.
never made an attack upon Generai urant
wife. or the wife Of any other man. nave
ALWAYS regarded Mrs. Grant as one OF tne
heat women In the United States, ana tnink
She is 80 esteemed by every one III 'he
sneech referred TO by Colonel Rion before
the Tax-Payers' Convention 1 ala use
the following language: 81 ior one
am unwilling to be knocking at the door
Of the White House for political OF
other favors. sm willing TO con.
cede that Grant is a great soldier. NJ 70
have stood by Cesar, Napoleon, Wiihau
the ConQuerOr, or Washington, II need De-
and give directions In battle. But by &C
ccnting presents Of great value, In Viola
tion OF hts oath OF Office; In throwing
the responsibility OF his speculation with
Fisk and Gould, whereby he made twenty
five thousand dollars, upon bis wife, ne mas
furnished and thrown away afame that Nigh
have perpetnatsd his name for all time"
How Colonel Rion, or any other fair-minded
man, can construe this into an stack upon
Mrs. Grant / am at q loss to perceive. It's
more Of defence for her against the I'M
kuightly action OF her husband. Further
in his speech. he uses the following IAN
guage: General Lee said OF him during
the war that General Gary Is working Tor
General Gary, not for South Carollpa."
i can but reply to what he repeats as
having been said OF me by General
Lee by briefly stating what General
Lee did for me as my general. was,
upon the Reorganization OF the Hampton
Legion, elected Northumberland OF the
light-infantry companies that formed part
of that command. was at once assigned
70 Hoods Texas brigade. short time
after the battle Of Sharpsburg, or Antietam'
General Lee sent for me 10 come to MS nead.
quarters, and upon my arrival there
AAA 70 NAL In
colonel for my services in the battle oil
Sbarpsburg; that be would do so by con-
soljdating the four companies Of the Fourth
South Carolina battalion into two compa
MES and order them to the Hampton LIE
gion, thereby making ten companies, all oi
which he did.
At the battle Of Riddles Shop, below
Richmond, l prevented General Grants
army from occupying Malvern Hill, and
held his advance troops in check until Gene
raj Lee arrived with bis army. / was then
commanding brigade as senior colonel.
General Lee, as a recognition for my SER
vices on that occasion, sent me my commits
sion as brigadier-general on the next day.
After the battle Of Darbytown, the plan
of which battle submitted at council OF
war presided over by General Lee, General
Lee. as recognition Of my services In that
battle, voluntarily assigned Captain Han.
kins's battery OF artillery permanently to
my brigade. He also, in addition TO that,
had me made major-general OF cavalry.
The last order l ever received from him
was to occupy and bold AppomattOx Court
house until his army could come up. which
/ did.
II will be seen from the above facts that
General Lee promoted me on three occa-
sions, which was the only promotion that !
received during the war. leave it with
the people to decide il the remark attribu'
ted to General Lee squares with his acts,
and whether it is in keeping with his char
acter as a man and as a soldier. do not
believe that General Lee would promote me
and Islander me at the sometime.
Your obedient servant, 81. w. GARY.