The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-01-31
LONG RANGE.
arx. SHERMAN THE TARGET
r,ree shots mt the Victor of Many
BattIes-Grave Charges Includ-
ing Deadly Thrnsts ut
soldiers Honor.

povnton's charges against Gen. W. L
sherman, are made public. Gen
Rovnton submits the specifications
rhich are three in number, to the sec
retary Of war ramsey for the infor.
nation of the president. He shows
that the legal right of a citizen to make
such charges is established by the rec.
opnized opinions of the judge advocate
oeneral He then proceeds to state
that on the 18th instant Il reporter fol-
newspaper, one E. H. Cowles, ap.
proached Gen. w. T. Sherman, in the
headquarters of the army, and asked
his opinion of the reputation Of the
undersigned, explaining to Sherman
that he, and some others associated
with him, had published the under
signed as liar, and that Gen. Sher-
mans testimony was also desired to
add to their own on that point ''to show
the public what fraud he, the under
signed, is"
In the course of conversation which
followed, in which the reporter acted
in his capacity rs such, Gen. Sherman
said to him, with 2 full understanding
that what he said was solicited for pub
lcation, among other false and slander-
Gus things of the undersigned: "He
is entirely without character; you could
hire him to do anything for money!
and that he was Every persistent and
energetic in manufacturing. .falsehoods. -
These things being spoken to re-
porter, ..for publication, and being ut
tered in the presence and hearing of
others, constitute the crime of slander,
as defined by the laws in force in the
District of Columbia. This constitutes
the first specification.
The second specification is in effect
that four days later Gen. Boynton,
feeling confident that however severely
Gen. Sherman might criticise the re-
view of his Memoirs by the under
signed, of which he was more particu-
larly speaking to the reporter, he would
not so far forget what belonged to his
high office, as to use language so
coarse, SO false, and SO unollicer like,
therefore called the attention of Gen.
Sherman, in writing, to the reporters
article, and asked if the words attrib-
uted to him were correctly stated.
Gen. Sherman replied, endorsing
them in language in some respects still
more gross than that to which his at
tention had been called. This letter
lie subsequently exhibited to others, by
which exhibition he again violated the
laws relating to the crime of slander.
Specification third sets forth that Sher-
man, in his Memoirs, purporting to
give correct account of himself dur.
ing the civil war, and having all the
records within easy reach, committed
grave and inexcusable errors in his
statements, and did, by these writings,
do great injustice to noted officers serv.
Ing with or under him, notably to Gen
q. S. Grant. in connection with the
Forts Henry and Donelson campaign,
and the ''march to the sea-" to Gen
D. G. Buell., and the army of the Ohio
in connection with the battle of Pitts.
burg Landing; to Gen. George H.
Thomas, (then deceased), and the army
of the Cumberland, in connection will
the battles of Chattanooga and Nash
Vile, and the assault on Kenesay
mountain; to Gen. j. B. Mcpherson
lthen deceased), in connection with the
battle Of Resaca; to Geuerals John A
Logan and Francis P. Blair (then dy
ing with paralysis), in connection will
the battle of Atlanta; to Generals Nor
gan, Sooy. Smith, and Hon. E. NJ
stanton, in connection with the Savan
nah cotton matter-aspersions agains
noted officers. And these variou.
unjust assertions and unfounded claim
and aspersions having been PARTIAL,
exposed by Henry V. Boynton, write
OF honorable character and fair repu
tation, by comparing the writings o
the said William I. Sherman, genera
OF the army, with official records of war
ana publishing the same in volume
showing that the march to the sea, fol
which Gen. Sherman took full credit
really was planned by Gen. Grant, an,
ana that other campaigns, of whicl
sherman claimed to have been the orig
mator, were the work of other generals
Gen. Boynton says he has conclude,
10 afford General Sherman an opportu
nifty to ask for court which, if called
must of necessity be made up of officer
high In rank, and possessing the re
spect and confidence of the public.
would also be a court wherein the gen
erai OF the army would have every ad
vantage which high rank and extende
lame could give.
II is respectfully submitted, tina
whiie an officer may not violate the LET
Ter OF the articles of war by writing in
accurately and to the discredft of dis
1inguished fellow officers, and of re
nowned armies, such conduct doe
most grossly violate their spirit; and
Is further respectfully submitted, tina
an officer, holding the position o
general of the army. with all tn
records of the war at his control, b
which to insure iustice and accur,op