Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-17
Friday Morning, March 17. 1882.
GARFIELD AND ROsECRANs.


 The controversy over the Garfield Rose crans matter has produced considerable that is interesting since we placed the principal points in the case before our readers. For instance, Mir. Shanks, of the New York Taf6l11e, who was at the battle of Chicka- mauga and with Resecrans' army during that campaign, declares over his signature that he wonders at Garfeld's confning his criticisms to the writing of a confidential letter. He calls the campaign lone of the best planned and worst executed of the war; and says: My wonder is, knowing Garfield and know 1 ing the circumstances of the long, tedious, | inexcusable and unpardonable delay of Gen eral Roseerans at Murfreesboro for six months, that the patriotic Garfield did not break out into stronger explosives and more emphatic condemnation than he did.
 Mayor Harrison, of Chicago, adds his tes- timony to the assertion that Garfield, while not blind to Rosecrans' faults, nevertheless warmly admired him so late as 1864. He met Garfield in Chicago that year and spent an evening with him. He says:
 One of the topics of conversation was the relative merits of the generals whom the war had brought to the service. I remember dis
  assertion of Garfield that he considered Rose crans the ablest general on side So earnest was General Garfelds laudation of his late commander that suspected him of being moved by personal friendship as well as by esprit de corps. Being somewhat com bative I called out his reasons for his opin- ions, and became convinced, by his reason ing and his warmth, that he was very sincere in his expressed admiration and his placing Rosecrans so high
 A story of another kind is told by the Washington correspondent of the Boston Journal. This is that Rosecrans used the Mercy forgery freely in his California con- test for Congress- and by it succeeded in de- feating Horace Davis, his Republican rival The correspondent continues:
 When Gen. Garfield came here after his election he met Mrs. Davis at dinner party and said to her My dear Mrs. Davis, can not express to you my deep regret that the shaft which was aimed at me has hit your good husband" Gen. Rosecrans about that time wrote friendly letter to Gen. Garfield in which he took occasion to recall their old army intimacy. Gen. Garfield acknowledged the receipt of the letter, and inclosed news paper report of the-speech above referred to, adding: ''While this language remains un- contradicted over your signature our rela- tlonS Of old friendship can never be re- sumed." After his inauguration Gen Gar field mentioned four names, one of which was that of Gen. Rosecrans, to an Ohio polit ical and personal friend as ''men to be hated by his administration"
 The despatches which General Roseerans sent to President Lincoln after the battle of Chickamanga have beer published, and they. by no means bear out the story which Secre- tary Stanton is said to have told Governor Morton, in which the latter was informed that Rosecrans was removed because of two telegrams to Lincoln, saying his army was beaten and demoralized; that it was useless to talk of putting down the rebellion and rec ommending arnistice with a view of agreeing on terms of peace.
 The public curiosity as to how the letter of Garfield to Secretary Chase was made pub lie has not been satisfied. One of the latest stories is that Mrs. Kate Chase Sprague found it among the papers left by her father and gave it to Conkling, who gave it to the New York Sun. But Ben Butler arises and says the letter was never in Mrs. Sprague's pos session. General Rosecrans says: ''These fellows have been lying about me these Is or 19 years, but the time is coming when some one who least expects it will get his heel bit ten in a vital spot"