National Republican., 1882-01-14
BuRRRipoE,s REPLY
TO tI,c Open letter of y. q. y. BIacIsburn-
NpLcy Heading.

,r 49,, ,,,,, spicy hcnuing.
Mr.. Blackburn having assalled me In an open
etter / am compelled to respond. on receiving
his last letter to me- dated january o. returned II
to him with fitting Endorsement which he had
not the mnnlineSs TO publish lie proessed to feel
no interest In my communications, notwithstond-
ing my efforts to make them as interesting as pos
sible. The defiance TO formulate charge (pre-
sumnbly against hmselD as being engaged In the
damnable crime OF introducing clothing Infected
with yellow fever into the Northern cities during
the war was as silly as 1t would have been to defy
me to implicate him as an 0ccomplicc OF Guiteou
in the murder OF President Garfield. That the
correspondence was commenced by me IS true
but that personal insult was begun by him is
equally true. III the light Of that correspondence,
which am not surprised to find that he regrets,
can well afford to dispense with his good opinion.
The sop TO Cerberus which Mr. Blackburn throws
to the soldiers of the Union army comes with poor
grace from man who, on every occasion, villlilcs
the holy cause which they represented upon tho
field, and who declares his intention not to rest
WIPED OUT EVERY vEsuGE
of Republican war legislation from the Statute
Book. TO his complaint that preferred to vindi-
cate my good name when assailed only by men
like himself byrcferring to the people the estimate
placed upon my services by the only citizens Of my
were loyal to her best INTEREST," have this to say
If the silly twadde about formulating charges i'm
picnting him in the yellow fever plot could he
surpassed, II IS found In the mock heroics with
which he affects to regret that had not at once
called him TO account for the insulting language
In which he referred to me in the presence of DIR.
Owsley. If his course in persisting In the opinion
MS there expressed is shared by Union men in the
State of Kentucky after the reception OF letters
written by the most eminent Union men of the
State, in which his opinion Is emphaticallY contra
dicted, Is satisfactory to his friends or to himself
II certainly cannot be to
ALL HONORABLE MEN.
1 dismissed him from any further controversy
by returning his letter with my Endorsement
thereon. a decent regard for the opinion Of man
Kind which / suppose, In his estimation, means
the usages by. which gentlemen have been gov
erned," would have prompted some gentlemen to
resort to means less mild than an open letter to
salve their wounded honor have II higher duty
imposed upon me than to send challenge to Mr..
Blackburn, and settle the personal phase of the
issue" by Il resort to arms. / am engaged in coll
lntng evidence from rebel sources Of the atrocous
character of the men with whom Mr.. Blackburn
claims that dealt inhumanly. Men who in the
guise of confederate soldiers not only dotted his
district, but the entire State with the graves Of
Union men. No threats of violence or challenges
to test my courage upon the :" field of honor"
shall interfere with this most important work.
We will, therefore continue the exercises In few
days by reading from Dukes history OF Morgan,
AFTER DEFEATED MoHGAN's FORCES,
in 1864, some of his men scattered over the State,
was alike obnoxious TO confederate soldiers aud
citizens The rebel archives will be called up TO
testify to the charges made against the guerlllas
by confederate officers in high command to the
provost. marshal general of the confederate States
who, acting upon thcm ordered the arrest of John
Morgan and his return to Richmond for trial.
This portion of confederate history, new to most
people, is from olginal documents, and will afford
ample proof of the prime necessity Of extermi-
mating class of men who having deserted from
the confederate service, became organized bands
of robbers and mrderers. If In the course ofthelr
extermInation rebel soldier occasionally met his
DEATH 1t might be pertinent TO the occasion to ask
how the snid soldier came to be outside the
enemy's lines, and within the district which had
the honor to command.
USED ALL LEGITIMATE MEANS
to discriminate between soldiers and guerillas
but in many cases 1t was distinction without O
difference. To those who can SEQ In Mr.. Black.
burns assault upon me no reflection upon my
character, which could not be efuced by q resor
to arms have nothing to say If this reply to his
Letter to the Public" shall produce the imprcs
sion in the minds Of my friends that am deferred
from afiordiug Mr. Blackburn the personal salts
faction which he affects to desire through fear o.
the consequences, shall deeply regret II. 1t GER
taiuly cannot be egotistical IN me to claim that I
Is hardly necessary at this late day. for to oiIe
proof that am not coward. In any case, shal
not jeopardize my life until I have shown up, IL
their true colors, The men whose disregard for al
the rules Of civilized warfare rendered them fl
subjects Tor the hangman. S. q. BURBRlDGE.
1t is stated by Mr.. Blnckburn's friends that h,
does not propose to take any further notice o
General Burbridgc and his published statements
As far as he is concerned the war is at an end.