The National tribune., 1884-08-14
ANNA ELLA CARROLL.
Testimony as to Her Services 10 the Union-PIar
ming the D0neIson Camnaisn


| ming the D0neIsOn Campaign.
To THE EDITOR: futile effort was made
in the last hour of the late seyen-months' ses-
sion, to awaken Congress to the pressing ncces-
stiles, the pitiable condition." of one of the
most worthy loyal women of the land-Miss
Anna Ella Carroll, daughter of the late Gov
| ernor Carroll, of Maryland. The mere men
| tion of her name ought to arouse patriotic SYM
pathy for her. and the remembrance of her
invaluable services to the country ought to Sc
cure ready, un1agging championship for her in
| tereStS.
| President Lincoln and Secretary Stanton, and
| other leading men fully recognized her serv-
ices; fact abundantly proven by numerous
| evidences, prominent among which is the fol-
lowing letter from Hon. Benz. f. Wade, Feb
| %, 1872, to Hon. Henry Wilson, the Chairman
of the Committee on Military Affairs of the
| United States Senate:
| From my position as Chairman Of the Commit
| tee on the Conduct of the War, it came to my
knowledge that the expedition which was prepar-
ing, under the special direction of President Lin
| coin, to descend the Mississippi River was aban-
| doned, and the Tennessee expedition was adopted
| by the Government, In pursuance of information
aud plan presented to the Secretary of War n
think III the latter part of Nov, 1851 by Miss Car
roll. copy of this plan was put in my hands inn
mediately amer the fall of Forts Henry and Donel-
/ son. With the knowledge of its author interro-
gated witnesses before the committee to ascertain
how far military were cognizant of the fact.
the merit OF this plan due to Miss CARROLL that
the transfer of the armies from Cairo and the north
| ern part of Kentucky to the Memphis & Charles
/ ton Railroad was her conception and was after
wards carried out generally and very much in de-
TAIL according to her suggestions. Secretary Stan
| ton also couversed with me on the matter and
fully recognized Miss Carrols service to the Union
| in the organization of this campaign. Indeed
both Mr. Lincoln and Mr.. Stanton, the latter only
few weeks before his death, expressed to me their
high appreciation of this service and all the other
services she was enabled to render the country by
her influence and ability as writer and they both
| expressed the wish that the Government would
ward her literally for the same, IN which / most
| fully concur.
| Committees on Military Affairs of both the
| Senate and the House have repeatedly made
| favorable reports upon Miss Carrolls case, the
latest one Of these having been brought into
/ the House of Representatives by Gen. Bragg, Of
| Wisconsin, on March 8, 1881, the las-day of the
10th Congress. The language there employed
was like that III preceding reports) unquali-
| fed and forcible. Take, for example, a few
paragraphs from this comprehensive report:
The Committee on Military Affairs to whom the
memorial of Anna Ella Carroll referred ask
ing national recognition and reward for services
rendered the United States during the war between
the States after careful consideration of the same
In the Autumn Of 1861 the great question as TO
whether the Union could be saved or whether it
subyeTted, depended on the ability of the Gov
ernment to open the Mississippi and deliver fatal
blow upon the resources of the Confederate power
The original plan 10 reduce the formidable for
tihcations by descending this river aided by the
gunboat fleet then in preparation for that object
President Lincoln had reserved to himself the
special direction of this expedition but before it
was prepared to move he became convinced that
the obstacles to be encountered were too grave and
serious for the which the exiscneies of the
crisis demanded and the plan was then abandoned
and the armies diverted up the Tennessee River
thence southwark to the center Of the Confederate
power.
The evidence before the committee completely
establishes that Miss Anna Ella Carroll was the
author of this change of plan, which involved a
transfer of the national forces to their base in
North Mississippi and Alabama in command of the
Memphis & Charleston Railroad.
1t is further eonelusively shown that no plan,
nessee River as the line of invasion has been
produced except in the paper submitted by Miss
Carroll the 30th of Nov, 1861, and her subse-
quent letters to the Government as the campaign
progressed.
The Military Committee of the Senate. through
Senator Howard. in the 4lst Congress third ses-
sion, unanimously reported that Miss
Carroll did cause the change of the military expe-
dition from the Mississippi to the Tennesse River
etc. and the aforesaid committee in the 42d Con-
gress, second session, reported, through
the Hon. Henry Wilson, the evidence and bill in
support of this claim.
Again. in the fifth Congress- the Military Com
mittee of the House favorabiy considered this
claim. and Gen. A. s. Williams was prepared to
report, and, being prevented by want of time
placed record that this claim Is ineontestabIy
established, and that the country owes to Miss
Carroll large and honest compensation both in
crisis.
Now, as to what has happened since the date
of that report by the Union Gen. Bragg, and
as to the present state of the case. Miss Carroll
during the past three years has been very i'll,
frequently at the point of death, at the resi-
dence of her sister, at Centerville, Nd, and she
is now too feeble to leave her room.
Intellectual efforts have been made TO obtain
relief for this lady at the hands of Congress.
Early in last Winters session a bill for her re-
lief was introduced IN the House by one of the
Members from Baltimore Whose district in
cludes Centerville), and it was appropriately
referred to the Committee on Military Affairs
Other matters before the committee crowded
Miss CarrolPS bill into the background; but,
after many weeks of persistent application for
attention, the case was taken up and referred to
asub-committee, by whom it was examined, and
a favorable report decided upon; but when the
subject was again brought to the attention of the
general committee the fact was demonstrated
that several of the hedistinguished military heroes
upon the committee were averse to making
record to the effect that any trOmals was the
originator of plans for campaigning, the origin
and execution of which had been credited TO.
and had added luster TO the fame OF, certain
military men-chieftains and men-strategists
So, it appearing that there was likely to be
serious opposition from the source lust men
toned, the sub-committeeman obtained an
the United States Court Of Claims, under the
provisions of the Bowman Act, for judicial
| ascertainment of the facts and the law" The
case was so referred and, at the next term OF
the Court, the question viii be tried by Judi
eial tribunal.
The motion made in the House on the Last
day of the session was intended as a partial
measure OF recognition for her public service"
to place upon the pension-rolls Of the United
States the name Of Anna Ella Carroll, and 70
pay to her pension of $50 per month from and
after the passage OF this act, during her life,
for the important military service rendered
the country by her during the late civil war"
But the occasion was inanspicious, even if
the time had not been limited to less than
another hour, and the session closed, without
giving even the price Of daily bread TO this
extraordinary woman, of whom, the evidence
shows, President Lincoln said, on the evening
of May II, 1862: "This Anna Ella Carroll is
the head of the Carroll race. When the history
of this war is written, she will stand good
bit taller than ever old Charles did.n-CLIFF
WARDEN.
One reason why diseases of the bladder and
m rip A.