Los Angeles daily herald., 1884-11-27

| will be found IN their due order below:
GEN. SUMNER IN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
| LETTER FROM GEN. SHERMAN CONCERNING
THE BEGINNING % THE REBEiLiOs.
From the Cincinnati Times. 5tar.l
/ The Union Clubo this city Is engaged I'm
wrestling with the political history Of the
/ late cIyil war. Last "Wednesday evening
liams, H. j. Buntin and Dr. Walter A. Dun.
| The subject OF the evening was THE Att
| tude of the State Governments and the Peo-
| Pile of the Various Sectious toward the Gen
eral Government In this connection Cen
sherman has furnished the following remin-
iscence Of the narrow chance which pre-
vented the transfer of the Pacific States
ornaments IN the agents OF the Southern
Confederacy.
No. si2 GARRISON -AvENuE,l
ST. Louis, Mo, Oct. 2s, 1884
| TO Wm IT, Knight, Esq. Cincinnati, Ohio:
ceiyed. Early In 1851 was in Louisiana.
| end am sure offered no advice to the Cen
| eral Government as to California. Col. J. ID.
Stevenson, still living in san Francisco, has
often told me that he had cautioned the Gov
ernment as to a plot or conspiracy through
| the Department Commander, Albert Sidney
Johnston, TO deliver possession of the forts,
kc.. TO men In California sympathizing with
/ the rebels of the South, and he thinks il was
| by his advice that the President G,ineolnl
| sent Gen. u. V. Summer to relieve him Of his
| command before the conspiracy was con
summated. Gen. =. ID. Reyes, In recent
publication, "Reminiscenses of Fifty Year"
also claims that II was By his advice TO Gen.
Scott that Gen. Sumner was sent out in time
| to prevent any attempt or overt act" Both
OF the above gentlemen are still living, are
| men Of undoubted veracity, and Of a patri-
otism tested by fire, so that 1t Is sufficient for
/ the purposes of history that Gen. Sumner
/ did reach San Francisco In time to obtain
/ command OF all the military resources of
| that coast, and hold them firmly In the in
/ nft ha Nattnu a av
Johnston returned overland by the Southern
route, and forthwith took the side of the
/ South till killed at Shiloh. JEFF Davis still
rates his Johnston military skin SO high
i That he believes his loss was fatal to the sue
cess Of the Southern conspiracy. Many 9TH
ers besides myself do not; hut we all agree
that Gen. u. V. Sumner was as true a man
and perfect soldier as this generation has
produced and that he saved our country
and California from the dangers and con-
/ flicts which were imminent In 1851 by the
betrayal OF his high trust there BY his pre-
decessor, Albert Sidney Johnston, la
You are at perfect liberty to use this with
your club In Cincinnati Truly yours,
W. I. SHERMAN.
Col. J. d. Stevenson, under date OF San
Francisco, Nov. 10th. writes thus to the
editor OF the Balletin. of that city:
Gen. Sherman is mistaken as to my action
in this matter. That a conspiracy did exist
to seize the forts, arms. public buildings,
mint, etc, was undoubted, but l never pre-
sumed or supposed 1t was to be consiiin-
mated through Gen. Johnston, as my action
In the matter will show. When became
aware of the conspiracy addressed myself
to Gen. Johnston. l never reported the
matter to Washington. There was no time
for that, and besides at that time had no
reason to doubt, the loyalty Of Gen. Johnston.
The Southern element and secession
sympathizers of this city and State were
| nj tuiza1 and nrtrurad and tpny
simply waited the enlistment OF proper
leader; their intention was to form PACE flc
Republic, trusting to the General Govern
ment being so engaged In the war OF the
terests on this coast They selected for a
leader a man whom they supposed was OF
Southern birth and u Secessionist. lie had
| resided for long time in the South, and
they considered him of their class. This
man held the high position OF Sheriff OF this
city and county. in which position they
had placed him by their votes. In
this they were mistaken. sheriff Duane
was an uncompromising Union man, aud of
Northern birth besides. He exposed the
| whole conspiracy to me ut midnight ut my
house, and besought my aid and Influence
| to prevent its contamination. lie suggested
that call around me the remnants OF my
old command and prepare to meet the con
| spirators with force OF arms. 1 told him to
| rest easy. would find some way vi break
ing up. the conspiracy, l felt the terrible
communication OF Sheriff Duane, and for Il
| while yainly tried to think from what source
| could obtain u force OF sufficient strength
to meet and crush such an uprising us was
contemplated, and especially where should
find man to second me. David Scanned
was then, as now Chief of the Fire Depart
ment. knew him to be II brave and relia-
Bile man. | knew also that many of the
Volunteer Fire Companies were organized
as military companies for target practice
aud pleasure. The next morning | APP
preached him upon the subject. lie warm
ly supported me, and through him arrange
ments were made by which, at a given sig
nal by the fire bell 1000 men, mostly fire
men, would assemble, fully armed and
equipped, on the public plaza and place
themselves under my command. As soon
as this arrangement was perfected, lobtained
an interview with Gen. Johnston and laid
the whole matter before him, rendering my
assistance should he need it, The General
told me that he had feared some movement
of this character, but that this was the first
reliable information he had upon the sub
ject Also that he had heretofore RETAINED
from assembling the troops scattered
throughout the country for the reason that
such an action would necessarily alarm the
people and seriously affect the business in
terests of the city, and also create alarm in
the minds of Eastern people as to the attitude
of this coast. But that now, III compliance
| with orders that morning received from
Washington, he should assemble all the
available troops and fully garrison all the
forts and guard the public buildings. He
also cordially thanked myself and those as
ISOLATED with me, and should the need oc.
cur, promptly accepted the proffer of our
services The next day, at my suggestion,
Gen. Johnston, Gov. Downey and Mayor
reschemacher held a consultation upon
this subject. / was also present, and at this
consultation, as before, the action and
speech of Gen Johnston created not doubt
in my mind as to his loyalty to the Gov
eminent, and determination to do his
n L.. l.. A..
Coast. The history Of this matter was pub
lished fully, and in detail, in the San Fran
cisco Erening Post in its issue of october 9Th
1880. What reports Gen. Reyes may have
made to the authorities at Washington, do
not know, but that the removal of Gen.
Johnston was the means of preventing Pa
cife Republic, | do not for an instant be-
lieve, for neither at the time OF Gen. Sum
ner's taking the command and relieving
Gen. Johnston, nor at any Tins afterward do
believe any uprising or conspiracy was
contemplated. At the time of Gen. Sum
ners taking command | communicated to
him the full details OF the plot and its sup.
preston or abandonment, and | also told
the General that l had not at any time
doubted the loyalty OF Gen. Johnston, Gen.
Sumner held the same opinion of Gen. John
ston, and said, Gen. Johnston is a soldier, a
gentleman aud an honorable man: he is in
capable OF betraying a trust. We has rendered
his resignation, as he cannot take arms
against his people, and intends to hold
lNlOOI III tnt WIZ, Dut L Ill dITHlu ne cannot
do it. for, against his inclinatOns and
wishes, he will be forced by his Southern
relations to aid them In their cause" OF
Gen. Johnston's subsequent actions l have
nothing to say, write of him as l found
him, at time when he certainly must have
been tried and tempted, and he was not
found wanting in any of the characteristics
of a loyal soldier, an honorable man and a
gentleman.
had many conservations with Gen.
Sherman during his visit to this city upon
this subject, and told him that l reported
this matter to Gen. Johnston but our inter
views were always necessarily of short du-
ration and never free from interruption,
and presume never at aly time was able
to give Gen. Sherman the full details. But
/ certainly never intended to convey to him
| the impression that considered Gen. John
| ston in any way implicated in the conspir-
acy. Had sent to Gen. sherman a copy Of
the article in the Ereniag Post, before re
| ferred to, this error could not have occurred.
Below we publish the letter to Gen. sher-
man of our townsman, who quite naturally
desires to place the facts regarding his dis
tinguishcd father squarely on the record
| GENERAL WV. T. SHERMAN,
| No. 9l2 GARRISON AvENUE}
| ST. LOUIS, Mo.
SRI submit the following facts to you,
and ask you il you can honestly say that you
| believe that the late General lin three
seryices) Albert sidney Johnston, intended
10 'DetrAy MS nlgn trust, or not; and II so,
how General Sumner frustrated him? Gen
eral Johnson was not party man, and had
cast but one vote in his lifetime, conse.
quently he never used his positions OF "high
trust" TO further the schemes of triokstcrs of
| either party; but he was States rights
man." and was ready to, and did, sacrifice
| his proud position in the United States army
to sense of duty to his adopted State. As
&c was already at the top of the ladder, he
certainly was not influenced by selfish mo
tiVes, and the day he received the news of
| the withdrawal OF Texas from the Union he
| sent his resignation to Washington, General
Scott and Mr.. Lincoln did not accept IL for
some time, and used every indictment to
| get him to withdraw II, but he was doing
| what he thought to be his duty, and nothing
| could swerve him. General Johnston sent
his resignation about the sth OF April 1861.
| After this, Col, Stevenson warned him that
| there was movement to capture the Gov.
| eminent arms, &c, when he Immediately
| removed all arms and ammunition from the
/ forts and warehouses at Benicia to Alca