The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-10-14
HALSTEAD's LETTER.
WEEKLY COMMERCIAL, FOURTH AND
RACK STREETS.

OFFICE CINCINSATrI DAILY AND /
WEEKLY COMMERCIAL, FOURTH AND
RACK STREETS.
CINCINNATI, February 10, 1868.
Gov. CHAsE-My Dear Sir:
Iwrote to you somewhat fantastic
letter the other day. But that sup
pose is not now strange. | write this
morning to send you copy of a pri-
vate letter | have from our arm, in
front of Vicksburg. 1t is from close
observer, who endeavors to tell the
truth.
"There never was more thoroughly
"disgusted, disheartened, demorallzed
"army than this is, and all because it is
under such men as Grant and Sherman.
Disease is deciminating its ranks, and
while hundreds of poor fellows are
dying from smallpox and every other
conceivable malady, the Medical
department is afflicted with delirium
"tremens. In Memphis small pox
patients are made to walk from camps
''to hospitals, while drunken doctors
"ride from bar-rooms to whore-houses in
Government ambulances. How
'is it that Grant, who was behind at
of. Henry, drunk at Donelson, sur
"prised and whipped at Shiloh, and
"driven back from Oxford, Miss, is still
sin commando
Gov. Chase, these things are true.
Our noble Army of the Mississippi is
being aoasted by the foolish, drunken
stupid Grant. He can't organize or
control or fight an army. l have no
personal feeling about it, but | know he
is an ass.
There is not among the whole list of
retired MajorGenerals man who is
not Grants superior. Mcclellan,
| Fremont, Mcdowell, Burnside, Frank
lin, even Pope or Sumner, would be an
| improvement upon the present com
mander of the Army of the Mississippi.
| Will YOU wake up some of these days
and find we have no Army of the Mis-.
sissippi?
Then, there is awful encouragement
at the way the foolish old Hunter
who is thought to be a great man be
cause he is not insane III his preludices
on the negro question, is doing. In
| Gods name, what is he waiting for
More reinforcements Pity he cant
die and get out of the way as Mitchell
did.
| But to stop this sort of growing
and come to something more practl
cal.
The army West and East is being
weakened hourly by desertions. 1t i,
the great evil. The thing needful tC
stop It is for the President to give eacf
commander of departments power t.
shoot deserters. They must be shot by
the dozen. The Presidents weak, pulling
bidding, humanitarianIsm is deati
and hell to the army. Can't you TAX
him by the throat and knock his heat
against a wall, until he is brought t.
his senses on the war business? l d'
not speak wantonly when | say ther
are persens who would feel that it wa
doing God service to kill him, if it wer
not feared that Hamlin is bigger foo
: than he is.
, And yet the pitiful Congress twad
! dies weekly in private caucus about pc
, litical matters, as if little more nigge
would 20 everything. Why don't the
. pass your finance measure, and tn
> conscript act, and mind their own bus
! ness2
q The proclamation is positive nul
ance to every truly loyal man in th
!. West. II is a weapon in the hands {
i the Butternuts. If it is made party te'
j Vallandigham would be elected Go'
ernor of Ohio. Do not think | al
talking at random. Alasl | know VIII:
: / am talking about. What is wanted
. l. A General for our Army of tt
e Miss.
II 2. Deserters shot by order of cor
v manders of departments.
i 8. Less dependence on the niger, ar
n more on the white man.
n 4. The consolation of the fragmen
c of regiments.
,rl 5. Arrest and try Henry May an
II Wendell Philips for treason.
a 6. Suppress the New York Tribul
# and New York World.
\ NJ. HlLSTEAD