Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-04-23
AN INTERESTING LETTER
Written by General Grant at the Ont
break of the Civil War.

The St. Louis Globe-D Democrat recently
published the following letter written
by General Grant from Galena to his
father-in-law, Frederick Dent, then of
St. Louis. II was its first appearance in
print, and is strikingly interesting.
GALENA, April 10, 1861.
Mr.. F. DENT:-Dear Sir-I have but
very little time to write, but as in these
exciting times we are very anxious to
hear from you, and know of no other
way but by writing first to you, l must
make time. We get but little news by
telegraph from st. Louis, but from all
other points of the country we are hear
| ing all the time. The times are indeed
startling, but now is the time, particu+
laIly for men in the border slave States,
for men to prove t&eir love of country.
/ know it is hard for men to apparently
work with the Republican party, but
now all party distinctions should be lost
sight of, and every true patriot be for
maintaining the integrityo of the glorious
old stars and stripes, the Constitution
and the Union. The North is respond
luk " tuC L LCOiuCuO Cd41 III ouCu q III dl-
ner that the rebels may truly quake. l
tell you there is no mistaking the feel
ings of the people. The Government can
cali into the field not only seventy five
thousand troops, but ten or twenty times
Iseventy-fye thousand if it should be
necessary, and find the means of MAIN
tanning them, too. 1t is all a mistake
about the Northern pocket being SO SEN
sible. In times like the present no peo-
pie are more ready to give their own
time or of their abundant means. No
impartial man can conceal frOm himself
the fact that in all these troubles the
SOutherners have been the aggresS0rs,
and the Administration has stood purely
on the defensive-more on the defensive
than she would dare to have done but
for her consciousness of strength and the
certainty of right prevailing in the end.
The news to-day is that Virginia has
gone out of the Union. But for the in
huence she will have on the other border
slave States this is not much to be re-
gretted Her position, or rather that of
Eastern Virginia has been more repre-
hensible from the beginning than that
of South Carolina. She should be made
to bear heavy portion of the burden of
the war for her guilt. In all this l can
but see the doom of slavery. The North
does not want, nor will they want, to
interfere with the institution, but they
will refuse fer all time to give it pro-
lection, unless the South shall return
soon to their allegiance; and then, too.
this disturbance will give such an impe-
tus to the production of their staple,
cotton. in other parts of the world, that
they will never recover the control of
the market again for that com modify.
This will reduce the value of the negroes
SO much that they never will be worth
fighting over again.
l have just received letter from
Fred, (Frederick Dent. jr) He breathes
forth the most patriotic sentiments. He
is for the old flag as long as there is a
union of two States fighting under its
banner, and when they dissolve he will
go it alone. This is not his language,
but it is the idea not so well expressed
as he expresses it.
Julia and the children are all well, and
join me in love to you all.
l forgot to mention that Fred. has an
other heir with some novel name that
have forgotten. Yours truly,
1T = GRANT