The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-01-28
NO. Is.

till February, 1869, when I was trans
fcrrcd to Washington, and my successor.
General Sheridan, removed the head
| quarters Of the division with its records
to Chicago, where his Office and most of
its contents were consumed i'm the prcat
fire OF 1871. Whether the particular
letter referred to was consumed in that
fire know not, but | do know it cx-
listed in 1865, and believe that its sub
stance will DO revealed when Mr., Davis
supplies to the bureau Of war records
copies Of his own letters during tho
years 1865.
feel for Senators Brown and Vance
strong personal respect, and believe
thir action during the war and since has
been manly and fair; but there was
correspondence between the Governors
OF States i'll rebellion with the Richmond
authorities about the "conscript law,
the suspension of the writ of habeas
croP"s and the use Of State troops"
which, if published, would be n valua-
bic contribution to the 'history of our
tines I never had any feeling of bit
tcrncSs toward the soldiers of tho South
who fought and took all the chances of
battle, because l knew the Influences
which had made them believe they were
| fighting for their own country and for
freedom, but toward the original con-
spiratoTs did feel wrath somewhat
akin to that Of Mr.. Stephens in April,
1864, which he described as enough
to burst 10000 bottles. Yet even as to
| them, if convinced that | have been
deceived or convinced that / have been
deceived or ''bamboozlcd," shall not
hesitate to admit it, although it will
take more denials than any I have yet
heard or seen in print
PEEFIDY OF DAVIS.
have never been personally acquain-
ted with Mr.. Davis, because I was in
California during the whole period of
his administration Of the War Depart
mcnt Qs53-57D but during the civil
War and since his name has been used
and cause of the rebellion, with IFS lists
| of hundreds Of thousands Of the braycst
youth Of our land dead or mnngled with
the necessary waste and devastation Of
property, with an awful debt and with
= pension roll of $6OOOO,OOO at this very
date. II am prcjudiccd against him
personally it arises from the fact that
he, more than any living man, has
brought reproach on the military
academy and regular army, with which
he was associated from 1924 to 1885, by
impairing the fame they had earned for
fidelity to their oaths, TO recover which
| we have had to battle with an adverse,
public opinion ever since. While he
was cadet and all army officer he must
have taken the customary oaths to "sup-
port, maintain and defend the Constitu-
tion Of the United states against all her
enemies whomsocver," and while Secre-
tary Of War and Senator in Congress he
must have taken similar oath; yet he
| did conspire with others as early as
January, 1861, after Mr.. Lincoln was
fairly and constituGonally elected Pres
ident Of the United States, to destroy
the very Government which he had
| sworn to defend, and he did set up an
other Government necessarily hostile to
it, Of which he became the head, and
did, while President Of the Southern
Confcdcracy, change his States rights
principles, the very doctrine on which he
had justified secession from the United
States and then opposed State sover-
eighty. These are plain, plausible facts,
not likely to be forgotten hy the present
generation or the next, if ever. ] say.
therefore, with full knowledge of the
consequences, he enrolled his name
with lho:e Of Arm, Id and Burr instead
of-as ha might have done-with
Washington and Lincoln.
This is all propose to say at this
time. Meantime the Government will,
| trust, go on to publish the records and
correspondence Of the war, both Union
and Confederate, and can await the re-
suit with perfect composure.
The Grand Army Of the Republic al
so, with its 1900 posts and its 254.454 old
Union Soldiers, will continue to meet,
interchange their thoughts, sing their
patriotic songs and pcrpetuate the men,
orics and traditions Of tho war of tho
rebellion, quite as important and quite
as lasting as can be the more formal
documentary history.
No nation can afford to put fidelity
and treachery on par and and hope to
survive, and that this Government
means to survive and perpstuate its in-
valuable advantages have abundant
faith.