The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-10-13
SENATOR VANCE,

SENATOR VANCE,
upon hearing of the alleged Raleigh letter,
promptly denied all knowledge of it, and
wrote to the Washington Post, under date
of Dec. l3, 1855, that:
Every letter ever written to me on a po-
litical topic by President Davis Is to be
found faithfully copied in the official let
ter books of the Executive Department oil
North Carolina. Those letter books were
taken from me by Gen. Sberman's troops
al the closing OF the war, and are now IN
possession of the War Department in this
city. Aside from the lelter-books. Gen.
Sherman never saw any letters addressed
to me BY President Davis. Although i
have not seen those books and read their
contents in almost twenty years, | am
quite sure that no such letter can be found
there. ] could not have forgotten such q
letter had it been received by me. The
suggestion, therefore, that / am the person
referred to in Gen. Sherman's statement Is
entirely untrue. The attempt OF some
newspapers to give probability to this
suggestion by alleging that l was in bittei
| hostility whilst Governor OF North CarolI-
ma to the administration OF Mr.. Davis is
based also upon a misrepresentation OF the
| facts
Senator Vance at the same time sent tc
the Washington Post copy OF my letter
to him OF date Nov. l, 1862, which he said
contains no such expression as threat
against States attempting to secede from
| the Confederacy, but does contain this ex
pressions: i feel grateful to you for tbs
| cordial manner in which YOU have sustain
ed every proposition connec.ed with tht
public defense This much Is due Il
I, truth. / do not wish to pose as q mar
1 tyr to the circumstances of those times
or as one ready to turn upon his
associates after defeat. l desire to taks
my full share of responsibility for any
thing did and said during those unhapp,
| times
Great a. were the abilities and high Al
were the courage and faithfulness Of Mr.
Davis, have no disposition to load hin
| with all the misfortunes of defeat
Before the publication of the above let
| Ter from Senator vsnce in the Washington
Post, interviews with Senator Vance has
developed the fact that correspondence
had taken place during the war betweei
Gov. Vance and myself, and at that Gen
Sherman also grasped as the foundatio.
for hisslander. A ST. Louis Rspnbican re
porter ON the 18th OF December, 1884 ask
| ed Gen. sherman: "Was Senator Vance
the Senator referred to in your speech al
the opening of the new headquarters Of tbs
Frank Blair Post ?'' s.Well, sir, said Gen
Sherman very slowly, Il won't say that h'
wasn't
Ny alleged Raleigh letter has never beer
found. Sherman says it was sent Il
Nashville, Savannah, Washington ant
81. Louis, and may have been fnall.
burned in Chicago in the great fire o
1871. But in all lis travels no othea
person bat Sherman saw it.; not . singl,
officer at any headquarters has been pro
duced who read il, and it passes belief tha
in the excitement of the closing daysof tn
war. and during my imprisonment, wheI
every letter of mine was carefully exam
ined to find evidence upon which to eonvic
aud destroy me, that not an officer At nj
those headquarters should have read tina
letter. Every fair minded man must
therefore, conclude that Gen. Shermai
stated At the Grand Army Post
! wILLFuL AND DEL1BERArE rAIsEHoor
and that his motive had it, inspiration il
lhat mean malice which has characterize.
his acts and Writingz ia other respects TO
Il ward the Southern people
A map 20 lost % every sense Of truth d
soevod = recsived - oontempt Of ever