The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-10-20

statement had been seen by Republican
senators, and that they were not igno
rant OF its real character when the Haw
ley resolution was under discussion il
the Senate. Those Senators then knew
that Genera Sherman had, in his lctte,
OF january 6, 1885, to the Secretary OF
War, changed the issue between us from
one OF veracity to q rambling, shuflinp
discussion OF n conspiracy and of con,
spirators' in the winter of 1S60-61, and
that which at Frank Blair Post may have
Deen "a white lie not intended for pub
ilcatlon-came before the Senate as "a
historical statement, 'bolstercd with 9TH
or inlsehoods equally without foundation
or support in anything written or uttered
ny me- IL now survives as an executive
document Of picturesque prevarication.
l Know nothing of any conspiracy or
'conspirators.' There was no secrecy
about any of the political affairs which
led to the secession of the States in
iS6U-Gl. 1t was the opinion of the con
ference of Southern Senators in january.
which Is introduced in this historical
stats. as evidence of conspiracy.
that secession vas the only remedy left
to the States; that every effort to pre-
serve the peace had failed mainly
through the action of That portion of the
Republican party which refused all
propositions for adjustment made by
those who sought i'll January, 1861, to
Justify confidence, insure peace and pre-
serve thcU Union. In the same month in
which that conference was held | served
on a con mittec raised by the Senate to
seek some possible mode Of quelling the
excitement that then existed. That com
mittoc was composed of the three politi-
cal divisions of the Senate, and it was
considered useless to report any measure
which did not receive the concurrence of
ut least u majority Of each division. The
republican Senator's rejected every
proposition that promised pacifcation,
ana the committee reported to the SEN
ate that their consultation was n failure.
Was there less conspiracy in the Repub-
lican Senators combining to prevent
paclficatlon than there was i'll the South
crn Senators writing in u conference to
ADVISE conventions of their States thet
Their cause was hopeless in Washington?
Sherman, i'll debate, applied to myself,
as his mode Of retaliation for nv denim.
citation of his brother, l have been com
pclled to prove General Sherman to be n
falsitier and slandcrcr in order to protect
my character and reputation frnm his
wllltui and INSCRIPTIONS mendacity. If
MS brother, the Senator, felt the sting
OF that exposure, and his epithcts arc
any rellcf, l am content that he shall 90
on the record rs dcnouncing me as n
traitor because ] have proved his
brother to be II liar. = = =
"IhlS historical statement miYht have
been enlarged and extended by the Sen
ate and made to embrace the deliberate
Misrepresentation by General Sherman
OF II communication to him by Col. j.
ID. Stevenson in regard to Albert Sidney
~JohnSton's command i'll San Francisco.
In II Letter TO Col. VIM. Ii. Knight. of
Cincinnati, Ohio, dated October %,
1884, General Sherman asserted that
Col. j. ID. Stevenson, now living in San
francisco, has often told me that he had
cautioned the government as to q plot or
conspiracy through department com
mandcr Albert Sidney Johnston to de-
liver possession of the forts, etc, to men
IN California sympathizing with the
rebels IN the South, and he thinks it was
by this advice that President Lincoln
sent General Sultcr to relieve Johnston
of his command before the conspiracy
was consummatcd. That statement Of
Sherman, the veteran, Col. j. ID. Ste
vcnson promptly and emphatically de-
MED. General Grant himself has not
been exempt from Shcrman's malice.
To Colonel Scott Sherman wrote: IF G..
j. Smith had lived Grant would have
disappeared to history The rcmarka-
bile statement was published by General
Fry and pointedly and emphatically
denied by General Sherman. Prompt to
SANDER, he is equally quick to deny his
10 n1,tOpn Un,n lnffo. &c Sln,, 1.I.1
September 6, 1883, was written to Colo
mol Scott, now of the war record office.
The denial of Sherman has caused the
publication of the letter and the exposure
of his hypocrisy in his recent laudation
of the dead chieftain.
"The deliberate falsehood which Sher-
man inserted in his official report that
Columbia, $. c., had been buried by
General Wade Hampton was afterwards
confessed in his Memoirs to have been
distinctly charged to General Wade
I Hampton to shake the faith of his people
i'll him. Even when confcssing one
falsehood he deliberately coined another,
and on the same page OF his Memoirs
said that the fire was accidental, when
he knew from the letter of General
Stone, who commanded the provost
| guard in Columbia, that tho fire was not
accidental. How much more he knew
he may in future Memoirs or state
mont reveal. Can any man imagine n
less moral character, less conception of
truth, less regard for what an official re-
port should contain than is shown by
Sherman deliberately c~oncocting false
hood for the dishonorable purpose Of
shaking tho.faith of the people Of South
Carolina in their fellow-oitizen General
Wade Hampton? l have in this vindi-
cation, not of myself only, but also of
tho people who honored mo with the
highest official position in their gift,
been compelled to group together in
stances of repeated falsehoods deliberate
ly spoken and written by General Sher-
man-the Blair Post slnnder of myself,
the defamation OF character of General
Albert Sidney Johnston, the ~disparage-
ment of the military fame of General
Grant and the shameful and corrupt
charge against General Hampton. Ihave
.n,n,ol tl,;. nvo,n.,ak;Nn anl n~..n,.-o