Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-07-04

The Century Magazine for July
contains a letter written by Butcher
John Mcneil in defense Of his &C
ton in numbering ten men at Pal
myra in 1862. He says:
"The fact is, that while I was at
the time a brigadier-general of
Missouri State troops, held a COM
mission as colonel of the I'd Mis-
souri, cavalry, regiment of State
militia mustered into the United
States service. AS such, l had
been assigned June 4, 1862, by the
department commander, General
Schoield, to command the district
of Northeast Missouri and instruct
ed by him to take the field n per-
son and exterminate the rebel
bands infesting that section. Gen.
Schofield expressly enioined: DO
not be too moderate in the measure
of severity dealt out to them. Garry
out General Orders No. Is and No.
3, thoroughly 1t will be seen that
l was acting directly under Federal
authority as an officer of the United
States army and IN accordance with
my official instructions as such.
Moreover, the ten guerrillas exc
| cuted (not one of whom but had
committed murder under cireum-
stances of atrocity) were selected
from twenty-five who had been
formally tried by a United States
military commission and sentenced
to death, so that their death was
but fastened by the act of ~retalja.
ton, the remaining twelve of the
twenty-five convicted being shot in
pursuance of their sentence by the
officers in command at Macon City
and Mexico. Nor was there any
unseemly haste in thus carrying
out the sentence already pronounc'
ed against these unfortunate men.
Public notice was given that the ter
men would be shot unless within
ten days the abducted Union citi
zen (Andrew Allsman, seventy
years of age and q non-combatant.
was returned unframed to his fam
lily. During that period of tel
days, nay ranking officer, Genera
Lewis Merrill, of the regular army
and General Curtis, who had sue
ceeded General Schofeld in com
mand of the district of Missouri
September 26, 1862, were fully ad
vised of my action.
"Such an investigation of thi
affair as President Lincoln mad
before appointing me a brigadier
general (November, 1859 will con
vince an unbiased inquirer tina
: my action spring from neithe
: mistaken zeal' or 'uncurbed pas
| sion,' as my present critics infer
, but from an imperative sense q
duty. Since the issue of the Apri
Century an interview with Genera
/, Merrill has appeared in the St
:, Louis Globe-D Democrat, in which b
, relates that he was summoned b,
| telegraph to report to the Presl
: dent, and Immediately repairing t
Washington, ignorant of the reasol
for summons, appeared befer
President Lincoln at a time whel
the members of the cabinet wer
seated about him. General Me,
rill proceeded as follows:
81 "I was ordered to report to you, MI
president I said, after being present
ed.
Fl "sYes, General. / want to inquir
about that shooting in Missouri
ct can give you a written reportin
few minutes that will explain ALL
said.
al don't want anything IN writing
General. L want you to tell me th
story
1told it to him as I have to you, wit
{ this addition: I t~elegraphed you
= number of times asking your approvs
of the order and asking you, Mr.. Pres
dent, oissue the order yourself, but
asked in vain; and as 1t was q necess
ty, / took the responsibility. 1t wa
? my duty, and I have never felt
. twinge Of conscience that suggested