The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-09-27

The NeUs has received the following,
with the request to place 1T before the
public:
DALLAS, Texas, September 5.
Hon. II. L. Bentley, Manager Peoples
party Campaign, Fort Worth, TeGGs:
DEAR SIR:-My attention has been
called to the publication in various
Democratic papers concerning my adj
m~inistration as commander of the post
at Pulaski, Tenn, in the winter of
1861. The charge that I ever i'm
prisoned anyone and then released him
for a moneyed consideration or that |
ever oppressed anyone, male or female,
or ever charged the people of that local
ity for passes through the lines of the
Federal army, or that / ever in any
manner extorted money from the peo-
pie of that locality and appropriated
the same to my own use Is an unmitl
gated lie.
I was assigned the post at Pulaski by
order of Gen, CT. M. Dodge, commander
of the left wing of the Sixteenth Army
Corps. Upon entering that part of
Tennessee, General Dodge issued an
order and made it public, in which he
stated that his army was In need of
supplies of every kind, and stated that
if the people would bring In supplies
vouchers would be rendered for the
same without making any inquiries as
to the loyalty or disloyalty of the par
ties People brought in their supplies
and vouchers were given them and they
were all paid by the assistant commits
sary general, Cyrus @. Carpenter.
During my administration as com
mander of the post a large number of
refugees came within our lines. They
came from the Confederate army in
Alabama and elsewhere. They were
totally without supplies and destitute,
and at that time they could not be
allowed to depart without restraint.
General Dodge issued an order com
manding me to make a levy of 50, 900,
as I now remember, from wealthy citi-
zens living in the vicinity for the pur-
pose of paying for supplies necessary
for the sustenance of these refugees.
In obedience to that order, / issued an
order reciting the authority under
which l was acting, and served it on
certain parties named in the statement
sent out from Pulaski. The money
collected was paid direct to Cyrus O..
Carpenter, assistant commissary gen
eral of the left wing of the Sixteenth
Army Corps, and did not pass through
my hands, as I now remember, and
the wants of the refugees were sup
piled.
General Dodge is well known to the
people of Texas, being in charge of an
extensive railway system within your
State, and Colonel Carpenter has since
served as an officer in the Treasury De-
partment, as a member of Congress.
and as Governor of the State of Iowa,
To these officers, and to all others who
knew me in the army, i refer all ques-
lions concerning my rectitude rs an
honorable soldier. There isnot human
being-man, woman, or child-living
or dead, that / ever oppressed or mis-
treated while I was in the service of
my country. The confscation of prop
erty is cruel, taking of life is cruel, but
unfortunately our unhappy country
had a surfeit of it. For my standing
in the community, and during hetime
| commanded the said post, / refer to
Mr.. Harris, the Ballentyne family,
Rev. Robert Caldwell, and others who
lived in Pulaski at the time of my So
Journ there. My association with the
people was as ~peaceable and ~fraternal
during the existence of hostilities, and
remarkably so In all that region of the
country. There was but little difficulty
In that country during the time that
General Dodge was In camp there with
his army corps.
You are at liberty TO make such use
OF this letter as you may deem proper.
Fraternaliy yours.
j. B. WEAVER,
nN-m@~~@-T-& sN