Birmingham state herald., 1896-10-27

duce her from loyalty to herself, from loyalty to the sacred memories or Her | past, to her glorious dead and the prin- cples of the fathers, they cannot with reason censure or complain of citation from history touching the war record Of that candidate, and I therefore send you an extract from volume containing a reference to General Palmer that will doubtless be of interest to your readers, and to all who are not as we'll acquaint- ed with the generals record in 1864 and '65 as was the author of this extract. It is from the second volume of the his tory of the war between the states, writ ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS,
 and from that part of the volume where the author, in the performance of his du- ty as a historian, deals with and refuteS the charge of cruelty to prisoners made against the Confederates, and follows the refutat ton with brief recital of the bar barities practiced upon the people of the south by the commands Of certain north- ern generals; "outrages upon non-com- batants, laying waste whole sections of country, attempted annihilation of all the necessaries of life, wanton killing of farm stock and domestic animals; the burning of mills, factories and barns, not sparing orchards or growing crops or the 1mple-
 ments of husbandry; mutilation of coun- ty and municipal records; the extraord1- nary efforts made to stir up servile in- surrection, involving the widespread | slaughter of women and children; the in- pious proclamation of temples of worship, and even the brutish dissertation of the sanctuaries of the dead.
 Private houses," continues MT. Ste phens, "were sacked, pillaged and then | burnt; after all family supplies were de- stroyed or rendered unfit for use, help
 less women and hungry children were left destitute alike of shelter and food. i know men-old men, non-combatants; men who had nothing to do with the war | further than to indulge in that sympathy which nature prompted-who were seized | by licensed soldery and put to brutal | torture to compel them to disclose and to deliver up treasure that 1t was supposed l they possessed. They were in many fn- stances hung by the neck until life was nearly extinguished, and then cut down | mands were complied with, and threats of repeating the operation to death if l they were not. In some instances, where | parties resisted, their lives, as well as | their purses, watches and other articles of value, were taken" | Mr Stephens characterizes these acts l as "monstrous violations of the uses of war among civilized nations;' as "enor- | mites of a savage character against the very existence of civilized society,"" and l adds: "Severe as these comments are, there is, however, nothing extravagant in them. It is all most lamentably true. | Facts which have come to my own knowl- edge, established by indisputable proof,
 verify the statement in full, both to the | letter and to the spirit. All that I have
 said and much more, too, of like char
 acter was woefully realized by those who suffered from the deeds of as | well as by those who were subjected to l the merciless ravages of Wilson's ana 1 Palmer'S marauders."
 HE IS THE SAME PALMER. l oIIOtad ig | the name Palmer, John M" followed by l a reference to page 510 the page con- | taining the foregoing extracO, so there | can be no doubt that the presidential can- | didate of that name is the same man wno
 was the commander of the 'licensed sol | diery" characterized by MT. Stephens as l "Palmer's marauders," to whose "merci- less ravages" helpless old men. women | and children of the south were subjected. | He is now asking southern people-the | kindred of the hapless victims of his | ruthless warfare-to turn their backs
 upon the fairly chosen candidate Of their party, as true and brave tribune or tha people as ever championed their cause,
 and vote to make him president of the
 United States! Will they thus reward him for those "merciless ravages?"
 l Southerners sorrowed over the untime- ly taking off of Lincoln. they voted for 1 Greeley and for Hancock, they paid the | tribute of their esteem for brave and | magnanimous foe at the grave of Grant all this they did without shame or cause
 for shame. Can they, without abasement.
 join J. Sterling Morton in voting to place
 the commander of "Palmer's marauders"
 in the chair of Washington, of Jefferson
 and of Jackson?
 THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
 from which I have quoted was the vice. 1 president of the Southern Confectionery,
 and one of the most distinguished of | American statesmen. That book was
 written in the discharge of what he felt to be a sacred duty-the vindication of the truth of history and the placing be- fore the world in their true light the ac- tors in the terrible drama he so earnestly | sought to avert. and 1t stands an unan- 1 swered and unaswerable defense or the | south against the charges of rebellion and | treason and cruel treatment of prisoners. 1 He was a man not swayed by sectional ism or partisan prejudice and passion,
 and he defended Grant against what he
 deemed unjustifable censure at time
 when to do so was to incur censure and
 opposition for himself in his own section
 and party. He was known for conserva-
 tism of views and moderation as well as
 accuracy of statement, and no one who
 knew him or is acquainted with his char | acter will question the absolute truth of
 what he has thus recorded in the solemn form of history, or suspect him of having
 used extravagant language-of having | magnified or distorted the facts--in pen
 ming the words herein quoted. They have been before the world. unrefuted and un- contradicted. for more than twenty-five years. The book containing them was
 written for the. information Of future | -4IA Of pac n n Ci