The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06

the safety OF the cause and tho necessity OF pre-
serving united the powerful support which
Pennsylvania was giving the administrator In
supprcssinR tho rebellion. Watson answerod:
very we'll, Mr.. President, IL you wish to
have these men released. oil that is necessary
is to give tho order; but I shall ask to havo 1t
IN writing. In such q case as this IL would not
be safe for mo to obey n verbal order, and let
me add that. IL you do release them, the fact
and tho reason will necessarily become known
TO the people"
Finally Mr.. Lincoln took up his hat and went
out. Wilmot was waiting in tho corridor, and
came 10 meet him.
"Wilmot," he said. 81 can't do anything
with Watson; he won't release them"
The roply that wilmot made to this remark
cannot DO printed here. but 1t did not affec: the
Judgment nor tho action OF tho President.
Tho mon were retained for a long time after
ward. The fraud was fully investigated, and
future Bwindles of the kind were rendered I'M.
possible. II Watson could have had his way
tho guilty parties-and there were some whose
names never got to tho public-would have been
tried by military commission and stcrnly dealt
with. But my own reflections upon the subject
led me to the conclusion that the moderation of
the President was wiser than the unrelenting
| Justice OF the Assistant Secretary would have
been.
A LETTER FROM GEN. SHERMAN.
Not n little Of my time at tho department was
tsken up with people who had missions OF some
kind within the lines of tho army. remember
one of these particularly. because 1t brought me
a characteristic letter from Gen. Sherman.
There was much suffering among the loyal citi-
zens and the ouakers of East Tennessee in the
winter OF 1864. and many reliof committees
came to us seeking transportation and safe con-
duct for themselves and their supplies into that
country. Some OF these were granted, to the
annoyance Of Gen. Sherman, then in
OF the military division Of the Mississippi. The
reasons for his objections no gave in the follow
ing letter to me, which has never been published
before:
HEADQUARTERS
MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, I
NASHVILLE, Tenn, April 81, 1854.
c. A. Dana, Esq, Assistant Secretary Of War, Wash.
fnDton.
Ny DEAR FRIEND: II may be parliamentary. but ia
not military, for mo TO write you; but I feel assured
anything I may write will only have the force of a
casual conversation, such as we have INDUCED in by
the campfire or as we logged along by the road. Tho
text OF my letter is ono you gave a PHILADELPHIA
gentleman who Is going up to East Tennessee TO
hunt up his brother Quakers and administer the
bounties OF his own and his fellow citizens
charity. Now. who would stand in the way OF one
so kindly and charitab'y disposed? Surely not /.
But other questions present themselves. We have
been working hard with tens OF thousands OF men. |
and AT a cost OF millions Of dollars. to make railroads |
TO carry to the line Of the Tennessee enough pro. |
visions and material of war to enable us to push in |
our physical force TO the next stop In the war. I
nave found. on persona. inspection. that hitherto the
railroads have barely been able to feed our mon. that
mules have died by the thousand. that arms and
ammunition had thavel laid In the depot for two |
weeks FOR want CT cars, that no accumulation at all
or clothing and stores had been or could be moved at |
Chattanooga. and that It took four sets or cars and
locomotives to tho passes given by |
military commanders; that gradually the wants OF |
citizens and charities were actually consuming the !
real resources OF a road designed exclusively for |
army purposes. You have been on the spot, and can |
understand my argument. At least one hundred
citizens daily presented God claims to 90 forward |
women to attend sick children. parents in search OF
the bodies OF some slain in battle, sanitary commit |
tees sent by States and corpoi atoms to look after the
personal wants OF their constituents, ministers and |
friends to minister to the Christian wants of their |
hocks; men who had fed, anxious to go back to look
after lost families. &C.; and, more still, the tons OF |
goods which they all bore on their merciful errands.
None but such as you, who have been present and
seen the tens. hundreds and thousands OF such cases, |
can measure them In the aggregate and segregate the
exceptions. |
I hod no time to hesitate, for but a short month
was left me to prepare. and I must be ready to put in |
motion near 100. 900 men to move when naurbt "a.
mains 90 save life. l figured up the mathematics, and
saw that l must have daily l45 car loads OF essentials /
Tor thirty days to enable me to I'LL the requirement.
Only seventy-hve daily was all the roads were doing.
Now ! have got It up TO 1875. Troops march, cattle no
by the road. sanitary and suffers stores limited, and
all is done that human energy can accomplish. Yet
come these pressing claims OF charity. by men and
women who cannot grasp the great problem. My usual |
ahS"eris' "show me that your presence at the front
ismore valuable than 200 pounds OF powder, bread. or
OATS and 1t Is generally conclusive. Ihave given Mr..
savery o pass on your letter. and It takes 900 mounds
OF bread from our soldiers. or the same of oats from
our patient mules; but / could not promise to feed
the sunering Quakers at the expense OF our army.
nave ordered all who cannot provide food at the
front TO be allowed transportation back in our empty
cars; but l cannot undertake to transport tho food
needed by the worthy East Tcnnesseeans or any AZ
them. In peace there is a beautiful harmony in all
the departments Of lfe-they all Mt together like the
Chinese puzzle; but In war all Is ajar. Nothing fits.
and It is the struggle between the stronger and
weaker; and the latter. however II may appeal to the
better feelings OF our nature. must kick the beam.
To make war we must and will harden our hearts.
Theretore, when preachers clamor and the sani-
taries wall, don't join in. but know that war, like the
thnnderbolt. follows its laws, and turns not aside
even II the beautiful. the virtuous, and charitable
stand IN its path.
When the day and the hour comes, I'll strike Joe
be the result what It may; but in tho time
allotted to me for preparation I must and will be
selfish In making those preparations which I know to
BIO necessary. Your friend.
W. T. SHERMAN. Majoraenerai.
How Gen. Grants Orders Were Delivered tn
Gen. Burnside. BesieEcd In Knoxville.
To H EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: It is with
the keenest interest, 1 assure you, that the vet
Grams Of our war 1s6l-ls65) are reading every
line OF the "reminiscences OF tho Hon. Charles A.
Dana now appearing in McClure's Magazine
and In THE Sun.
Will you permit me to supplement Mr.. Dana's
relating to the siege of Knoxville, and
toll briefly how a rear rank private soldier
later one Of New York city's well.known citi.
zens) carried Gen. Grants order through
b~esieging lines TO Burnside in
and won his shoulder strapsf
Our brigade of cavalry of Gen. BurnsIde's
army. comprising tho Seventh Ohio and the
Ninth Michigan, two most excellent regiments.
under command Of Gen. Israel Garrard, was
stationed on tho Clinch River. as the outpost
from Cumberland Gap. Burnside being then be-
uianaa L. a--lll