The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-12-31
GENERAL WHEEELR'S ERROR.
southern Sentiment and Sympathy in
the North.

80, "i correspondent, Mr.. Berkeley
-niner, mas corrected the wild statemen,
- ~ Nh0eIer, that almost as many
men from the slave States served I'm tne
army OF the North as I'm the ann, -,
ina south IN the civil war. Nav / "a
permitted TO supplement ms correction
as follows:
III any ara disposed TO give General
w heeler's careless statements weight as
coming from an unwilling witness "
one whose feelings would bias him the
other way 1 would invite their attention
10 the ALPHABETICALLY opposite tcs-
tiihohy or General L. &. Grant.
81" C"nqueror Of tbs Rebel
non In his Personal "reminiscences "
ne adduces as one Of the chief difficulties
me Northern army had to overcome.
20 show that they had no easy talks or
odds In their favor-the absolute unani-
NIFTY OF the people Of the South. which
ne sets FOR the very strongly, and finally
illustrates by the statement that at the
day IN which he writes every man in the
South who had been able 10 bear arms
during the years OF the civil war. still
thought II incumbent on him 10 give the
reasops why nc had not IN person met
the Union army in the field and this
We all Know is stu true Of the sur
vivOrs.
In contrast 10 this. General Grant
claims that the impression that the North
had much advantage i'm its vastly great
or population is erroneous. because Of
the great division Of opinion among the
people of the North, and he urges thai
he had 10 contend with a very formida-
liy large part of them. who bitterly OPP
posed the war; not only by their votes
but by more or less open demonstrations
Of forcible resistance 10 il. The most dis
/ frtra ffal -frrff IN Northern
record that such demonstrations were
with difficulty prevented or suppressed
in many places, notably in Chicago, ONO
Boston and New York. eliminating In the
anti-draft riots in New York, which ac-
tually controlled the city for four days
The tpn-volume history Of Lincoln, by
Nicholay and Hay, both his private sec
retaffes. and the latter now SecfelaI
of State. gives this testimony III luli
detsn with the purpose To Illustrate
their herOs greatness by showing the "P-
POSITION that he overcame. lney HlS''",
Vallandigham's formidable following III
ONO I'm mis- EFFORTS to stop the war IheF
sbov how Seymour Governor or Ne"
York openly justified. from the first the
South's withdrawing from a Union III
which they were suffering such srleNouS
u,,ono and how. at the very time OF 1n'
battle of Gettysburg, he harrahbuou' 40
Governor. the mob that had JUST pul ~
- hlocts of buildings and killed many
,oor negroes. calling them MS i'lenuN
ond while he enjOned on lho" ~
ind more lawful methods, mace no
cealment of his sympathy WIN -,
their purpose TO stop the ura11' -,
further record, with complacenoy
The draft thus forcibly stopped ps @
people of New York city was -
later only by bringing veterans ~ :.
ARMY of the Potomac 10 ehlot'" !" -.
Anotber Northern writer refers TO their
,,,sence ON that errand as a cause LOT
dei,,, IN the army advance upon lhe
rebel army. ,o+.or
Ana il is very pertinent TO the matte
,,nder consideration. that this 50 widely
unclaimed Of position made by Sey ino,'
IN the beginning OF the war ana TO us SUI
eeouant MANAGEMENT, was Sd lar llVlH
being offensive then and thereafter ~
that large portion of the Northern PEI.
nle known as the Democratic party thal
t,is same Governor HOratiO seymour
was. after the war, nominated Tor fI'si
dent of the United States by that party
as the favorite son of the state o. Nc"
York. ,.,,,.
These same biographers supply very
significant proof of the influence 'H''
Seymour was believed by his chieI Pp-
nonerfs 10 exercise and Of the tremendous
souovinp that he was supposed to COM
mand. They state, upon the only sort
nj evidence that can be adduced for such
transactions and without indicating any
doubt of the truth of the story, that
Lincoln gave Seymour assurances that Il
no ,vould apply his great influence 70 the
sunport instead of he hlndrahce OF the
administration, Lincoln would Withdraw
i'm Sevmour's favor I'm the approaching
election. and thus insure his being elected
President of the United states. Nicholay
and HAY use II % illustrate Lincoln
seff-abnigation and the bitterness or the
antagonism OF Seymour, although. very
strangely. they specifically concede that
SEYMOUR was n perfectly honest anu
natriotic man. Ii WAS certainly the oner
~ "a splendid bride. That Lincoln ala
usa such means in attaining one OF MS
most mOmentous achievements Is SHOWN
I'm &. :. Dana's book, Just out. lie tens
Of his being sent by President Lincoln
when Assistant Secretary OF War; 10 pro-
c,,ra the vote OF three recalcitrant con-
pressmen. TO learn what each wanted
and To promise II, whatever II might be,
in the Presidents name, that the votes
so secured were necessary for the adj
mission of a new State, which Dana
names. and that the vote OF that State
gave the vote necessary for the ratlh-
cation of the Thirteenth Amendment 10
the Constitution. This story Dana re-
cords under the heading Of "Charac-
teristics of Lincoln" and he gives it his
cordial commentator.
But the crowning evidence or the VIDE
spread opposition to the coercion OF the
south and TO the emancipation of the
slaves. is in the circumstances OF the
Presidential election Of 1851 Nicholay
and Hay record that the National Demo
cratic Convention, seeking the support
az the loyal States only. took as the prin-
cipal plank of their platform the aban-
donment OF the war. assigning as the
chief reason therefor that 1t was now
apparent that 1t was waged for enamel
nation. II has often been urged that
General Mcclellan. who was their nomi-
nee. got very small vote, but, as his
biographer W. c. Prime, says, no one
knows what vote Mcclellan got. The
administration that made the count
had been boldly accused By General Nc
Clellan. I'm mis- famous telegram 20 Sec
rotary Stanton, from Harrisons Landing,
on the james river, OF having intention
ally caused the defe9t OF the Union army
In the Seven Days Battle near Rich
mond.
The canvass for that Presidential elec-
tton ~ 1854 was conducted under very