Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-31
OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT.
A Lady Tells of the Horrors OF the
Late War.

crisis. l. an humble citizen oil the ooutn
would not presume TO address you. But
the wise and humane course, wnicn seems
To be your own policy, despite the pres
sure brought to bear BY politicians 10
precipitate this war. has emboldeneu me
to indlte you this open letter IN the III
terest of peace, which only those VINO
have personal kno"ieuse VI wa
properly appreciate a..
Desnite the eloquent summing UP OF the
case by the glowing tongues OF both
Senator'S Proctor and Thurston, IAN 10
soe that we have a casus belli with SPAIN
what nrecedent have we for armed III
reference i'm a family quarrel OF even
internosing between hostile nations III the
interest of peace? ,u.or
No nelghboring or other nation inter-
nosed 10 prevent the barbarltle5 praetiSc1i
IN the recent war between emma duu
Ianon nor vet the later atrocities per-
petrated in Armenia
no hiring the matter nearer home now
ever who did anything TO soften tue
asperities OF war to the southern people,
I'm their famous fight? Don uhueise,li ~.
me to refer 10 what follows IN any ~" -
Of recrimination, but | do 1t mercy 10
nrove that the present state OF anairs
IN Cuha &c not without a very famihar
parallel. - 40
can readily believe that you nave no
persoual knowledge of many Things tnd'
occurred I'm the South during that rylhs
neriod but If Senators Proctor ana
Tburston had followed in the wake y.
Shermau's famous march TO the sea-
or had passed through the NahsS Vi
Virginia. either after Sheridan hau car
ried out General Grants order 10 ledSe !,
il I'm such condition that a crow Wouiu
Oft 90
have to carry its rations,' or alter fiui'eo'
made his famous raid, carrying no raeIons,
but subsisting on what the al 80 -
impoverished citizens had saved IRON,
other depredators. their amazement ana
horrors at what they saw in the DraVe
little island would not have peeh 80
great imagine.
know of nothing that Weyler mas uohe
more dastardly or inhuman than eu ,e
treatment inflicted on President Ia, 70
while a prisoner at Fort Monroe "
the man who now seeks the oHlCe %
Northumberland of the United sur
army. | could multiply numbers Oh nv
dents that came under my own obserVa-
tion of the horrors incident TO war pue
7 think my purpose will be attained ps
the enumeration of two or three only lha'
stand prominently forth In my ineihViS
of those wretched days. NJ.
MY father, being a graduate ol 80
Point Though having resigned from "
army years before), raised the hls' ieei
ment OF cavalry in the Provisional army
~ tba Confederate States. After a shor.
term of active service he became so cIlp-
Mod with inflammatory rheumatism 'ld'
he was compelled to resign, ana was III
command of the post at Lexington w.
when Hunter passed through there. Al
ter being slightly wounded In an al'dcA
that was made on him, he was capluieu'
and TO crafty the personal spite Oh d
member of Hunters stan. ne. an oiu
man of s.. an invalid, and wearing the
uniform of a colonel, was orderel 10
march with the soldiers. Nhen he PRIV
tested that he was physically lhcapdo'e
of doing so. a rope was brOuBhl anu
soldier was ordered to tie IL TO MN am
drag him. If he continued 10 refuse 10
viz This order was not carried out,
because of the Intervention at this point
of an officer who happened to come up
at the moment, a humane lrishmah,
CAPTAIN Alexander by name. VINO mao
nv father put into wagon winch
though rough and extremely uncomlorl-
able. for an invalid. was better than De
ing dragged. Upon reaching Cumberland
Md. hs was placed in a cell In the COM
mon Jail and handcuffed, and all TINS 70
crafty the personal spite OF a memDer
of General Hunters staff.
To show my fathers sense OF JIsuce'
even under these trying circumstances,
when he heard that General Crook then
a prisoner in the South, had been ordered
TO be placed i'm irons and other retalla-
tory measures employed. he wrote most
urgent letter TO Mr.. Davis, begging that
so brave a soldier as General crook
should not be subjected to SO great IN
dignities for no fault of his own. Ana
owing to this appeal the order was never
enforced.
Another instance occurred when two
of the members of my family, young
girls. travelling under pass from Gene
raj Chiseret afterwards conspicuous as
delegate OF war" during the Paris Com
mune). essayed to cross the lines into
the South. They were allowed to start
and proceeded several miles on their way,
when they were followed by a body Of
soldiers. arrested, and brought back to
the picket post where not less than TWO
hundred men were encamped The cap
tain of the post had received orders
from General Mlroy, who had super
seeded Chiseret the day after he had
given this pass, TO have the persons oil
these two girls searched at this post
Fortunately for them, though, they iell
into the hands of another knd-hearted
Irishman. Lieutenant Dan Curran, of the
one Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio Regi-
ment Of | remember correctly. and he
declined most Indignantly to carry out
the order, saying as he got into the
carriage and took his seat beside the
driver, THAT Milroy might do his own
dirty work" And thus these two ter
rified girls were turned over to the mar
by whose order they had been arrested
and he In person superintendent the tho
rough searching of their baggage.
To the credit of General Chiseret. / will
say here that he resigned his commits
sion and left the army upon this action
of Milroy, saying that he had not en-
tered it to war against women
During General Aiilroy's reign at Win
chester. Va. the stores Of the citizens
were all closed. and the suffers alone
| allowed 10 sell provisions. And only
such citizens as could swallow the iron
| clad" oath were permitted 10 purchase
| at exorbitant prices. the necessaries OF
life. There again. three officers In the
United States army, respecting tn,
scruples of those whose love OF the truth
would not permit them to barter ii ever
| for the necessaries Of life, came 10 thell
aid, and in ways Of their own devising
| prevented much of the suffering which
would otherwise have resulted.
One of these men was a brigadier-gene
raj. now a prominent lawyer in a North
western city, the other two were officers
in cavalry regiments from Pennsylvania
| But why multiply such Incidents?
! could enumerate many. even mor'
| horrible and trying, such ias the sackinl
of the Catholic nunnery at Columbia
s. c., &c, but enough has been cited [,
prove that Cuba's sufferings and indigni
ties are not unparalleled, and while
| pity her poor people from the bottom o.