Year: 1869

had stood by him through the trial like
brothers, turned away from him forever
in the intensity of their disgust. His
political enemies visited him with their
most whitening sarcasm, and the Tribune
published an article upon him almost I'M
equaled in its brutality. Siekles, in reply
to these structures of friend and foe, came
out in letter defending his conduct, but
it won back none of the former.


The cause of this strange course was
never publicly known, but the story cur
rent in private circles was that certain
promissory notes had been discounted at
the Shoe and Leather Bank in favor of
Sickles, bearing the Endorsement of Bagi-
oil, his father-in-law. This Endorsement
of Bagioli failed to recognize as his, and
to save himself from the accusation OF
writing what he should not write, Sickles
submitted to terms-he went back to his
wife. The notes were settled several
years afterwards.


The year following the murder the Sc
cession troubles commenced, and Sickles
true to his Congressional record, was elo-
quent in defense of the course of the
South. 1t was stated at the time that
some weeks after the firing upon Sumter,
when the whole North was aroused to q
frenzy Of wsrlike excitement, Sickles
met band of Southern sympathizers at
the New York Hotel, and harangued
them upon the folly and wickedness Of
coersion. Suddenly he gave way to the
| current and blossomed into an ardent
patriot He raised brigade for service
in the field. He was in hot water from
the beginning. His first trouble was
with the Union Defense Committee be.
cause they would not accept his vouchers
and pay money on them when they were
written with lead pencil. At last he
received $ll,0 900 from the Committee,
but subsequently he took the mems re-
ceipts for the money to Washington, and
upon the claim that the money had been
paid out of his own pocket, he received
it over again. The brigade cost the city
to arm aud equip, nearly $500, 1000.
When it was taken to Washington, Sick
les marched it to the White House, and
boastingly informed Lincoln that 1t had
been raised out of his own means.


General Sickles' principal military ex-
plot was at Gettysburg. By bluuder
he nearly lost the battle to the Union
cause, and led his men to be moved
down like grass. This affair induced
prominent General to assert, in com.
munication to the press, that if General
Sickles "had not lost his leg at the bat
tie of Gettysburg, he would have been
cashiered." The wound kept him from
active service in the field during the re-
mainder of the war.


When the Reconstruction Act passed
Congress, and the South was cut up into
satrapces, ,Sickles was sent to lord it over
South Carolina. He was as cruel and
arbitrary there as the most ardent hater
of the vanquished Carolinss could wish.
He arrested citizens and threw them into
the military prisons without examina-
ton; seized funds in the bank, shut up
the savings institution, and forced the
people to submit to humiliations of all
kinds that they we're powerless to resist.
He made himself thoroughly detested by
those over whom he ruled, and it was
with intense qualification that they
learned at last that President johnson
had resolved to remove him. He came
back home, was banqueted by the Union
League Club, toasted by John Jay, and
rested on his honors.


During the last Presidential election,
while drawing pay as an officer in the
army, he trsversed the country making
political speeches. His candidate was
elected, and now he has his reward-the
mission to the proudest and most pune
tilious nation in the old world.