^f^ F 258 |.S78 Copy 1 LETTEIl MILITARY GOVEEHOIt OY NOETK CAROLINA, COL. IIMM A. GILLIAM, REFUTING CERTAIN CHARGES AND INSINUATIONS MADE BY HON. GEORGE E. BADGER, IN BEHALF OF THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY. (^ \y 'Nev,- Bern, July 17lh, 1SG2. Col. Henry A. Giilia.m : ^Deur Sir — I leceived lately, by flagj of truce, a copy of a lonfr and elaborate epistle, directed toyoii, from my excellent and still much loved fViend Jlr. Geo. E. Badfjer. It is proper I should trouble yen with some remarks to do justice to myself and to you. I fear I shall be tedious, but as I wish to be accurate, I must copy what I intend to contradict or correct. Mr. Badger nays, in the bej^inning of bis letter, he would "scarce" be induced to believe me capable "of any wilful fal.sehood or baseness," on account of his good opiHion of me heretofore. In familiar piirase, this is a compliment " over the left"--" uaninino- with faint praise" — but I pass it by without retort. It is true I hare loved him and his family very .'lincerely, and have clierished Irs gfood opinion of me. But I should rcc^ard myself as un- worthy of the respect of any honorable man, if 1 could be driven from what I deem the path of duty by even the assurance that I could therby secure forever his undiminished respect. Mr. Badp:er says vny position, as Military Governor, has run me into "manifold inconsistencies," and subjected me to " prave suspicions," Tlie '"suspicions" I can and do disregard. I submit to him, in his calmer hours — if he ever has them in these sad times — whether in writing of me, of ouo of his owi\ blood, be had not as well omit 8uch e.xpressiont ? But as to the "inconsistencies," I utterly deny them. I contradict his assertion as posi- tively as it can be done respectfully — for his unjust luuendoes cannot make me disrespectful. As an evidence of this inconsistency, ho says that " winter " before last, he ( Mr. S. ) wrote me from k^an Francisco, and referring to the *' tlien threatening prospect of our affairs, he said in substance, " if there is "to be a sectional contest in this country, my place is with North Carolina, " and when you ^.Mr. Badger) notify me that she necde my services, I shall •'be there." And Mr Badger argues, lam inconsistent, because no%v I am with tlio jnemies "of Nuuh Carolina— an araiy seat hero fur her subjugaliou." STS T rhallenfre fb^ production of the letter: I suppose Mr. Hadi^^er I.as ti.e T,r J at hand" Let 1 im produce it. I wish not to be guilty ot the discouit^-sy Stn ^dieting . hat he says, but 1 wish it distir.ctly understood, that .f Mr. i Ld charged that I said in that letter that Gen Washington .vas a fool. Alexander Hamilton a jackass, and WebMer a blockhead : because they en- trained such opinions of our (Jovernment, us Wr Badger and n.yselt had entertained : if he had charged that I had .n that ett.r asser ed *''f .<^ f "::"" racy was a heavenly iuslitution, and that the resolutions o Je and 99 con- tained the only ^ound doctrine of political taith. and that Jetie.vcon was neither H hypocrite or demagogue, but a truth telhng gentleman, he could uut have more surprised UiO than he has by this assertion With all the coiitideuce that memory justihes and respect aUow5, 1 contradict most positively the assertion that I ever used any language iu^tifyingthe unjust coustructiou he puts upon it. lou and Mr Badger, tud all who know me, well know I ever held Secession and hulliticatiou as Treason I n ight well retort upon him and olhor estimable men— "stars 8hot madiy from their spheres '—where are all your declarations, and thousands of speeciies on .^eceasion .' Where are all your prophecies of the horrors of civil war, which Secession would biuig on us ? _ Lut Mr Badger is disposed to tiifle, when he refers to my "inconsistencies — He knows— no man knows better-I never tried to be consistent. I have always tried to do right, nevei thinking or caring whetherfnencs or enenues would n-'^ard what I was about to do as being consistent with what I had i.reviuusly done. Clay on the Bank ; Webster on the Tantf; Calliouu on Internal improvements; Badger on the Kansas and Nebraska bills, etc.— for aud against it as reported to me, in the course of a few days, but afterwards niaguauiniously admitting he had done wrong in voting tor it— who tears after these illustrious examples to be charged with inconsistency ? The history of that letter is this. Keverdy Johnson, on his way from San Francisco, "to the Atlantic, in November, IdliO, wrote to me from Acapulco, urging me to come to Noilh Caiolina, to do what I could to prevent the 8e- cessio"nists from entangling her in the diabolical scliome of dissolving the Union. I wrote the letter Mr. Badger refers to, asking him if he thought i could be of any service. Service in doing what? Of course, in preventing the thrtatened mischief- the danger of involving us in the unimagis'<.blo horrors of civil war. So great was my confidence in him, I should have come, had he thought I could have prevented what has happened. 1 ceriainly never dreamed ot "coming for any other purpose. And no matter what aie the words of my letter, his reply to me, which 1 have preserved in San Fran- cisco, will show he then unuersloud me, as I now assert, it was my intentiou to be understood. So much lor my "manifold inconsistencies." Mr. Badger's remarks, about the " army of subjugation," I will not tres- pass by answering. I have done so elsewhere in public. If it is " subjuga- tion," it is such as Washington, Marshall, Hamilton, Webster, Clay, and Badoer have advocated and foretoid, if ever such a coulestarose, as has arisen. Mr. Badgi;r proceeds: 'Again, according to ycur letter to Winston, Mr. " Stanly admits, that the secession of thi.s State, was at the time right." If you bO understood any remark of mine, I was altogether misunder- stood, "l never thought so. If 1 had, I should not have hesitated to say so. Mr. Badger says fui ther : "He (Mr Stanly) admits that we cannot honorably secede from our " position, whilst Virginia retains hers, and yet he comes here to induce us •' now to secede fiom it, which he confesses we cannot vrith honor do." The answer is, that I never admitted any such thing. I never thought the conduct of Isorth Carolina was to be intlueucod by that of Virginia, more than by that of South Caiohiui, or Tennessee 1 never made any such Cijufeb»iion. ■Wfiatever Mr. Bflilgfcr may }i«ve tlioiij:lit onoo of n-y iutcjrity and l^onor, 1)0 could,'" scMrce be induced'" to (Link I liad nr\y sbiiae left, it I had made all the sdaiissioiis aiid coufLssioDs ho seems to think 1 niade. Mr. Badger saj's furl her: "He (Mr. Stanly) thinks when Virginia returns '■ to the Union, we nuiy honorably return, anJ not till then: theu why not " postpone his attempts njion u.*, until Virginia returns." Jlr. Stanly " think.s " no fiieh thing-: nevor thono;ht so, and therefore does not " postpone '' tr.5 ing; what iie can do, to relieve hi.s native land from lljo liorrors that tiireaten to overwiielni her. ilr. Bacfg'er says : " lint liow does he make out, that we owe nothinj^ iu '• honor, to tlie other Confederate States." Mr. Stanlv, I answer, never (denied that North Carolina owed as much to the other Confederate vStates a? to Virrjinia. It would be amusinp;, al any other time, to see Mr. Badp;ei thus niakino; men rf straw, and then using; his {giant's streng:t!) in deslioyiufy thetn. He shows prodifrious skill in annihilat- ing; arjjuments I never made, and routinj^ me from position.s I never assumed. It is obvious that from your account to him I was misunderstood After I learned, on the moruincf after my arrival, in what tireumstanees yen were here. I saw Geneial Burnwide, and suceeeded in h.-iving^ you released from all su.'spicion of having' given any causo of censure. Then I explaitied to you what my purposes were in eominp hero, because it might not be proper to write to any of my friends. Wkile speaking to you of nij- hopes of peace for North Carolina, it was suggested by 3'ou notliing could be done during the iirpending conflict at Richmond. I felt the force of this, and said so ; but remarked, after this is over, why cannot honorable terms be proposed ar.d listened to'.' That by the Constitution of the Confederate States each one vas sovereign and independent, and reserved a right to secede, and that North Carolina, I supposed, could iulDrm hersister States what she intended to do. Further than this, I never admitted, even for argument sake, tliat North Carolina was bound in honor to wait the action of V^irginia. Mr. Badger adds : " Mr. Stanly seems to suppose there is a strong attach- " nient amongst our people for the old Union, and' a secret longing for a re- " turn to it. In this he is utterly mistaken ; our people detest the North, and " especially the si.K New England States. " I cannot yield, even to Mr. Badger, that he is better acquainted with the people in the counties I have visited than I am. He was never remark, able tor his knowledge of the people, and always acted independc-nt of their opinion.s, having more admiration of the aristocratic Coriolauus, than of the democratic Absalom, " who stole the hearts of the men of Israel " when he put foith his hand and kissed them. I do not " suppose, " I kjunc there is a strong attachment amongst our people to the old Union. I know there is not nierclj' a " secret longing. ■' but an openly expressed regret at the horrid ca- lamities to follow the etJbrts of those who wish to prevent their return to it, and at the endless misery to follow if they are successful. And this feelings is not confined to counties where the forces of the United States are. I speak from accounts received from gentlemen altogether as reliable upon matters of fact as Mr. Badger is. I know the people of North Carolina, if the wicked effort to destroy the Union could be successful, would never prefer to be a colony of Great Bri- tain, as Mr. Badger has said she would, to being again united with even tiie six New England States. The people of this good old' State, now acting by the influence of a mi- nority, down to a late period, " loathed in their souls " the idea of forming a Southern Confederacy, of which South Carolina was a member. Down to a late period the people of North Carolina, and with just cause, " detested " the State of South Carolina, whose leading men, our own gr^at Gaston, in rebuking their sneers at our State, and condemning their secession doctrines ns treason, iSMiJ, " would be the Catalines of the hlstorian.^aiul llie Captaii'i liobadi'ls ot tlie poet." Vjven if Mr. Badg'er were oorrect. it woukl be as easy when honor and interest alike demarided it. to lay aside the present as she did iLo former " dsteStafioii and loathing," Mr. Badgrer does me tite honor to uafice a speech I lately made at A\ asliirjg-ton. ^olth Carolina, and says ; "That while I deay my j^urposa " to insult " the people of North Carolina hy coming: here — a fanciful idea, nnd unv.-orthy of fim — " he, Mr. Stanly, prf))ioses to our people, to return to " the old Union now, whicii he himself think.s we cannot with honor do." I answer I never thousrht or said any such thing ; and if he will read all I said he will see I could not have Ihoufrhtso. Mr. Badg^er's SHcer at my "persuasions and reasoQs," I pass by without remark. Fie proceeds and alleges, that I enforce compliance — " with my feasors '" for a return to the Union, — by tlireats cf the punishment which awaits us, if " we do not yield. Is not that to insult us ? " / tlire'iltn North Carolina with puni.shment ! /who have served her faithfully, Avho inherited a devotion to her interests and honor, and have been as disinterested ici my efforts for lier welfare, as even he Badg'er can claim to be. / thri>aten her with punishment, wliile I have abandoned my private inierests, my hiisiiiess, and the couiforts of a happy home, to sav^i her from the constantly accumulating; lioirors of civil war. / thieaten her ! I did not correct or revise this spcpi-h and have not a copy before me. Much of tlie lanjTHacfe is not mine. I will not charge Mr Badp;er with inten- tional niisreprt'sontation, for to use his own words — "so deep is my cojivicii(]n "of his intpgriity and honor, I could scarce be induced to believe iiim capa- " ble of wilful " misrejiresentatioti, — still such strange misconstructions of my opinions will subject liim to " grave suspicions." of writing' under Etronp: excitement, and foigettinp the friend, wliile he plays the advocate of a cause he has loathed aud detested for many years of his brilliant and illustrious life. Nothino; could induce me to threaten North Carolina I feared the addi- tional tioubies to come, if this war lasted, and thouarht it rifjht to point out the dan« many '■ weokg since tliat base avid infamous paper was ushf*rfed to tin? world." I aui not tlie defender of Gen. Butler's conduct in that or in other s'Pfipectg. Tie is one of those party jug-fiflers, who have been for yoars, a^ita- tin;jr' the slavory question, buildinir political platforiiia, with laudations of tlia resolutions of 9-i and 99, --the bitter fountaiu. fry Yankee officer exprsss approbation of that proclamatiou. Will Mr. Badger tell me what person in office, under the Confederata authorities, has expressed disapprobation of the villainous slander of Beau- regard, charging the United States forces with coming in the South witli " beauty and booty " as their watchwords .' and tliis too when tho wive.'* and families of somo of the leaders in the rebeliioa were living in thesa Yankee States! • When did any oflicer under Confederate authority disaTow the barbarou.s conduct of their soldiers, in shooting pickets, and poisoiaing meats and • wells — and in perpetrating numerous other enormities ? I have tiot Butler'.^ proclamation to reiVr to, and do not remombar that I ever read it. J!ut I learn trom intelligent gentlemen connected with tiie army, that there wero base creatures in New Orleans, having no respact for the decencies of life, who had provoked tho soldiers by abusing them in the streets. Butler haii issued an order, commanding all such wretches to ba put in custody Some respectable women forgetting themselves, had frequently indulged in terms of strong censure and insult calculated to provoke unrefined men in tha the army. Butler's proclamation was, as I learn, a threiU, tbat those women if guilty of such conduct on the street should be treated • as women of thn town," meaning thereby to have them also arrested, according to the proviou* order. I give this, as I received it, having inquired becausa Mr. B. a^ked so earnestly: "what does Jlr. Stanly say of Sutler's proclamation at New- Orleans."' If Butler's proclamation justities ^[r,. Badger's interpretation 1, Ike all tiie gallant ofHccrs of the army wheal I have heard speak of it, would condemn it. as decidedly as he does. No nation, no party is safe, if the unworthy conduct of one man brings censure upon all. It would be as nnjust to accuse every officer of the army, of being at) abolitionist, because Geneial Ilnnter cut such a faetastic trick, tlie trnlli being, that his proclamation is condemned by every oflicer vvhom I have heard speak of it. Mr. Badgei' then procoe's as follows : " Again, Mr. Stanly in the ?ama '■* speech, refers to Mr. Lincoln's disavowal of General Hunter's order, for- "freeing tho slaves in liis military district, leaving his hearers to suppose, " that Mr. Lincoln's revocation of that order proceeded from his opposition " to the measure of emancipation, whilst the reason assigned by bim was " that he reserved that matter to himself, and had committed it to no military " commander, which if Mr. Stanly desired to give true arid full information " to his hearers, he ought to have mentioned, but did not." It is hai-d to repres.s the expression in decided terms, of t]i« indignatioa I feel, at reading such language as applied to me, even by Mr. Badger. I have already said the published speech was not corrected hy me. It vr-rs not reported by one practised in such matters, or by ray request. But "evil communications corrupt good matinsrs." Mr. Badger's association with traitors, to wham La uo.vrendurs the respect, iie thinks due to their a oflirirtl stations, but for whom lie lias dnwn to tbis " revolution," cntcrtainod nothing: but contempt, makes liim foig'etful of the respect and charitj' due tea kinsman, and a friend, whose name has never yet been tarnished by. an accusation from any respectable quarter, of beings capable of witbholdinf^ *' true information " from the people who had honored him, and whom he honored. Mr. Stanly, tell hiiu, "left bis hearers to suppose"' nothing; he spoke out fuily all lie thought, and all he feared^ Mr. Stanl}"^ told the people iu the most solemn and earnest manner, tbat the President's proclamation was fall of meaning^, that he evidently intended to give ti iiely warning, that if this war continued, emancipation ia some form might be inevitable. Tell him, if you see him, that Mr. Stanly distinctly told the people of Beau- fort County, that if this war lasted another year, uader what was called the " war power," emancipation he feared won^ld be inevitable. I think I sai^ the same thing to you. I know 1 have often lo various other g-entlemen. I did not profess ta agree with, or defend the political opinions of the President, or his Cabinet, nor those of the present Cong^ .ess. But I said can- didly what I believed their opinions were, in illustration I remember to iiavo stated, there were nearly five thousand negroes in New Kern ; tbat as the army advanced, they would come — that this could not be prevented — that to send them back by aoldier.s was forbidden by law — that I would promise protection to any loyal citizen, who, with his neighbais, would take hi.'? negroes home — and that the idea of beinjj benefitted by the long talked of intervention of England and France was all a delu.'Sion and a snare, for that iaterventiari would make matters worse by precipitating the horrors to which I referred, of eniancipatioM, durinr fair play .' — that what is said, on both sides, will bo published .' I liave concluded there can be no impropriety in pul)lishiiig what I have writtsn. 10 I have but, one request to make. Voii know Mr. L'ia(1g:er is my kinsmnn. Our fathers were fiieiids, before either of us was horn. 1 cannot carry on a personal controversy with Iiim. If he is to be the Hector of this horrible war, let his pen be used, under ilie name of some cat's paw of the Confederate authorities. If he — at present safe in the interior, but forgetful of the losses, suffering's and dangers to, befal ilmse inliabitinfr he Seaboard Couniies. — if he will prostitute his talents, in tiying to ii]timidate all who wi.sb for iioiior- able peace ; so f.-tr ».•; the cause is concei ned, 1 ask no tax ors Let him furtiish arguments aiid words, tor some other man. I ask this in kindness I desire to be free to reply, when provocation is g-iven, in such terms as my antag-onist may deserve, 'i'here are so many men:oiies, of the dead and of the living;, which 1 could not and would not foiget, associate d with his name. T am ex- oeedintily averse to an unkind controversy willi him. If he must Avrite, let bini reason with power and asseit with coi.lidenct — no man can ilo so better — and I do not shrink from the controversy. The cause that T defend is strone even in my hands, Hut if he writes to, or of me ajj^ain, 1 hope lie will lay aside his railing, his accusations, and his idle attempts at intimidation, EDW, .STANLV. iii