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第75章

the writings-6-第75章

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And all this; as before said; may be among honest men only。  But this

is not all。  Every foul bird comes abroad; and every dirty reptile

rises up。  These add crime to confusion。  Strong measures deemed

indispensable; but harsh at best; such men make worse by

maladministration。  Murders for old grudges; and murders for self;

proceed under any cloak that will best serve for the occasion。



These causes amply account for what has occurred in Missouri; without

ascribing it to the weakness or wickedness of any general。  The

newspaper files; those chroniclers of current events; will show that

the evils now complained of were quite as prevalent under Fremont;

Hunter; Halleck; and Curtis; as under Schofield。  If the former had

greater force opposed to them; they also had greater force with which

to meet it。  When the organized rebel army left the State; the main

Federal force had to go also; leaving the department commander at

home relatively no stronger than before。  Without disparaging any; I

affirm with confidence that no commander of that department has; in

proportion to his means; done better than General Schofield。



The first specific charge against General Schofield is; that the

enrolled militia was placed under his command; whereas it had not

been placed under the command of General Curtis。  The fact is; I

believe; true; but you do not point out; nor can I conceive; how that

did; or could; injure loyal men or the Union cause。



You charge that; General Curtis being superseded by General

Schofield; Franklin A。 Dick was superseded by James O。 Broadhead as

Provost…Marshal General。  No very specific showing is made as to how

this did or could injure the Union cause。  It recalls; however; the

condition of things; as presented to me; which led to a change of

commander of that department。



To restrain contraband intelligence and trade; a system of searches;

seizures; permits; and passes; had been introduced; I think; by

General Fremont。  When General Halleck came; he found and continued

the system; and added an order; applicable to some parts of the

State; to levy and collect contributions from noted rebels; to

compensate losses and relieve destitution caused by the rebellion。

The action of General Fremont and General Halleck; as stated;

constituted a sort of system which General Curtis found in full

operation when he took command of the department。  That there was a

necessity for something of the sort was clear; but that it could only

be justified by stern necessity; and that it was liable to great

abuse in administration; was equally clear。  Agents to execute it;

contrary to the great prayer; were led into temptation。  Some might;

while others would not; resist that temptation。  It was not possible

to hold any to a very strict accountability; and those yielding to

the temptation would sell permits and passes to those who would pay

most and most readily for them; and would seize property and collect

levies in the aptest way to fill their own pockets。  Money being the

object; the man having money; whether loyal or disloyal; would be a

victim。  This practice doubtless existed to some extent; and it was;

a real additional evil that it could be; and was; plausibly charged

to exist in greater extent than it did。



When General Curtis took command of the department; Mr。 Dick; against

whom I never knew anything to allege; had general charge of this

system。  A controversy in regard to it rapidly grew into almost

unmanageable proportions。  One side ignored the necessity and

magnified the evils of the system; while the other ignored the evils

and magnified the necessity; and each bitterly assailed the other。  I

could not fail to see that the controversy enlarged in the same

proportion as the professed Union men there distinctly took sides in

two opposing political parties。  I exhausted my wits; and very nearly

my patience also; in efforts to convince both that the evils they

charged on each other were inherent in the case; and could not be

cured by giving either party a victory over the other。



Plainly; the irritating system was not to be perpetual; and it was

plausibly urged that it could be modified at once with advantage。

The case could scarcely be worse; and whether it could be made better

could only be determined by a trial。  In this view; and not to ban or

brand General Curtis; or to give a victory to any party; I made the

change of commander for the department。  I now learn that soon after

this change Mr。 Dick was removed; and that Mr。 Broadhead; a gentleman

of no less good character; was put in the place。  The mere fact of

this change is more distinctly complained of than is any conduct of

the new officer; or other consequence of the change。



I gave the new commander no instructions as to the administration of

the system mentioned; beyond what is contained in the private letter

afterwards surreptitiously published; in which I directed him to act

solely for the public good; and independently of both parties。

Neither any thing you have presented me; nor anything I have

otherwise learned; has convinced me that he has been unfaithful to

this charge。



Imbecility is urged as one cause for removing General Schofield; and

the late massacre at Lawrence; Kansas; is pressed as evidence of that

imbecility。  To my mind that fact scarcely tends to prove the

proposition。  That massacre is only an example of what Grierson; John

Morgan; and many others might have repeatedly done on their

respective raids; had they chosen to incur the personal hazard; and

possessed the fiendish hearts to do it。



The charge is made that General Schofield; on purpose to protect the

Lawrence murderers; would not allow them to be pursued into Missouri。

While no punishment could be too sudden or too severe for those

murderers; I am well satisfied that the preventing of the threatened

remedial raid into Missouri was the only way to avoid an

indiscriminate massacre there; including probably more innocent than

guilty。  Instead of condemning; I therefore approve what I understand

General Schofield did in that respect。



The charges that General Schofield has purposely withheld protection

from loyal people and purposely facilitated the objects of the

disloyal are altogether beyond my power of belief。  I do not arraign

the veracity of gentlemen as to the facts complained of; but I do

more than question the judgment which would infer that those facts

occurred in accordance with the purposes of General Schofield。



With my present views; I must decline to remove General Schofield。

In this I decide nothing against General Butler。  I sincerely wish it

were convenient to assign him a suitable command。  In order to  meet

some existing evils I have addressed a letter of instructions to

General Schofield; a copy of which I enclose to you。



As to the enrolled militia; I shall endeavor to ascertain better than

I now know what is its exact value。  Let me say now; however; that

your proposal to substitute national forces for the enrolled militia

implies that in your judgment the latter is doing something which

needs to be done; and if so; the proposition to throw that force away

and to supply its place by bringing other forces from the field where

they are urgently needed seems to me very extraordinary。  Whence

shall they come?  Shall they be withdrawn from Banks; or Grant; or

Steele; or Rosecrans?  Few things have been so grateful to my anxious

feelings as when; in June last; the local force in Missouri aided

General Schofield to so promptly send a large general force to the

relief of General Grant; then investing Vicksburg and menaced from

without by General Johnston。  Was this all wrong?  Should the

enrolled militia then have been broken up and General Herron kept

from Grant to police Missouri?  So far from finding cause to object;

I confess to a sympathy for whatever relieves our general force in

Missouri a

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