Ulysses
The Brother-in-law of Sutler
who took a few letters & two bottels of
cough drops, & told me another of his Bros-in-law
would start for your head quarters tomorrow, & would
letters or packages to you. As I have not written
to you for some time I will avail myself of the
opportunity, though you dont answer any of them
Julia left here two weeks ago last friday
& said she would be back in two weeks--last week
the children got a letter from her saying that she would
be back the last of last week or first of this, but
has not come yet--Fred & Ellen are perfectly con-
tent , & Ellen is quite a favorite with all family.
We have just recd the first news of the
fall of island No 10 & a battle between your forces
& Beauregard--stating that after a fight of ten
hours Beauregard forces was repulsed with great loss
on bouth[sic] sides. We have no further particulars,
except that you were in hot chase after the
flying rebels--There are many here rejoysing[sic]
you had the chance to rout them before [Halleck?]
assumed the command, but many that were
[page 2]
only sorry because you were not defeated. I expect
we will get further news this evening, & I hope we
may here of your bringing fifty thousand prisoners.
The Gazette is still throwing out sly & mean
inuendoes about you, but never runs direct charges
In a long & laboured article last week in which the
Editor attempts to show that the president
to show
downs[?] the office of Gen by appointing over 180
many of whom could not make a living in
private life, & then uses the following language
as a hit on you. "But even in the case of
victory, time should be taken to review the full
reports, & find out who it was that attacked, per-
sued & captured the enemy, & took entrenchments at the
point of the bayonet, & who was tardy & inert while
the battle was going on. By a proper exercise of this
moderation the Government might avoid the extra-
ordinary predicament of promoting a commander to a Major
Generalship one day, & suspending him
command the next, and eventually restoring him
chiefly to save its own consistency." You will
see the drift & intended effect of the above
I would suggest that you get one of your
staff or some other prominent & competent
officer write out a short accurate statement
[page 3]
of this whole matter & I will get some friend
to procure its publication in the Commercial
as an "extract of a privat[e] letter from a promi-
nent officer of the army in Tennessee to a friend
in Cin &c" The Com & Enquirer have bouth[sic] written
& published several articles laudatory of your
course, The Gazette has been down on all offi
cers, who are promienent or have figured any
in this war. & in the article from which I
make the extract, it sneers at the [?] acqu-
ired at West point --and hoots[?] at the idea of
a W.P, or Mexican war officedr being any more
fit to command an army than any other. Every
paper is filled with fulsome adulations of
Maj Gen. John C. Freemont, & how he would
have ended the war in a few days more
if he had been let a lone &c.
Father says to
tell you that he has just been over to the city
and got the particulars of the battle of Co
Monday eve--& a messenger is here so I
close this abruptly for him to insert with
Capt L__'s letter--We are rejoiced that
you came off victorious and with out injury
I can attribute the last to nothing but
providence--you are wonderfully preserved
[page 4]
I hope you'l not be annoyed by father's
refrence to the Gazette--I would not
take any notice of it--am sorry he wrote
about--he says he will write you soon
again --In haste Mary
[Mary Frances Grant, later Cramer, 1839-1905]
MSS 10645
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