Gen. Sherman's Report

New Yokkj May 31, i Aa abstract of Gen. Shcrman's j port, covoring important points, is pub liwhcd. It contaiu the followiug dispatch to Gcü. Grant : H'dq's Mrr.. Dit. of Miss. t thK FtEib, J Raleioh, N. C , April SS, 1866. ) General - Since you left me yesterdiiy, I huvfi eacn he N. Y. Times of the 24th, cütit-iiuiiig a budget oí' ijuütary news aütlionticutcd by the signatura o' the Sacretary of War, wUich is grouped a euch a way as to give very eiToneou impressions. It embraces a copy of ths basis of an agreement butween Üen Johnston, of Apnl 18th, with eoiuinen taries wbich it will bo timo onough to dïs'öTÏftS two or tbroe years henee, after the governmeiH has experieceed a HAlo more in the machinery by which power reaches the soaltered people cf ibe vast area of coitntiy known as the Sou'h. But, in tho fTieantitue, I do think that my raiik, if not past services, entitles me, at OiSt, to the respect of keapiug secret what was known to none but the Cabinet until further inquiry ooald b,ave been made, instead of giving pnblicity to documents I never saw, aucl drawing inferences wido of the truth. I never saw or had furnishcd tno a copy ot President Lincolu's dispatch to you of tl. e 5th of March, until ofter the igreement, nor did Mr. Stanton or any human boing ever convoy to me ita substance or unything like it, but, on the contrury, 1 had seen Gen. Weitiel's letter to the Legislatura, made in Mr. Linoo'n's pres ence, and failed to discover any other notions of a plan of reconstruetion, nor , auy ideal calculatod to allay tho fuara of tho people, and that after tb.9 diii-tiuclion of the nrinies and civil authorities, , they would be eft without auy , ment at dl. ïïo should DOT drivo a , people into anarehy, and it ia simply imposfiblo for our military power tb reach uil the resources oí their unhsppy country. I confesa I did not wish to , break Qen. Johnstim's arrny iiito bands of armed men tnoving about without purpose, aiid capable only of infinite miachief. You saw on jour arrival that I had my arnajr po dispo.sud ihat his escape was only imponible in a disorganized simpe, and as you did notchoose to ■ direct military operitions a this qaarter, I inferyou were satisfied with the military situation. At all, events, tho instant L 1 arnod what was proper enoiigh - the disapproval of the plan - I made such diaposition as to usure the ouirender of Johnatou'è entire aimy en the same terms yoi) guvo Gen. Lee, wben you had it surrounded and in your absoluto power. , llr. Stanton, in stating thai. my orders ta Gen. Stoneman wera likeiy to result in the escape of Mr. Davis to Mexico or Jarope, is in great error. Síoneman was not nt Salisbury then, but had i gone back to Slaterville. Davis was i yund hiui. By tuiuing towurd o ha i approaclisd 3DaviSj auu had hujqined me I would have hbd a forcé gn.atly ueedud f-ït" that and oiher purposes, but even now I don't know that Mr. Stan I ton wants Mr. Davia etiught, and as my 1 oiiicial papera, deemed sacred, are i iily piibTisned to the world, it wal ba imprudent for me to state what has ben done in that respect, as thu editor of the Timt has. It muj be logically aud fairly drawn f rom this singular docutaent, the couclueion that I ara j dinate I can only deiy the'iutentioR. I h:ivti never in my lifo questioned or ' dÍ8obeyed tn ordor, though nmny and ' uiauy íx timo have I riskpd my life, ,) healh, ar:d reputation in obeyyia orders or even hints to execute plans and purpuses not to iy HTfög. It is mt fair to withhold from me tho plans and pólicy, if anv there be, and expect me to guess et them as faots, and appearing in quite difforent lightti from diffurent htand points. For four yoars I have been in oamp, dualing Nvith soldiers, and I can nssure vou that the cmclusiona at which the êabinet arrived with such singular unanimity d'ilïers lrom mine. I conterred freely wioh the best officers in t'uia army as to the points invulved in this controveisy, and, strango to psv, they wefo singularly unauimous ín the otlier conelugion8, and they will leHrn with puin augd amazement thut I am deomed iusubordinate and wautingin common gense ; that I, who iu thi oomplicatiijns of last year, worked day and night, Humtner anü wiuler, for the canse and tho adroinistration, and who have brought an arny of 70,000 men, in magniöcent style, across a country deurned iinpassablf, nnd placed it just where it was wanted almost on the day eppoiiitci, havo brouglit discredit on our government ; I do not wish to boast of this, but I do gat that it entitled me to tbe courtosy of beiug aonsulted before publishing to tbe world a proposition rightfully submitted to higher authorities for adjudication, and' then aecompanied by other statements whioh invited the press to let loose upon me. It is ti ua non oombattints, men who sleep in comfort and neourity, whilo we watcli in the distant lües, !re bettsr able to judge than we poor soldiers who rarely se e h newspaper, hear from our families, or s'op long enough to got our iay. I eavy net tho task of recoiir-truo tioii, nnJ am duüghted that the j tary has relieved me of it. As you did not undertako to así'uaie the managemoiit of ;ií? tira of the urtny, I infor on poi-sotKi! jnpeotion yoiir rnind arrived at a dttjereiit conolusion from thutof tbo Sccretnry of Wir. I A'ill, therefre, go on and execute your ordo3 to their j clusioo. and when done, will, with in j tenso Bfttjsfaction, loavo to tbe civil , authorities the esecution of the task of; wbich they seem to me so jealou?, but ! as aQ bonest man and soldier I invite I ♦bum to itllov; in rigW pathp, for tho eye muy sen une! tlio e;ir hoaf somalhing that may dtstvrK theír philosophy. Willi sincere resppct. W.T. SHERMAN. Mi!jür-Goücrl Commandina. lo Lleot. O'ii L'. tí. Grant, Gencial-;u-Cliief, Washington. District of ColunalMa. P. S. - As Mr. Starito'íi's singular paper has becn puhl slied, I dom ::.d Uiat thiï al-so hé mude pubüc, tbtii titji in no mauner responsable to tha prese, but to tho law u'jd ny jirópe superiors, V. ï SÖBRSIASr. Major General CeÍBÍtKlnst. A LET12R NOT ÍS TÍIE RJlPOIiT. CaMp Neib Alf.xan'dria í May 19lb, 1865. $ Dkaii Bowman : - 1 am just arrived. AU fny army wül be io to-duy, I have been ost to the world in the woods fdr 80H16 time, vet eti reachiag tUa settl.'nüiits I ünd I hítve madu quilo a Btii amotig tbo people at Lome, and tbat tbe most sinister motives have beun asoribed to n;e, I have made frequent reporta of rtiy official actioD in uil public matter's aad all ofthem hitve beu carefuily suppresed, wbilst the most ridioulous nousense has been spread abroad tbrough all the newapapers. Well, you know what iuiportance f attaeh to such mattera, nnd that I have been too long fighting with real rebels with mu.-kets in hands, to bo soared by tneru non-combatan's. no matter how high ibeir civil rank or station. It ia umusiug to observo how brave and firru sornc uien bi.'ome wheo uil drtuger is past. I have noiieed on fieldd oí' b-tt!ü bruve men never insult the oapturei) or mutílate thu dead, but oowarus ítud !if;urards alwavs !o. I cannot iiow recall thts act, but Shakspeurt' records how poor Palll-taff; the prince of eowards and wits, risiny from a feigneel duath, etabbtd aeain thu doud Perry aud carried tbs oarcuss aloft ia tri to prove bis valor. S' now, wIipr th robellion in our land is over, manv Falisiaftd appear to brandiah liie cvidence of their valor and .eek t" nin npplsufO, ;nd to appropriato honors for deeds ihat ncver wore dono. As to myself, I aak no populnrity - no reward - but I dare the Wai Department to pubiish (iiy official letters anÜ ;eports. I assnrt that rny official re ports have beeu purposely suppressed, wliila all the power of the pífeos has been malignantly turned against me. I do want penco and security p.nd the return to law and jusiico, from M.aine to the Rio Grande, aad if it doea not esist now Bubstantially, it is for state reasons beyond my compreheos-ion. It muy be thougUt atrange tbat one who has no faine but na a soldier, ahould have been so oareful to try to restore the civil power of the Guveruinetit and the p-.aoeful jurisdiction ol tho Federal Courts, but it is difficult to discover is the fact any just cuuse of offense to an cnlightened and freo people ; but when men choose to fclander und injare others, they eau easüy iuveut tbe t'acts for the purpoge wheu tho proposed vietim is far Bway, eugRfi;;jd in service of théir own biddmg, but there is eonso!ati(n in kuowiug that thougt) truth lie.i in ihe bottom of a we!l, the Ynnketg have per severenoo enough to get to t ie bottom. Toure, trulj-, W. X. SHERMAN.