Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: General John Newton and General Fitz-John Porter both concurring that the course indicated by General Thomas was the true one, and that a newspaper controversy was both an improper and unsoldierly way of set- ting myself right, I addressed the following letter to the Secretary of War, after I supposed that a sufficient time had elapsed to prevent any information derived from an investigation being of detriment to the public service (Report Committee on Conduct of the War, vol. ii, p. 114). "PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. November 1, 1861. "SIR: " Believing to the present moment that, on account of other persons, a public examination into the manner in which the affairs of the Department of Pennsylvania, while under my command, were conducted, and the publication of the correspondence with, and orders to me of the General-in- chief, especially connected with the late campaign in Maryland and Virginia, might be detrimental to the interests of the service, I have refrained from asking for an investigation or permission to publish the orders by which I was controlled. " The same reason has caused me studiously to avoid verbal statements on the subject, in reply to numerous inquiries. " Charges have been made publicly through the press, and the impression created, that the design of the campaign was not carried out by me, but rather deranged by my neglect or violation of orders. " Intimations against my loyalty have been insidiously circulated. " From the silence of my immediate commander, I infer be does not design to relieve me from the odium attached to these reports and rumors. " While I am willing, if the general good demand it, to sutfer personally, and am desirous that no course on my partshall prove injurious to public interests, yet I believe the time has ...