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with the country, and with the people with whom he would have to deal; and he is an active, ambitious man.’
The Governor expresses the belief that there were colored men in that department qualified to be officers, and concludes by saying,—
I earnestly hope you will give Colonel Dudley, of whose zeal and capacity I am confident, an opportunity to develop it.
Several letters passed between the
Secretary of War and the
Governor upon this matter; but the experiment was never tried.
Colonel Dudley we had known many years; he was born and bred in
Boston, had a natural taste for military duties, and, although not a graduate of
West Point, was, for his military qualities, appointed an officer in the regular army.
He is a gentleman of much capacity, for whom we have a high respect.
We have referred to him in preceding chapters.
At the present writing, he is in command of the military forces at
Vicksburg, Miss.
This was a year in which an election was to be held for
President of the
United States.
On the 7th of September, the
Governor wrote to His
Excellency Richard Yates,
Governor of
Illinois, as follows:—
I propose to visit Washington, arriving there by next Tuesday morning, spending a day or two in New York, on the way, in order to have some conversation with the President on the present attitude of our public affairs.
I wish it might be possible, that you, and Governor Brough, of Ohio, and Governor Morton, of Indiana, and any other of the Western Governors, might be present.
And I take the liberty of writing this note, in the hope that we may meet there.
It seems to me of the first importance that the President should be rescued from the influences which threaten him; of those who for the want of political and moral courage, or for want of either faith or forecast, or of appreciation of the real quality of the public patriotism, are tempting and pushing him to an unworthy and disgraceful offer of compromise with the leaders of the Rebellion.
I want the President now to take hold of his occasion, and really lead, as he might, the country, by exhibiting, in the person of the man who wields its highest powers, a genuine representative of democratic instincts and principles.
The Chicago Convention has opened the way for patriots
