E. P. Fyffe to Thomas E. Bramlette

KYR-0001-009-0001.xml

Accession Number

KYR-0001-009-0001

Document Genre

Correspondence

Repository

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Collection

Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's Official Correspondence File, 1863-1867

Item Location

BR1-3 to BR1-4

Place of Creation

Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio

Date of Creation

29 September 1863

Dates Mentioned

1863-09-29

1863-09-23

< Please write me, and excuse this [...] >
< Confidential >

Urbana Ohio Sept 29^th1863
Gov T E Bramlette
My dear Governor

Your very kind letter of this 23^d inst came to hand, I am much obliged to you, for your good opinion, and would be under great obligations to you, if you would write the President of the United States in my behalf.

My Ohio friends have written him and sent off some reccommendations, for my promotion, but none would be of so much benefit, as from you, we have served together in the field, and any thing from you, I am convinced, would do me more good, than all others that have been sent him.

I have been very unfortunate, in missing all the hard fought battles. When the battle of Shiloh was fought, you reccollect Gen^l Buell sent me off to Lawrenceburg to break up a Cavalry Corps, that threatened our trains on the Columbia road, the 17^th Ia and 26^th Ohio, were sent on that expedition.

When Stones river was fought, I was in Command of the troops on Salt river at Shepherdsville, in front of Morgan and
Forrest, who threatened the city of Louisville, and came up within three or four miles of Shepherdsville, before they reached me, they had taken over twelve hundred prisoners, but when they [found] I was so well prepared for them, they retired on the Bardstown road, Gen^l Boyle complimented me highly for my services at the time, and said I done much better service than I could possibly have done at Stones river. Now I am here in Ohio, not well, and detailed "to take charge of, and bring forward all drafted men assigned to Regiments in the department of the Cumberland," and of course missed this great battle in northern Georgia.

In none of these battles was I to blame, I obeyed all orders, but yet the authorities think a man not worthy of promotion unless he is in all the battles. I think I can say without egotism, that I am qualified to command a Brigade. I am one of the oldest Cols in the Army. I know I am the oldest from Ohio, & have been overslaughed by Cols much later date than myself, and not half the service I have seen, my friends in Ohio complain that I have been badly treated, but yet the President has not seen proper to do me justice, some say that the President is not to blame but that others are in my way. (Mr Chase)

I do not now, recollect that I ever did give you an account of my troubles with one man at Washington. I will tell you now, when Mr Chase was first a candidate for U S Senator, I was a friend of Mr Ewing & thought he ought to be the senator.

The whig party were opposed to Mr Chase, he at that time was a Democratic abolititionist, and of course all the whigs were opposed to him, at that time the Democrats and the Whigs were a tie in the Ohio Legislature cast exactly the same number of votes. There were two abolition members. The people in this part of the state had a meeting on the subject of U S Senator They wrote letters of instruction to their members of the Legislature, instructing them, "in no Consideration whatever, to vote for an abolistionist, but to go for an out and out Whig, or an out and out Democrat, that these abolitionists would be troublesome hereafter" That was the language of the instructions, I was the messenger that was sent to Columbus, at that time I had a great many friends, and it was supposed I would be the best man to controll the delegations from our part of the state, accordingly I went to Columbus, when I got there there was great excitement, neither of the two great parties could elect, as the two or three abolitionist held the balance of power, I found our party (the Whigs) in order to beat the Democratic abolitionist willing to vote for Mr Giddings, the Whig abolitionist, I had but very little trouble in prevailing on the Whigs to drop Giddings, they then concluded to call together the Whig and Democratic members in caucus, I was
selected to bring together the caucus of the two parties I accordingly got them together at the American Hotel, after they came together, in order to convince them that we were sincere in our [...], we offered to let the Democrats have the US Senator if they would give us the Supreme Judge, they at once agreed to it, and we supposed the matter was all arranged satisfactory to the two great parties, but in that we were mistaken. For the Democrats turned right around, and elected Mr Chase to the US Senate and Mr Spaulding Supreme Judge taking all, and giving us of the Whig party nothing, and thereby electing to two of the most important offices in State or US. Two of the most uncompromising abolitionists in in the United States, and ^as^ was predicted, caused us much trouble. Now you can see how, and why it is, that I have the ill will of Mr Chase — but the men that sent me to Columbus, got behind me, and are not known now, although their letters are yet in existence, two of the most prominent, hold office from Mr Chase, one is collector of revenue, his son is made a Major in the Army, two of his brothers in law hold office in Washing. his nephew Pay Master in the Army — another is Quartermaster in the Army, one son in the regular Army, another is in Mr Chases private office in Washington, and I am left out in the cold, because I done what I think, you, and all high [...] honorable gentleman will say was right. Now I do not care so much about promotion, but I dislike to be beat out in this manner. I know that my Ohio friends have done enough to make me a Major Gen^l — and I know of no reason why it was not done, only Mr Chase does not forget that I tryed to defeat him, when he was the dirtiest kind of an abolitionist. I would like to beat him if I could, and if you can assist me I would be obliged to you

Your friend E P, Fyffe

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