The Greensborough Patriot
May 22, 1862
Page 3
Edward Stanly.
The
Raleigh Register of yesterday contains the following letter from Gen. Burnside
to the notorious traitor Charles Henry Foster.
The Register copies this letter from a stray number of the Newbern
Progress of the 21st of April, a paper, it will be remembered which
is published by the Yankees in Newbern.
This letter leaves no doubt on our mind that Edward Stanly has been
offered by Lincoln the appointment of Provisional Governor of North Carolina.
Should
he accept the appointment, we hope he may meet the fate which all traitors to
the land of their birth deserve.—that is, one end of a rope around his neck,
with the other tied to a swinging limb.
It
will be seen that Gen. Burnside takes Foster “smooth of above the knees.”
Headquarters, Department
of N.C. }
Newbern, April 21, 1862
}
CHAS. HENRY FOSTER, ESQ.,
Sir,
- I see by the “Newbern Progress,” of Saturday morning, that you propose to
speak in a political assemblage in this place on Wednesday next, which I think
would be very unwise in you to do, and decidedly unwise in me to allow.
You
occupy no official political position in the State, as was evinced by the
refusal of the House of Representatives to grant you a seat in that body.
The
President of the United States has very wisely appointed a Provisional Governor
for this State, who is a native thereof, and was at one time, one of its most
prominent and influential citizens, and represents at this moment the views and
feelings of a majority of the people of the State of North Carolina.
The
Government will doubtless indicate its civil policy to Gov. Stanly and I cannot
consent in the meantime to embarrass either him or the Government by initiating
myself or allowing any one else to initiate any civil policy. From my own inexperience in matters of this
kind, I am sufficiently embarrasses already in taking note of civil ____ that
absolutely require immediate attention.
The occupation of North Carolina thus far, is entirely military.
Another
very serious objection to the assembling of such a meeting as you propose is
that I have never been informed by any one that it was in contemplation. None of the citizens have represented to me
that they desire a meeting of this kind and officers and soldiers of the army
have no right to originate or organize political assemblages.
Then
to say that I do not question the honesty or disinterestedness of your
intention, but the wisdom of you course is to me clearly open to criticism, and
the meeting cannot be allowed to assemble.
Very
Respectfully,
A.
E. BURNSIDE,
Maj. Gen., Commanding
Dept. N.C.
