Sept. 13. To Ignacio, special, &c.. Sept. 16. To Shultz, special, &c.... Travelling expenses of self from Ca., from Chicago and $100 100 150 Thomas alias Thomas Snyder; Ignacio, J. Manuel; Shultz, S. T. Lewis. I certify that the foregoing is a true copy from memorandum-book found on J. B. Castleman. H. L. BURNETT, MCLEAN MILITARY PRISON, May 19, 1865. DEAR SIR: This letter will be handed to you or sent to you by my legal adviser, Mr. Robert Hervey, of Chicago. He will explain to you more fully than I can the unfortunate position that I am in, with a sentence of death hanging over me for being the leader of a conspiracy to burn the town of Chicago, a deed abhorrent to my nature. I can only say that I was accused and convicted of having conspired, with six other individuals, five of whom I had never seen or heard of in my life, the sixth was formerly in Morgan's command, but left in September, 1862, since which time I never heard from him or of him. If the slight services I was enabled to render you by my position as inspector general of cavalry are fresh in your recollection as the kind hospitality you tendered is in mine, I am sure I may calculate upon your using all your influence to assure the President that, so far from being the bloodthirsty, reckless being my aecusers would make me out to be, I was, while in the Confederate States service, the protector of every one, irrespective of politics, against the lawless depredations of our troops. I beg my kind regards to your family, and remain, dear sir, yours very faithfully, JOHN MINOR BOTTS, Esq., Culpeper County, Virginia. G. ST. LEGER GRENFEL. I left all the papers connected with your claims, as well as your pickaxe and spade, with Mr. Peter Johnson, of Richmond, to be sent to you. Grant's advance prevented my seeing you to hand them over in person, and Stuart did everything in his power to prevent my calling on you. You will have peace and quietness now. JOHN MINOR BOTTS, Esq., Culpeper County, Virginia. SIR: I am one of the counsel for Colonel G. St. Leger Grenfel, who has been convicted of conspiracy before a military commission at Cincinnati, and, it is supposed, capitally sentenced. Judge Advocate Burnett, who conducted the prosecution, seemed to have a very unfavorable impression of Colonel Grenfel, and used that much to his disadvantage. I therefore enclose you a letter from Colonel G., and if you recollect the occurrence to which he refers, and can use any influence in his behalf, it will be most gratefully appreciated by himself and his friends. I am, sir, your obedient servant, ROBERT HERVEY. WILLARD'S HOTEL, June 17, 1865. DEAR SIR: A few days since I received a letter from Colonel St. Leger Grenfel, and one, also, from his counsel, informing me of the trial and conviction of Colonel G. for participating in a conspiracy to burn the city of Chicago, and requesting me to make a statement to the proper authorities of what I knew of Colonel G. and his character. Of course I can know nothing of the merits of this particular charge, as I have not seen the testimony, and if the evidence is of such a nature as to establish his co-operation in so infamous a crime, then he deserves any fate that may await him, and I would be the last person to interfere in his behalf, but I should require strong, conclusive, and unimpeachable testimony of his guilt before I should bring my mind to believe him capable of so great an offence. In the fall of 1863, when the confederate army retreated to the other side of the Rappahannock, the cavalry force of General Stuart (as had been their custom from the time I purchased the farm on which I reside) settled down on my premises and engaged at once in the general destruction of my property. Upwards of 3,000 cavalry were turned loose upon me, with orders, as the men averred, to destroy whatever they pleased; and sad havoc they made of my cornfields, fencing, stock, &c., &c. It was at that time that I met with Colonel Grenfel, then acting as inspector general of cavalry. He expressed himself in decided terms of indignation at the outrages that had been committed, and furnished me so much valuable aid in repressing the violence of the men encamped about me, that I invited him to make his headquarters at my house, which he did, and remained with me until about the time that General Meade recrossed the Rappahannock, and General Lee retreated beyond the Rapidan. During this period he did everything in his power for the preservation of my property, and always spoke with detestation of the practice of the confederate army, in regard to the destruction of private property, as being contrary to the usages of civilized warfare, and derogatory to the character of the government and officers that tolerated the custom. During the fortnight he remained under my roof he impressed me with the conviction that he was not only the most rigid disciplinarian in the service of the confederacy that I had met with, but that he was a gentleman of too much elevation of character ever to engage in such a conspiracy as that with which he has been charged and convicted by a military court. made report to General Lee of the injury that had been done to my property, reprobating, in strong terms, the officers that had not only allowed, but encouraged it. He ; From himself I learned the following facts: That he was a colonel in the British army; that for services rendered in the Crimean war he had been sent to South America in some public capacity, where he had finally settled down on a large body of land, devoting himself to the pursuits of agriculture and raising sheep, in which vocation he was employed at the time of the breaking out of the rebellion that having been brought up a soldier, and having a natural disposition for the service, on learning" that the southern States were engaged in a struggle for independence" he came among them and offered his services, which were at once accepted. He was assigned to General Morgan's command. To use his own language, he found them a band of horse thieves and plunderers of public and private property, carrying on a system of warfare to which he had never been accustomed, and which was revolting to his nature; he became disgusted, and declined any further service in that quarter; he returned to Richmond, made a representation of the above facts to the department, and he was then assigned the position of inspector general of cavalry, under command of General J. E. B. Stuart, in which capacity, as I have said, he was serving when I first met with him. During his stay with me I had frequent and daily conversations with him. I found him laboring under the most erroneous impressions as to the real objects and purposes of the rebellion, which I was successful in removing. I impressed him with my own conviction of the atrocity and wickedness of the leaders who had brought such desolation and ruin upon the country from the basest and most sordid considerations of perpetuating their own power under a southern confederacy whenever they failed to retain it under the national organization; in other words, that it was a substitution of the cartridge-box for the ballot-box for the accomplishment of an end that they had been thirty years preparing for. I laid before him such facts as were satisfactory to his own mind, and he declared to me, over and over again, his deep regret that he had ever lent his assistance to such a cause, and that he would resign his commission and leave the confederacy as soon as he could find an opportunity to square up his official functions. He was in this state of mind when he left me, under peremptory orders to leave my house, which was always regarded as a dangerous one to the confederate cause. In two days after these orders were served upon him General Lee retired beyond the Rapidan, and I have not seen Colonel Grenfel since; but when I next heard of him, through one of his friends in Richmond, he had made good his determination by resigning his commission, and had left the confederacy thoroughly disgusted with everything connected with the government and all its officials. Now I cannot say what changes may have come over the gentleman, or what influences may have operated upon him since, but I can, and do, say that with such antecedents as these, I should require the most conclusive and unimpeachable testimony of his guilt before I would subject him to punishment for such an offence as he stands charged with. That he would involve himself in such a crime in a cause that he had abandoned with feelings of indignation and disgust, and in the absence of all sympathy with those who were engaged in it, is one of those incomprehensible things that I cannot readily bring my mind to believe. I offer this statement as a simple act of justice to a gentleman of whom I had formed a good opinion; and in the absence of all knowledge of the facts resting upon his case, I must hope and believe he is not guilty of the foul crime of which he stands convicted. I am, respectfully, &c., Hon. Mr. HOLT, Judge Advocate, &c. JOHN M. BOTTS. P. S.-If not required to be retained, I would thank Mr. Holt to have the letters of Colonel G. and his counsel returned to me, as I have forgotten their address and name of the counsel to whose letter I desire to make an answer. FORT JEFFERSON, FLORIDA, GENERAL: I have the honor to transmit herewith a paper that has been submitted to me for transmittal to you by G. St. Leger Grentel, a prisoner in confinement at this post; and, in forwarding it, it is but just to add that his conduct has been not only unexceptionable, but that his strict and cheerful attention to the duties required of him has attracted the special notice of the officers of the post. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, B. H. HILL, Lieut. Col, Fifth Art., and Bvt. Brig. Gen., Com'd'g Post. ADJUTANT GENERAL U. S. ARMY, Washington City, D. C. FORT JEFFERson, April 6, 1866. colonel and inspector general I left the confederate service, in which I was a of cavalry of the army of Virginia, in May, 1864. I left it of my own accord, and, although I was off red promotion if I would remain, in consequence of a |