Roger Neilson II
Posts: 1517
Joined: 7/16/2006 From: Newcastle upon Tyne. England Status: offline
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To Viscount Palmerston, Prime Minister, British Empire July 1863 Sir Gen’l Sheridan is making a name for himself. He is fast becoming the North’s equivalent of Stuart and Forrest, this month with a sweeping raid which reached the fork of the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. Likewise the north bank of the Cumberland is also ablaze, Of major troops movement I can report none, the Union would appear to be sitting back and recovering after its bloody Springtime. One of Lincoln’s strongest critics in a speech the other day declared, ‘It be the economy, you dullard’. It certainly seems to have been Mr Lincoln’s weak spot. His administration has been, how shall we put it, ‘taken advantage of’ by a great many industrialists who have taken orders for new ships, new armaments, and have begun to create new factories – all of course with the ‘guarantee’ that they will help to bring the war to a speedy conclusion – but in fact are mainly about lining their pockets with gold. It is noted that Lincoln’s new finance minister has taken the ‘bull by the horns’ now, but whether this will be in time to tame the beast must be a matter of speculation at present. This is a new type of warfare, one where the winner may well be the one whose economy is best managed to support, in the long term, the fighting capacity of a nation. I remain your most humble and obedient servant. A.L. Freemantle, Col, Guards.
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