I have come among you, not as an enemy, but as your friend and
fellow-citizen, not to injure or annoy you, but to respect the rights,
and to defend and enforce the rights of all loyal citizens. An enemy,
in rebellion against our common Government, has taken possession of,
and planted its guns upon the soil of Kentucky and fired upon our flag.
Hickman and Columbus are in his hands. He is moving upon your city. I
am here to defend you against this enemy and to assert and maintain the
authority and sovereignty of your Government and mine. I have nothing
to do with opinions. I shall deal only with armed rebellion and its
aiders and abettors.

You can pursue your usual avocations without fear or hindrance. The
strong arm of the Government is here to protect its friends, and to
punish only its enemies. Whenever it is manifest that you are able to
defend yourselves, to maintain the authority of your Government, and
protect the rights of all its loyal citizens, I shall withdraw the
forces under my command from your city.

U.S. GRANT,
_Brig-Gen. U.S.A., Commanding._

PADUCAH, Sept. 6th, 1861.

[The following letter is from the secretary of General Grant's aunt,
the Aunt Rachel referred to on page twenty-seven. It is included in
this volume as a historical curiosity.]

Chestnut Hill, Va.,
June 5th, 1861.

MISS GRANT:

I have not often written to "incog." correspondents, nor should I have
the presumption now to address you, unknown to me (unless by
reputation), but that peculiar circumstances have so combined as to
induce the experiment. Your Aunt, Mrs. Tompkins, has been prostrated by
illness for many days, and, for a while, closely confined to her couch;
thus rendering it at least inconvenient to respond to your elaborate
epistle, and, having permitted me the pleasure (?) of its perusal, she
requested me to act as her Amanuensis. In compliance, then, with her
desire I shall proceed "ex abrupto" to discuss the various points you
have presented; hoping you will pardon whatever of presumption there
attaches to me in taking up a gauntlet thrown _not directly_ at my own
feet.

First, then, you deplore the deep distress that pervades our land, in
anticipation of a conflict such as the civilized world never witnessed,
and even the annals of barbarous history scarce re^cd; together with
the inevitable consequence, that, our once (though _many years ago_)
happy Union must be _for ever dissolved_. Viewing it from our