Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WAR SI Gi en. Gordon's \ M. W. H. in the It is a valuable contribution lo thc ' matuf?ala for thc future history or j our civil war that Gen. .lohn Ii. Gor- j ?lon has made in his Reminiscences of thc Civil War (Scribners.) Thc con tribution in valuable, not only be cause the writer has had ii in his power to furnish a great deal of first band testimony concerning important events and distinguished command ers, but because the trustworthiness of the narrative is guaranteed by thc admirable spirit that pervaded it. Gen. Gordon is one of those brave men who sheathed their tongues when they sheathed their swords, ile is, indeed, just as firmly convinced now as ho was in 18G1, that the seceding States were constitutionally justified in attempting to organizo n separate Confederacy, but bc holds that the arbitrament of war has made the ques tion purely aoademio, and that, as it is now thc duty, so, too, it should bo tho happiness, of eE-Coufoderatcs and of their descendants to demonstrate their 1 oyalty to tho reconsolidated Union- As alco might have been ex pected from a fair-minded man, he studiously refrains from causti? com mente on any of the generals who took leading parts in tho contest on ono aide or the other. There is not a trace of prejudice, muoh less of ran ear, in the book. Kvon of Gen. Long street, whom ho regards as cbargcablo lo a considerable extent with the de feat of Gen. Lee's army at Gettysburg, he speaks io accents of regret rather |Tt*n of reproach. His references to sueu northern commanders as Mc Clellan, Hooker, Meade, Grant and Sherman are not 00)7 impartial, but magnanimous; they always show ap preciation, aod are sometimes tinged with admiration. We know, in fine, of no book o tn an a ling from a Confed erate soldier that deserves moro cor dial approval. He has carried out the exemplary purpose with which, as be tells us in the iuitial chapter, he undertook the composition of tais book. "While tho object of these papers io," he says, "to record my personal reminiscences, and to per petuate incidents illustrative of the character of the American soldier, whether he fought on one side or the other, I am also moved to write by what I conceive to be a still higher aim; and that is to point out, if I can, the common ground on which all may stand; where justification of one sec tion does not require or imply condem nation of the other-the broad, high, sunlit middle ground where fact meots fact, argument confronts argument, and troth is balanced against truth." Where ie io be fonnd the sunlit mid dle groend? We shall find it when weall recognise that "truth, justioe and patriotism natte in proclaiming that both aides fought and suffered for liberty, as bequeathed by the Fathers-the one side for liberty ia the onion of the States, the other for liberty in the independence of the States." In one of the Ust sentences of the author's final ohaptor, we read : "It will be a glorious gain for our country when all the childi eu within its borders shall learn that the four years of fratricidal war between the North and the South were waged by neither with criminal or unworthy in tent, but by both to proteot what they conceived to be threatened rights and imperilled liberty; that the issues which divided the sections were boro when the Republic was born, and were forever buried in an ocean of fraternal blood." Gen. Gordon says that, so far as his personal experienoe goes, it is a mistake to assume, as many northern people have believed, that during tho three or four months preceding the firing on Fort Sumter southern politi cians were "dragooning the masses," or beguiling them into secession. The literal troth is, he says, that the peo ple were leading the leaders. The rash of volunteers was so great that when his oompany,the Raccoon Roughs -o company formed in the mountain ous region where Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee meet-reached Mont gomery, the provisional capital of tbe aew Confederacy, they felt themselves favorites of fortune when they fonnd themselves enrolled among the "ac cepted." Hr. J. P. Walker, of Ala bama, the fijst secretary of war, was overwhelmed by the vast ?umbers wishing te enlist. .Before the Con. federate government left Montgomery fsr Richmond more than 880,000 men and boys had offered their service. The number of volunteers far trans cended the power of the new govern ment to provide arms and ammunition. By way of exemplifying the excess of patriotism above the supposed exigen cies of the hoar, oar. author mentions the ease of Mr. W. 0. Hey ward, of South Carolina, a man of fortune, who liad graduated at West Point in the same class with President Davis* As DRIES. Reminiscences. New York Su?. J soon as ibo Confed?ralo government j was organized, Mr. Heyward went to ! Montgomery to tender his services willi i hose of an entire regiment. For sonic time 'iu could not even ob tain au interview on the Hubjcct, aud he failed t<i get himself or las regi ment accepted. Returning to bia hume in disappointment, thia thor oughly trained military mau joined the Home Guards, and died a private io the ranks. One of tho most notable incidents recorded in this book is an interview which occurred between (ion. Leo and (?cn. Jackson, at ibo inception cf the Confederate movement against. Gen. Hooker's anny at Chancellorsville. It is evident thal (jen. Lee, although Commander-in-Chief was willing to change his plans at Jackson's sugges tion, whereas another incident, to bo mentioned presently, shows that Jackson, having onco made up bis mind, could not be moved to reconsid eration. As the tight at Chancellors ville was about to begin Jackson rodo up to thc Confederate commander, and said lo him : "Gen. Leo, this is not the best way to move on Hooker." "Well, Gen. Jackson," was tho reply, "you must remembd that I am com pelled to depend to some eztont upon information furnished mo by others, especially by thc engineers, as to tho topography, the obstructions, otc, and those engineers are of the opinion that this is a very good way of ap proach." "Your engineers aro mis taken ,sir," said Jackson. "What do you know about it, Gen. Jookoon? You have not had time to examine the situation." "But I have, sir," was the rejoinder. "I have ridden over tho whole field." It seems that he had. "Then, what is to be done, Gen. Jackson?" "Take the route you yourself at fuBt suggested; move on the flank-move ou the flank." "Then you will at once make the movement, sir 1" saiu Loo. Jackson, on the other hand, had en tire faith in his own judgment when once made up. He would formulate a judgment, risk his last man on its correctness and deliver the blow while others were hesitating and debating as to its wisdom and safety. This trait was strikingly exhibited in our author's presence at Malvern Hill. Our author was sitting ou his horse facing Gen. Jackson, and receiving instructions from him, when Major Gen. Whiting, himself an officer of high capacity, rode up in great haste and interrupted Jackson as he was giving Gordon a message to Gen. Hill. With some sgitstion Whiting ssid : "Gen. Jsokson, I find, sit, that I oannot accomplish what you have directed anisas you send me some additional infantry aud another bat tery;" and he then proceeded to give the reasons why the order could not be exeouted with the forces at his disposal. All this time, while Whit ing explained and argued, Jao.ksoc I omi on his horao like a statue. Ha looked oeither to the right nor tc the left. He made no comment and ask ed no questions; but when Whiting had finished Jackson turned hie flash ing eyes upon him and used these words, and only these : "I have told you what I wanted done, Gen. Whit ing." Thereupon, planting bis spurs in his horse's side?, he dashed away to another part of f he field. Whiting gaged at Jackson's disappearing figure I in amazement, if not in anger, and. then rode back to his command. Gen. Gordon points out that the result at tested the aoouraoy of Jackson's judg ment, for Whiting did accomplish pre cisely what Jackson intended, and he did it with the force which Jackson had placed in his hands. With regard to Gettysburg, our author concurs in the wellnigh uni versal opinion that this buttle was the turning point in the South's fortunes. He concedes that "the high water mark of the Rebellion" was reached wheo Pickett's Virginians nader Kemper, Garnett aod Armistead, in their memorable oharge, swept over the rook wall. It is oar author's con viction that to the Union commander, Geo. George Gordon Meade, history will accord the honor of having han dled hiB army at Gettysburg, with in disputable ability. Io Gen. Gordon's judgment, the record aod the resales of the battle entitle Meade to a high j pises among Uuion leaders. "To him ] and his able subordina to a and heroie mea is dae the credit of having suc cessfully met aod repelled the Army of Northern Virginia in the meridian of its hope and confideoce snd power. This much seems seonrs to him, whether his failure vigorously to fol ' low Gsa. Lee ead f oreo him to another battle is justified or condemned by the military critics of the futuro. Gen. Meade*s army halted, it is true, after having achieved a victory. The victory, however, was not of so ?coi sive a character as to demoralize Lee's I force?." Our author recalls tho dic tum of the great Napoleon that bad as may he the condition of a victori ous army after battle it is invariably true that the condition of thc defeat ed army is still worse. The comment ou this dictum is that, "if any suc cessful commander was ever justified iu dit-regarding this truism of Bona parte's, Gen. Meade was that com mander, for a considerable portion of Lee's anny, probably one-third of it, was still ia excellent fighting trim, and nearly every man in it would have responded with alacrity to Lee's call to form a defensive line and deliver i battle." Wo have said that it is rather with regret than reproach that our author mark? what ho believes to have been ? Longstreet's fatal shortcomings at Gettysburg. His deliberate deduc tions from all the evidence obtainable arc set forth in a footnote to page 1G0 of this volume. To Gen. Gordon it now seems certain that impartial mili tary critics, after thorough investiga tion, will consider the following facts established : "First, that Gen. Lee distinctly ordered Longstreet to at tack c.Arly on thc morning of the sec ond day, and ii' Longstreet had done so two of tho largest corps of Meade's army vould uot have been in the fight; but Longstreet delayed the at tack until about 4 o'clook in tho after noon! .Mid thus lost his opportunity of occupying Little Round Top, tho key to tho position, which ho might havo done in tho morning without firing a shot or losing a man. Secondly, that Gen. Lee ordered Longstreet to attack at daybreak ou the morning of the third day, and that the latter did not attack until 2 or 3 o'clook in the after noon, the artillery opening at 1. Thirdly, that Gen. Lee, aooording to the testimony of Col Walter Taylor, Col. S. C. Venable and Gen. A. L. Long, who were present when the or der was given, ordered Longstreet to make the attack on the last day with the three divisions of his corps and two divisions of A. P. Hill's corps, and that, instead of oing so, Long* street sent only 14,000 men to assaM Meade's army in the latter's strong and heavily intrenched position. Fourthly, that the great mistako ol that halt on the first day would have been repaired on the second, and even on the third day, if Lee's orders had boon vigorously executed, and thal G u. Lee died believing that ho leal '.CL?ysburg at last by Longstreet't disobedience of orders." Referring to a statement made on very high au thority, that Gen. Lee said some tim? before his death that if Jackson had been with him at Gettsburg he would have won in that battle a great anc possibly decisive victory, our authoi produces the following corroborativi evidenoe. He says that the Rev. J William Jo ooo, D. D., writing of tb?, assertion attributed to Gan. Lee, usei these words : "(Jon. Lee made the remark to Prof. James J. White ant myself in hio offi>_ {*i Lexington ont day, when we ohs .oed to go in as hi was reading a lotter making some in qui ry of him about Gettysburg. Hi said, with an emphasis that I cunno forget, and bringing his hand dowi on the table with a foroe that mad? things rattle : 'If I had had Stone wall Jackson at Gettysburg I wonk have won that fight, and a complot victory there \?cu?d have given u Washington and Baltimore, if no Philadelphia, and would have estab lished the independence of the Con federaoy.' " It is well known that the shook o Vicksburg's fall, following oloaely ai it did, the repulse of the Confederatei at Gettysburg, provoked from thi press and people in the southon States ungenerous and unfair oriti cism. Our author holdt that th? pnblio io its peculiarly sensitive moor! did grave injustice to Gen. Pember ton, the Confederate commander wh< surrendered Vioksburg. He submit, that "thia brave officer's loyalty anc devotion had beeu tested-thoroughly tested. At a sacrifi?e almost meas nreless he had separated from hil kindred and in obedience to profound convictions had drawn his sword foi southern independence. He did not ont his way oat of Vioksburg beoauu his army was not strong enough; h< did not hold the oity longer bscausi his troops and the population ooulc not live without food. That groat soldier, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston with all his skill in manoeuvre and ai strategist, failed to alford the needed relief. At Raymond on May 12,1863 Gen Johnston bsd been forced bael upon Jackson, Bliss. On the 14th hi fought the heavy battle of Jackson On the 16th Pemberton moved "om and fought, grandly fought, at Cham pion Hill. Three day? Utar he sad; another stand against Grant's advacoi at Blaok Stiver, holding the wsakei lines, and, with.inferior foroes, hi was driven into the trenches at Vioks burg. On the 22nd of May, threi days later, Gen. Grant invested th? fated city. Thenceforward to Joly i Pemberton and his men held thom works against the combined fire o small arms, artillery and gunboats sinking a Union monitor onSthe river making sorties to tho front,/resistinj efforts to scale the works! rallyin, around the breach m ado by\ the ex plosion at Fort Hill, rushing upon and | crushing the Union columns as they pressed into that breach and holding the city against every assault, save that of starvation." Did Geo. Leo-after the failure of tho Hampton Hoads Conference and before the evacuation of Richmond - propose to President Davis that an attempt should be made to come to terms with the Washington govern ment? We have Gen. Gordon's au thority for the assertion that such a proposal was mado during the first week in March, 186*5. Our author was then a corps commander in Lee's army. It Heems that, about 2 o'clock in the morning-tho precise day is not named-Gen. Lee Hent a messenger to summon Goo. Gordon to headquarters. In a conference, which lasted until near sunrise, the Confederate com mander-in-chief discussed tho throe courses which were open to tho men who held in their bauds the fate of tho Confederacy. Our author names' them in what appeared to Gen, Lee and to himself the order of expedi ency. "First, make terms with the enemy, the best we can get. Second ly, if that is not prautioable, the best thing to do is to retreat-abandon Richmond and Petersburg, unite by rapid marches w''"*.. Gen. Johuston in North Carolina, r td strike Sherman before Grant can jot? him; or, lastly, we must fight, and without delay." Gen. Gordon te6tir.es that although there was no explicit statement to that effect the drift of Gen. Lee's words led to the conclusion that he thought immediate steps should be taken to secure peace. To the ques tion whether he had made his views knowu to President Davis or to the Confederate congress, he replied that he had not; that ho was a soldier, i. hose business WAR te obey the ordere of his superiors, and that he scarce); felt authorized to suggest to the civil authorities the advisability of coming to terms with the government of thc United 8tates. Thereupon Gen. Gor don suggested it would not only ht proper for him to see President Davit on the subject, but that it might bc his duty to do so, inasmuch as the southern people had placed theil hopes largely in their commanding general. Lee answered with char aoteristio modesty that the people ex peoted of him only the best service: he could give them at the head of th* army. Gen. Gordon says that a nearly as he can recall his own word they were : "General, if the newe papers correctly represent the though and sentiment of the people, ther oan bo no doubt that they are lookin to you for deliverance, more tba to President Davis, or the oongress, o both combined; and it seems to m that your responsibility is such as t entitle to the aid of the oivi authorities in finding the shortest wt] consistent with honor, out of ot troubles." Gen. Lee was still extremely rolu< tant to take any step not in soooi with the ?tr?ctait military ethics; bu ultimately, he said : "I will go, and will send for you again on my retui from Riohmond." He spent two daj in the Confederate oapital, and on h return summoned Gen. Gordon. Notl iog he said eould be done at Riol mond. The Confederate ooogrei seemed not to appreciate the situ stion. Oar author recalls that, "( President Davis he spoke in ternis < strong eulogy; of the strength of h convictions, of his devotedness, of h remarkable faith in the possibility i still winning our ind?pendance, as of his unconquerable will power. Tl nearest approach to complaint or crit oism wore thc words, which I cc never forget : 'You know that tl president is very pertinacious in opt ion and purpose.' President Dav did not believe we could secure soo terms as we oould afford to aaoept so wan indisposed to make further efforts after the failure- of the Hampton Roads conference. Neither were the authorities ready to evac?a e the capital and abandon our lines of de fence, although every railroad ex cept tho ?South Side was already broken."' The author's references to Lincoln and Grant in hi? concluding chapter bear witness to his candor and breadth of mind. Of no American general, not oven of B. F. Butler, does he speak with harshness. Some readers may think that the merits of Gen. Sheridan are not adequately recogni zed, but wo repeat that, viewed as a whole, the book is unique in respect of ito judicial and generous spirit. She Kept $30,000 in Stocking. New York, November ll.-Woman's confidence in her stocking's superiority to banking institutions for the deposit and saio-kccping of valuables bas re ceived a severe shock. Mrs. Francos Sterling, who lives at thc Powhattan apartment house, 317 West 35th street, says she lost $36, 700 worth of diamonds and $300 in cash from her stocking yesterday and she ha. not cloded her eyes since. To-day she is under the care of a phy sician and two nurses, awaiting anx iously tho arrival of some honest per son, who is willing to exchange $35, 700 worth of jewels for a cash reward of $1,000. Mrs. Sterling is a. wealthy English widow. She has been traveling ex tensively and sara that a collection of jewels was her fancy. These she car ried with her in a jewel box, six inches high. It was her custom when travel ing to place this box in her stocking' The stockings she wears are cf this silk. Mrs. Sterling arrived from Washington by train yesterday morn ing. Before leaving the sleeper she tbrast the jewel box into her right Blocking. * She crossed the Cortlandt street ferry end took an "L" train to Herald Square, walking thence to her home, near-by. When she reaohed her apartments she found that the jewel box had worked a hole in the stocking and droppod out. The po lice and railroad offioials were inform ed of the looa, but search thus far has proved ?seles. .-._i- ._i I wrote to Dootor Pierce, who sent me a very kind letter ard advised me." Thousands of weak and sick women eau trace the beginning of a nsw life of perfect health to that letter written to Dr. Pierce. r Sick? ead, ailing >nh^ are ?uited to consult E Pierce, by letter, frc\ All correspond, uce held as strictly naivete and sacredly confidential. Ador?es Dt. R. V. Pierce, Bufl??o, N. Y. Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription cures weak and aching backs, headaches, nerv ousness and other woasssly aShacata by curing the womanly diseases which cause them. ?Ia the spring of 1900 I became very in," write? M ra. Al riens Ocholts, off Issie Washing ton, Leon eur CA. Minn,, "CSV boat WM WT wesk and ochad so ?hst I could ?ono work; st sn, so I wss obliged to toke to m jr bed. I fslic constant waste to attest* and. th? pains in abdomen wars alia sst aabeamhl*. | wrefts ts Dr. Fierce, wno SSM sss a vary kind tetter, and advised me to take fck'Favorite Proscription? and . aciden Medical Disease?.* X took six bottles of asst) and ant s weU wptnan now. I cannot my caoushJin fetor of Dr. Pierces tncdicinss r ?Favorite Prescription? makes weak women strong, sick women welL Accept no substitute for the medicine wMcb works wonders foe weak women. ' Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets are the most desirable laxative fox delicate woman. The Sind You Have Always Bought* and which has boca in use for over 30 years, has borne the signature of and has been modo under his per Jt/?* . sona! supervision since its infancy* f4&ccAcf? Allow no one to deceive you in this. All Counterfeit:*, Imitations and "Just-as-good" are but Experiments that trifle* with and endanger tho health of Infants and Children-Experience against Experiment* What is CASTO RIA ?astoria is a harmless substitute for Castor CU, Pare* goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant. It contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Narcotic substance. Its ago is its guarantee. It destroys Wurms ?nd allays Feverishness. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep* , The Children's Panacea-The Mother's Friend* GENUINE GASTO RIA ALWAYS Bea?d the Signature of The KM You Have Always Bought In Use For Over 30 Years. 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