Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-12-29
COMMUNICATED.
IFon THE ENQUIRER I

was very happy TO see paragraph, in
ne Enquirer Of the 14ih instant, inii,naiine
mat new ediiiOn of LEE's Memoirs or THE
oouThERN CAMPAIGNS. with corrections by
the author himself aud some additions, is in
Tended by his SON. the present .niior Henry
ZEE; and inquiring, With an Impotence in
which participate, when this enlarged and
corrected edition may be expected to issue
rom the press. la any opinion, this il the
hnppiest specimen Of memoir trriiing ever
composed in the English language. II is re-
| 'nhrkabie, however, that the English have
never much exec He'd i'm memoirs, while the
'nemous of their neighbours. The French, ar.
| Tue most valuable and the most celebrated of
their productions. The reason is, that the
English great statesmen aud captains do not
write hooks. and that the French d. hut the.
tiHicuiy still remains, 10 account for the fact.
that the Frenchmen are fund of telling their
avn story, and the English content To con-
nit their fame. and the history of their
own times, TO ridicelous Quid-. Nincs, or To
'actious pamp.leteers, or to The GrubsiIee;
hirrlinss "f the book sellers. Most Of what
are called histories IF The reign Of George III.
| are either mere compilations frnm the
GaZeites, such as Bisseti's: or, like Bel
shain's, party pamphlets, and vile pamphlets
| roo.
Gen. Lee rrlatcs transactions If which hc
was witness, and most Intelligent, witness
and in which he himself highly dis,n-
gnlshed actor. in sty lie of composition some
what careless tn be- sure, yet easy, flowing
spirited and s"lderly. But the charm is in
the matter. Nothing can he happier. than the
| strong and h-licate discrimination, with which
he ponrtrays every character h. touches; his
Judgment IN selecting and exhibiting the lead
I 'ng facts of every transaction and his pene.
iration ard clear good sense, in detecting and
exposing the causes AZ success, or of disap
poinfnen'; and deciding, h"w far the one is
attributable TO mistake. ar the other To pru-
deuce when, tn the vigilance or 10 the in.
ar'ness Ut opposition when, 10 the caprices
| ! fortune. The book is, also. a valuable.
treatise on par,iZan warfare; and such mill.
| 'ary men as have attained to - conceptinp Of
The art Of war heyond the drilling of n Reg
men. VIII find in il great deal Of useful
professional 'ns'rnciinn. These, however. ac
cordng % Frederick Of Prussia, a,e NOT nn
mcrous IN any army.-'Ihere is class of
| readers. who can understand so narrative or
military operations. which is not as minute
and accurate in lis details as an official report:
these naturally complain. that they find M
snch details in Lse's memoirs Happily, the
author did not dss;gS a mere conipiatnp uf
"liiriai reports. He was master Of an higher
| reach. HIS design was, tn display the motives
and oblfcfs, fbe plans and means, the conss-
| Gurnt'aI facts and the material results, of the
| military operations he undrr,onk 10 narrate
and To hand down to memory, as mnch of
The personal and military character Of the az
TORS WI" figured in them, as was necessary
tn he understood in order to clear appre-
h"us"n of ihrsconduct Of HE piece. and as
! could h- introduced without crowdinr and
confusing the scene
| The work is in itself sufficiently interesting.
hui it has been rendered dnubly so nv circum-
stances. which have occurred since the an
thor's death, aud which, with all his sae,city
he never could havr drined. Irno22 iydge
johnson Of South Carolina published two.
huge qrarto volumes. miscalI ! Z" Sketches of
the life and correspondence. =. Gen. Green, -
in which he labours, from j. ginning 20 end.
with incessant and ,aio toll, no. more To- az
alt The already high character of Greene. than
TO d'spaIage that 81 Col Lee. His motives
are thus avowed IN postscript TO the work
After drnying,thh he is one of those "enem;es
of Col. Lre"-"jwh no were not slow in giving
currency TO opinions injurious to his repu,an
ii0n," he says
his undertaking was entered upon with
| preludces tightly wrnnght up in his fayour.
| fhe ausScss opinions had been formed u,,,n
| the memoirs,' work conspicuous Tor MAJ,
specimens of fine writing and, Grvm Name,
eng whidl. one is irresistibly forced IN ,b..
belief hat Col. Lee-was every where
did every thing. But, when comparing b;s
narrative with the Official documents If The
Department, Vt became palpable that others
| wee en'ii'td 10 share in The hOnors OF tb,
dSy' grea'er MAN had been assigned 10 them.
8 id from which, in some instances. tbsy haJ
'Sren altogether excluded, painful ne ,he
duty was, il would have been criminal mo, 10
7 have asserted the claims Of the venerable.
dead vt M"rgan, Of Williams, of P;ckens.
"i biation, oil Lawrens, Of Campbell. and
even of Greene: nor less. Of some still living
whom their country delights TO honor
Now, doubt whether there be another
person in the world besides Judge Jofnson
who can find in Lees memoirs, any ground
for the justification the Judge here offers for
himself II Lee, in his old age and IN adyer
slty, calling to memory The scenes of early
glory, mad betrayed some vanity. il had been
pardonable and II will add an amiable weak
ness. But the truth IS. that hardly any man. in
similar circumstances, was ever less obnoxious
to the reputation of vain glory. Ii is true, Thai
as he was more intimately acquainted with
| the operations Of The legion he commanded
which was generally detached on independent
| service and as u was part Of his plan, 10
give his readers az much useful Instructions as
he could, in the principles Of parizan war
fare the services Of the legion are exhibited
in holder relief than they wonld be in more
general history. But this is al. He arrogates
no merit 10 himself, 10 which he uas not
plainly Untitled. lie gives the story Of his own
ldissppointmenis, his failures his mistakes |
lite man WHOSE obieee was rather to instruct
by re negative '-ssons of his errors, than by |
positiS, essmples Uf happy enterprise and skill /
fuI cOndac, He deirscts from M mans ner- /
It he co,ets no mans hooors. He deals out /