The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-26

I
desperate measures" to defeat the
former; and he was man of such bad
character that when, in $780, General
| Jackson, whose fiery partisan he had
been, sent his nomination to the SEN
ate for the consulship at Algiers, Mr.
/ Tazewell, of his own party and State,
Chairman on Foreign Relations, report
ed against it, and it was unanimously
rejected 1t would be difficult to name
an old family in this country, Of any
/ historical mark, whose blood" has
! been shown to be of worse quality than
| that of the Lees of Virginia.
But it is not family that makes the
! gentleman, or the reverse. 1t is per
sonal honor Has Robert E. Lee this =?
We say emphatically that he has it not.
| He is deficient in its very first and most
essential element-truth He is as
mendacious as Beauregard himself
This can be proved incontestably, and
that too without going back of the his
tory Of the last fortnight On the 14th
Of this month he issued an address to
his soldiers, which we have published.
1t Is brief, but it contains five broad
falsehoods.
The first is that "a part of the enc
my's force threatening the Valley of
Virginia has been routed by Gen. I'm
bOden, and driven back to the Poto-
mac" This, if it means anything, re-
fers to the withdrawal of Sigel across
the Shenandoah, when confronted with
superior forces. He experienced no
rout, and little loss, and, instead of be-
ing driven back to the Potomac was
then severity miles South of the Poto-
mac.
The second is that "a portion of Gen.
AveTilis forces had been dispersed by
Gems Morgan and Jones, who are in
pursuit Of tue remainder There was
no such dispersion, no such pursuit.
Gen. Ayerill most successfully accom-
plished the destruction of connections
and of stores, and everything which he
Undertook.
The third is that Northern journals
of the 10th inst, announce the surren-
der of Gen. Steele, IN Arkansas, with
an army Of nine thousand men. The
Northern journals Of that date, or Of
any other date, make no such announce
ment, except as reproduced in extracts
from Richmond papers, which their
own adyicos from Arkansas had pre-
viously contradicted Gen Lee has
been guilty Of the trickery Of imputing
to the Northern papers statements
which are expressly given as rebel rep
reservations.
The fourth is that g. the cavalry force
sent by Gen. Grant to attack Richmond
has been repulsed, and retired toward
the Peninsula" This relates to Gen.
Sheridan's expedition, the most dash.
ing, brilliant, and completely successful
raid of the war. 1t was never sent to
ATTACK Richmond" was never repul-
sed, but went straight through, like q
bosom of destruction, from the Poto-
mac to the James, in spite of Jeb.
Stuart, who persisted in his effort to
prevent it.
The fifth is that every demonstra-
ton of the enemy south of James
Biver has, up to this time, been success
fully repealed" On the contrary,
every demonstration, without an ex-
ception, had been successful, at that
time, the demonstration upon Fort
Darling had not been made, and those
upon the railroads had invariably sue
ceeded, and positions had been secured
of great importance, which cur forces
held, and still hold, in defiance of the
enemy.
Now these misstatements must have
been willfuL They are of character
that precludes the possibility of their
being the product Of mere misappre-
hension. Lee deliberately and fagiti-
ously lied If it be said in his behalf
that he did it in order to keep up the |
dropping spirits of his soldiers, we have
to say that it Is an expedient which no |
soldier of honor ever adopts. No Com |
mander of the Army Of the Potomac
has been guilty Of anything of the kind. |
Grant or Meade would die on the spot |
before they would degrade their own
manhood, and insult the manhood of |
their soldiers, by such deception.
The simple truth is that the very fact |
of soldiers abandoning his flag in
wolves an abandonment of character. /
Lee received his military education |
from the Government, and it was the
extreme of perfdy in him to turn trai-
tor against the Government The soul
that could once work itself up to a
crime like that is capable of any viola
ton of professional honor or moral
duty. Amusement is often expressed
at the displays of turpitude by rebels
who were formerly reputed high-mind-
ed men. But we do not sufficiently ap-
preciate the terribly demoralizing ei-
feet of the very act of committing trea-
son 1t is not morally possible to per
petrate this supreme crime without
wrenching and in fact breaking down
the whole moral nature. Treason can
not be committed on any scale without
its malignity extending to every part
Of the moral constitution. Fidelity lies
at the very core OF sound character, and
when that rots. all rots.-N T. Tines.