Shreveport news. [volume] (Shreveport [La.]) 1864-1865, 1865-03-14

Communicated.
Richmond Whig, vs. Gen. f..
Kirby Snith.'.


follows merit. receives an additional
confirmation in the case of the Com
mand.r-in-Chief Of this Department.
The abuse Of Gen. E. Kirby Smith.
growing out of the hostility of Gen |
Dick. Taylor to himself, has BEEN
transferred from Louisiana to Rich
moad> The tditoriu his issue of
the 18th, has published an article
highly denunciatory of Gen. Smith. !
aud at '','>ame time hi~a,ly lauditnrv
,of Dick Taylor. The character and |
design OF the article can not be mis-
taken. l. was written and published
not from patriotic motives-tor thu
good of our cause-for the welfare of
the country. but to intlict an injury
upon tn" jas'ly earned reputation of
Gen. smith. and to p "parr the way
for the promotion of Dick Taylor to
the supreme command Of the Trans
Miss. Department. The style of the
article smacks OF the extravasanccs
of a we'll paid attorney in his labori-
,.us efforts to sustain til" bad cauS,.
of u dishonest client. The imagina-
zion of the editor has been actively
at work, and has furni~!lcd him with
all his material for his most unwar-
rautablc attack upon Gen. Smith.
! This editor, who Gan hl;ru". as we'll
as praise in polished diction, and
we'll rounded periods. announces to
the public, in a solemn strain. the
astounding fact. that Gen. Smith had
! I in, In nt u,
one blow. To have secured the p,rmn.
tncnt safety of the Trans. Miss. De-
partment to have recaptured the
city of New Drl"ans-to have 50 Grip
piled the enemy in the East, rs to
have enabled Gen. Early to capture
Washington city-to have enabled
the army Of Tennessee to drive Sh.r-
man back upon his d.tcnccs, without
ever reaching Atlanta. All these
splendid achievements, says the
Richmond editor. could have been
accomplished by Gen. Smith. at one
time, and by one blow When was
that auspicious day : When conld
the permanent safety of this Depart
inent been sccured-Ncw Orleans re-
Observation-Disclosures captured, and
Sherman hurled back upon his de-
fences without ever reaching Atlanta,
hy one single bhom-all. all. at one
time. and by one blow :, When
could Gen. Smith have driven the
enemy ont of Missouri. Arkansas,
Louisianaand Texas. and secured th.
permanent satrty"t this Department.
NJ = ln I,aS Il
the city of New Orleans-ruablrd
Gen. Early to capture Washington,
and at thu sam. time to have enabled
Gen. Johnston or Hood to hurl Shrr-
man back upon his dcf-ncrs without
even reaching Atlanta 7 And says
the editor. TO cap the climax). tire
lchoucr ~ briU;ant, ami So plum, ar4,
;thro,cn aray!
! We have here in this article of
defamation nothing hut the wild
dreams of Richmond editor. to form
the basis and body of the abuse. that
he heaps upon the military tam.. OF
the able, pure and just man who com.
mands the destiny of our Pcopl. in
this Department.. But this is not all.
He condemns with malignant bitter
ness Gen Smith. for having ordered
IA portion of the force under the com
,nand of Dick Taylor, after the bat
tie Of Pleasant Hill, into Arkansas.
for the purpose Of opposing and driv.
ing back the column under General
| Steele, then moving to form juno
ton with Gen. Banks. The editor
.o,,. ,l,t g., rN,,-l,r l. all =, ,,.l,.l
Federal army and fleet in his grasp"
when he was stripped of his most
valuable troops by order of Genera,
Smith. How absurd and shameless
is such an affirmation! 1t is well
known here that in the battle of
Pleasant Hill, the right wing of Gen.
Tay ior's army. was not only defeat
ed, but routed, and that nothing saved
his centre and left wing from destruc-
ton, but the desperate gallantrv of
these troops, coupled with the want
of generalship in Banks, and the de-
moralization o. his men consequent
on their defeat in the battle of Mans
field, which had been fought only the
day previous. 1t is also well known
here, that after the battle of Pleasant
Hill, Banks still had a greater nun
Der of men than Gen. Taylor, and
that after the junction of Banks land
forces with his fleet ut Grand Ecore.
his capture became, under the crcnm-
stances, military impossibility with
the forces under Gen. ray!or's com
mand. And it is still further we'll
known here. that the junction of
Steel's column with that of Banks,
would have made the enemy's forces
greatly superior to Our own, and
thereby have endangered the fruits
of our previous victories, and again