The Columbia daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-07-27
Tho Failure of Gen. Lee.

1ne caprice Ut fortune and the un-
certainty of war have been signall,
illustrated in the4ot of Gen. Lee. W.
Cannot but discre4it the rulpor that i
Is intended to ini;ct him for high
: treason, but fate has visited him hardl,
enough aready.* For him alone, the
most consummate of al commanders in
America, was reserved a destiny
which his own lieutenants and his
of defeated rivals were permitted &C
escape. He alone lost decisive
battle. He alone suffered an absolute
and lrrcn eliab'e disaster. Never
before, III the whole history Of the
war, was victory followed up. rout
made complete, or an army compelled
20 surrender. Never before was a
general.in- chief ken prisoner in the
held by another generalin c!.iet; never
was campaign concluded by capitu-
latlon and submission. The bracrarts
and biunderers who at the beginning
of the war cost their countrymen 50
dearly, still evaded this extremity of
disaster and were always enabled to
report their armies as safe Lee him
self, after one Of his most brilliant
victories, irnented the invariable
absence OF resnl,s, and conp!airc,l that
he could never capture n division OF
even a brigade OF the vanqnished enc.
my. These trophies it was. his fate
no, to win for himself, but to contribute
to others. The war was at last con.
c'uded.an tue cause lost 1y the very
commander vino had done more than
all the rest to promote ard sustain
them. Yet all this did in reality but
speak tor his extraordinary ability. He
suffered the iinal defeat simply because
he was the last to be beaten.
His ieuteuants escaped because he
was uncooquered. E,rly was gradual
J! driven OUT Of the Shenandoah Vaf
ley hy Sheridan, but he had Rich
mond open to him in II rear. John.
sion was driven across the Caroiinas.
but he held his forces together with
the assurance that there was Rich
mond to retire unon. Lee, however,
the support and :tay Of all the rest,
had only his own army and his own
position, and rcnpd tha. army and
position the armie> Of one adversary
alter another steadily closed When
ever a divisional commande~ retire ,t< d
before Federal force, that f,rce
became disengaged for the combined
campaign against Lee. lie held Rich
mond SO long that at last there was
pothing else LIFT for the enemy to
take. The Capitals of Georgia and
South Carolina, though far in his
rear. had been taken already, and
although lie still guarded the frontier
OF tke Confedcracy, the interior had
been penetrated and occupied behind
hun. North and South, East and
West, the foe gradually encompassed
him, and for months the end was at
hand. That this end, Tor him. should
b. not only defeat, but prosecution, is
t'o strange an event to be believed.
Twelve months ago there was not an
American Of the North but would
have enthusiastically hailed hts acces-
sion to the command OF all the armies
OF the Republic.
1t is obvious, however, that the
ahruptness OF the end, combined with
the terrible crime by which it was
slgnalzed, mas affected the American
Government. Not only is new ana
more uncompromising President at the
head Of the State, but the State itself
is under the influence Of natural
passion. Peace came at last with
an absolute shock, and the collapse Of
the South was SC udden and complete