Shreveport news. [volume] (Shreveport [La.]) 1864-1865, 1865-03-07
Communicated.
Communicated.
RichnaOmd WINS, vs. Gen. f..
Kirby Saith.

follows merit" receives an additional
confirmation in the case of The Com
mander-inChief 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
moud> The ,ditoriu his issue of
the l2th, has published an article
highly denunciatory Of Gen. Smith.
and at t',' >ame tame ;-hly auditory
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 tn.
good of our causc-for the welfare of
the country. but to intlict an injury
upon tn" Justly earned reputation OF
Gen. smith, and t" 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 cxtravasanccs
OF i well paid attorney in his labor
aus efforts to sustain tn" bad cause
of u dishonest client. The imagina-
ion of the editor has been actively
at work. and has furnished him with
all his material for his most unwar,
rantabtc attack upon Gen. smith
! This editor, who can '|a'1". as we'll
as praise in polished diction. and
we'll rounded periods. auno1nces to
the public, i'll a solemn strain. tn.
astounding fact. that Gen. Smith had
1t III his power at one TIM, and by
one blow, to have secured til. y, rmn-
ment safety of the Trans Miss. De-.
purt,nent-to have rccapturcd the
city OF New Drl"an>-to have 50 Grip
piled the enemy in the East, as to
have enabled Gen. Earl y to captur.
Washington city-to have enabled
the army of Tennessee. TO driv. Sher-
man back upon his d.t,nccs. without
ever reaching Atlanta. All these
splendid achievements. saws the
Richmond editor. could have been
accomplished by Gen. Smith. at one
time, and by one blow! When was
that suspicious dayl When could
the permanent safety of this Depart
ment been secured New Orleans re-
captured-Wa>hington captured. and
Sherman hurled back upon his de-
fences without ever r-aching Atlanta,
hy one single Jk~m-all. all. mt one
time. and by one blow -! When
could Gen. Smith have driven the
enemy ont of Missouri. Arkansas.
Louisiana Texas. aud secured the
permanent safety of this Department.
aud at the same time have recap;ured
the city of New OrleanS-rl,abl.d
Gen. Early to capture Washington.
and ut the same time t" have enabled
Gen. Johnston or Hood to hurl Sh.r-
man back upoa his dcf-ncrs wi,hou,
even reaching Atlanta : And says
the editor. (to cap the climax). tn.
lchnncc 81 briIIiant, nnd So /'iuiu. ru,
'Mro'cn amay'
| We have here in this article of
defamation nothing but the wild
dreams of a Richmond editor, to :orrn
the basis and body Of the abuse. tina,
he heaps upon the military fame OF
the able. pure and just man who com
mands the destiny of onr pcopl. III
this department. But this is not all.
He condemns with malignant bitter
ness Gen. Smith. for having ordered
IL 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 a june
ton with Gen. Banks. The editor
says that Gen. Taylor held a whole.
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 a1firmatiol! 1t is wall
known here that in the battle of
Pleasant Hill, the right wing of Gen.
Iaylor's army, was not only defeat
ed, but routed, and that nothing saved
his centre and left wing from destruc-
ton, but the desperate gallan,rv of
these troops. coupled with ID. want
OF seneralship in Banks, and the de-
moralization o: his men consequent
on their defeat in the battle of Mans
field, which had been fought only tn.
day previous. 1t is also well known
here, that after the battle of Pi-asan.
Hill, Banks still had greater mum
Der Of men than Gen. Taylor, and
that after the junction of Banks land
forces with his fleet at Grand Ecore.
his capture became, under the circum-
stances. military impossibility with
the forces under Gen. Tay!or's COM
Yaa13 And II IS still f,r. h.r u..Il
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
L., 1.lacal Z, iEr.i..1...4 I'LL