The Portland daily press., 1865-09-28

REBEL GENERAL ON JEFF. DAVIS
s,t & MajorGeneral Jordan, late chief of staff t,
General Beauregard, has written for the Octo
ber number of Harper'e Mayaziae an article
on Jefferson Davis, in which the president o
the late Confederacy is exhibited as a vain
{ y r pigheaded, incapable person, not it, in any
way to lead amovementaort to command men
He gives, too, incidentally, some curious bits O
the private history Of the 'Confederacy"
t.se ag Here. is his account Of ekh "a gr
ONE OF DAvIs's PLANS.
rw He could not give up his own settled policy
'A of dispersion, his waste Of defensive resources
IN the attempted defence of every threatened
position. He proposed, however, an operation
instead, which may be fairly taken as a meas
ure OF his calibre in war affairs. General Sick
G, les. was posted at the time with an isolated
,sa iorce-about one weak diyisionr-on the Mary
land shore, opposite to EyanSpOrt, on the Vir-
r ginia shore of the Potomac, occupied by the
Confederates. This force Mr.. Davis proposed
to capture by comp de main A glance at
-.aa the map viii show that the attacking party
aea with the scantiest possible means of ferriage
In small boa5s) must cross the Potomac-there
rta oEera mile wide, naygabe, and full of steam
ships-ot-war of the class Of the Pawnee. Were
surprise effected, it would be nevertheless i'm
lf possible for the Confederates to get away with
sf impunity, much less to carry off the fruits of
victory. From close proximity to Washington
the alarm must be immediate; federal war
ships would take positions above and below
EVansport so as to command and render re-
passage of the river irnpracticabe, it being i'm
ai possible, from the features of the country for
the Contederates to occupy two points on the
Tsa ni9 @ @Rasise s. seT gha made WhiSF bs6s s %
forcibly presented by his generals he could not
eia combat, and the project fell still-borIi. He
sf. then returned to Richmond theneeforward to
ssl look with marked disfavor upon all the wishes
and views of both Johnston and Beauregard
- affecting the army they commanded even de-
u clining tOconfer the grade Of brigadier-yener-
81 al ON their respective schlefsfof staff which
had been asked not only as due to these Off
GERS for their services and professional expert
7 ence, but as calculated to- enhance their use
funess in their delicate and most responsible
posts.
~ t36 GRANTS oAsEP ApGN. vi z 9s4e
About the middle Of May, 1864. General
Beauregard reached Drury's Bluff, below Rich
mond, and had an interview with General
Bragg, at the time exercising a species of 9gen-
eral command. This officer appeared TO ap-
! S. prehend that General Lee, yielding to the
pressure ofsuperior numbers must before long
give way and lose Richmond. Beauregard re-
piled that be did not regard TIE situation as
so mfsE9rable. il the right remedy were
promptly applied. He then pointed out the
isolated position of Butler, south of the James,
as aiforHn5 an opportunity tor his destruc-
~ ton with a superior force, and that such
~ force might be assembled if Gen. Lee would
furnish ten thousand men. laial
ces General Beauregard thought his capture
was inevitable, and with him Ia5lst fall the de-
pot at Bermuda Hundreds. This effected, at
concerted moment he would throw his|whole
force upon General Grants flank while Gen
M eral Lee made an attack in front. All cireun-
stances favored the plan, and General Bragg
f4 expressed his appreciation. Mr. Davis in
formed of it, came at once to seesGen. Beaure-
.as. gard, who explained ali its details and earnest-
ly urged the attempt. Mr.. Davis seemed much
impressed, but objected that it would involve
the retrograde of General Lee from sposition
las at Spottsylyania Court House. which @could
not be thought Off "Yesv rejoified the Gem
erai, Ewhat of that, when it win enable him
4 in two or three days at most to gain great
III as4 victory?" That is, when like the Titan he
-a d would touch the earth to spring up refreshed
and all the stronger. s ..sisf ss. ~ 3
This line Of argument was fruit1ess. Moth
ing that affected General Lees army, however
temporarily; could be entertained. Beauregard
had said that he might beat Butler without
the force he desired though IL would be- like
so many other Confederate successes, without
material profit. This ability to gain the color
Of victory caught Mr. Davis's attention. and
the attempt must be made. 1t was made.-
Butler was driven from his position next day:
but, Just as Bearregard predicted no substanz
"a tial results. followed the success In the end
too, as might have been anticipated, unless
some such decided success as that sought over
Butler had been gained and enabled the con-
centraton ofthe scattered Confederate's forces
General Lee was forced step by step to follow
the march Of his opponent.
DAWES STRATEGY AGAINST SHERMAN. 8
Great sacrifices had now become inevitable;
81 the s'heroie treatment could alone serve the
ssicA man" now. Especially after the fall of
Savannah was this urged upon those inpow-
er, who as little comprehended the crisis as
the antidote Even when General Beaure-
gard directed the evacuation Of Charleston,
le and urged similar course with respect to
Wilmington, so as to provide force with
which to fail upon Sherman, Mr. Davis wrote
such dispatch to General EHardee, command
ing in Charleston, rs led him to suspend the
evacuation, and Obliged Beauregard to assume
command and direct imperatiVely, the meas
ure to be completed. OF course Wilmington,
OF no use since the fall Of Fort Fisher was
held to the last; and with no force afield to
cheeK ms course sherman marched like Fate
through the heart of the country MI eaa
MS CIVIL ADMNrsrRArrov. @
When Mr.. Toorabs evit the .Cabinet II haa-
come a brigadier-general, Mr. Hunter of vir
ginia took his place, which he soon Ieft Cor
reasons best known to himself to take the
seat Of senator in Congress, only secured after
a warm contest There was Virginia states
man pre-enainenty fitted to succeed Nfr HIM
ter in the Cabinet. We mean W. Riyes whom,
all recognized as man Of great breadth and
accuracy of culture, enlarged views OF states
manshjn and who, having served as a diplo-
matist with high credit, was regarded as of a
grade superior to those generally employed ID
that capacity by the United States. Hislcon-
neetion with the Cabinet must nave gwen
weight to tlie cause abroad, bgt Mr. Davis
could not stlae that characteristic distrust and
intolerance of superior men of Independent
minds, which have made him, by his course as
President Of the Confederate States, at once
patFicide and q moral suicide, Il was
enough that Mr. Rlges was brought to his no.
tice as one whom the people would like to see
among his advisers. That looked like dlcta-
RonnRe @ Ike, az 3 Interference with his prerogatiye
State Department; General TSs7,dall,hl % II
happened, gentlemen of real administrative
ability, as well as Of too much independence to
remain q Cabinet officer merely in name
was made Secretary OF War, thouob II tha
time little known for capacity beyond The nIaee ..s9
Of his residence. - S 'Ao pi@0e
little later Mr. Davis also appointad &c
his Attorney y-General-th law adviser ~ he 90
goyernment--a gentleman doubtless of mncb a,i'
civil woTsh, but who at the time was lienten- ,,.
ant colonel Ender General Bragg, in arrest m
der charges for an act Of recent insubordina-
~ - nr,11.