Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1865-07-19

Two BOOKS
Two remarkable works are said to be in
preparation tor the press, by two remark
able men. One is to be published by
James Buchanan, who once declared his
belief that he was "the last President
which the United States would ever
bave," while the other is by General Rob-
ert E. Lee, who will eudeavor to explain
how it was that he was the last Command
er-in-Chief of the rebel army. Buchan-
an will explain how he permitted the re-
bellion to begin, whilst Lee will relate
how he brought it to its end. As lit
erary speculation, we should prefer to be
interested in the copyright Of Lees
book. Nobody cares particularly
what excuses Mr.. Buchanan may offer
for his official derelictions. We know
what the effect of his vacillation was, and
we have paid very dearly for the infor-
nation. As literary venture, Buchan-
ans ''last dying speech and confession"
would not command as wide sale as the
Irecollections Of the hero of the last sen
sational murder.
But Lee has many admirers in unmixed
society, "and there will be anxiety to
read this vanished account of his failure.
4 rebel paper says that he Is ''the great
est general that the world ever saw to
which We may append without going into
a fuller enumeration, except twelve viz {:
Washington, Jackson, Grant, Sherman.
Meade, Thomas, Sheridan, Napoleon,
Marlborough, Wellington, Julius Caesar,
aud Gengis Khan. We might name
many more great generals who never were
beaten, and who never surrendered TO an
enemy, but it is not necessary to elaborate
history in order to refute this silly secesh
fattery. General Lee has teen a rebel
idol, because they had no better material
to worship. He was beaten in West Vir-
giuia by General Reynolds; in Maryland
by Mcclellan il Pennsylvania by Meade,
and in Virginia by Grant and Meade
He had at one time the command of
splendid army, but he dill nothing
with it. .5..
! After defeating Mcclellan in the six
days battles, he was badly defeated him
self on the seventh, at Malvern Hill
He won at Fredericksburg because he
was behind iutrenchments. Chancellors-
vile was his only real victory, aud Stone
wall jackson Won it for him. At the Sec
ond Bull Run and Groveton he would
have been defeated had Fitz John Porter
douo his duty and reinforced Pope. He
was beaten at Chantilly by Kearney and
Stevens, and he was driven from the Rap
idan by Grant and Meade in series
of battles in which he acted mainly on
the defensive. At the Wilderness he
tried the virtues cf an attack, but got
enough Of it, and he intrenched and was
defeated was fanked and re.reated fight
ing behind ;ntrenchments all the way to
Petersburg and Richmond
To what happened to him in April last
it is scarcely necessary to revert. Suffice
it to say, it has given him leisure to
"write book" which job desired that
his enemy should do. He enjoys the
reputation of being the third General
who, in the United States, surrendered an
entire army in the field, his predecessors
being Burgoyue aud CORVALLIS With
events like these in his military it is su-
premely ridiculous to assert that he is
the greatest General the world ever saw
His book will sell, no doubt, as he is
rather short Of funds, owing to the deprc-
citation of the currency Of has Govern
meut, it will be useful to his pocket, as it
is unlikely that he will ever be employed
by the United States, to whom he owed
everything in life, which debt be repaid
with ingratitude and treason.
The two books will be, in their way, OF
interest, and they might be issued under
the same title, can apology for my fail
ure, by James Buchanan" and can apol- /,
ogy for my failure, by Robert E. Lee"
One will relate to the history of ''play-
ed out" politician, and the other of SOL !
dier, Fmiis coroaat cpUs.-Inquirer. /