Shreveport news. [volume] (Shreveport [La.]) 1864-1865, 1865-03-07
The Shreveport weelxl,

uSAci' az tuc ieHit VI iNS SISt1uS. Ds1
b apply. the stroke is as harmless rs
it was intended to be deadly. The
Islander stand r-futcd by every act.
word and sentiment. in the eventful
and distinguished career of General
Smith So far troa being influenced
by the passion of envy, hr ISSUED n
proclamation announcing that Gen.
Taylor was solely entitled to the
honor OF having tough, and won tn.
battles "i Mansfield and Pleasant
Hin, when it was notorious that Gen.
Taylor had insisted on fighting the
enemy AT other and different points.
less ad vantage. but had
been restrained by the express COM
mands of Gen. Smith. Turning
aside from - consideration of the
uaficr OF the insinuation. let us look
to the fact with which it is associated
in this cruel chac5r aysi,,s, General
Smith. Has this fact, at any time,
oecn true, since the first day OF the
commencement Of the war. TO the
present hour-that is. has an army
in tn. field after its defeat. aad after
its Junction with n fleet of gun-b"at-,
been placed in the grasp of any Gen
eral commanding our victorious
troops Has it occurred i'll any of
the great battl-s fought by General
Lee in Virginia, Maryland or Penn
syfvauia : Has it occurred any where
else =! We an>w-rempha,ically that
it has not. Aud when the editor of
the Wing afiirrns tina, the army OF
Banks aud his fleet were in tn. grasp
or power of Gen. Taylor, after the
battles of Mansfield aud Pleasant
Hill, his fact il rs untoundrd, as his
malic. aGUius; Gen. smith is graiu
touS.
The editor c"nsur"s in strong and
disparaging terms the coInrnan.!"r Ut
this department, for not s"ndin.
troops tn the a--i>tanc. %: sur armies
in the East. and h. speak of cross
ins tia. Mississippi. As he would ..
crossing a mountain stream in \ir-
giH.a some fifteen steps wide and
some four feet dr.p-a- mat
ter Of no diiiicultv-but of choic"
lie appears to be obl,vious o. I'll. fact
that the Mississippi river i a great
inland sea. rushing with an impe;u.
Gus current I" tn" guilt OF Mexico
covered with the fleets Of the rnrtny
ever moving, ever vigilant 10 prevent
communicative Of all kinds between
the Eastern and Western sections o,
the Contrdcrac> Tha, all ,h-to
on the banks of this mighty river
with its shores from the mouth o: tn,
Ohio I" the Bniiz-, are in the full
and SO far a present military opera
| tons ar. concerned, in til. uudis,urh
! ed possession If the enemy. That
the banks o. the Mississippi ar,
guarded and protected. as i; We're, by
immense swninp>, trar"rs"I hN d"el
havous. aud intsrspcrs-d with nu
merous lakes. lagoonS and mora-Srs
which are impossible during certain
,ca-ons of the year. by man or b-as.
That i, is after much difficulty, delay
and -NpoSur" 20 capture. that a s,nri,
man can cross that river, to say
| nothing of an army. 4 division, brig
adr or regiment of nm army. And
that whether troops can be sent across
the Mississippi river, Il; all. in tn.
! face OF the enemy b fleet OF gun boats
is As yet an experiment which IL
Confederate General has had the ter
ineri. V to Iuadc-u"t even Dick lay
Tor himself. who had authority e
carry to the east with himself hi,
own divisi not the army OF The, west
OF the material facts III relation tc
the passage of troops across the Mis-
>isslpp tie editor of the Richmond
Wing seems t. be in the profoundr>r
ignorance. Whether troops can b,
crossed at all. from the west to III,
east. or from the east to the west. re-.
mains among the unsolv-d problems
| of the war. TO be tested in the dan
cerons school of actun! experiment,
The last ground of accusasion agaiu~,
General Smith, is his glarius incom.
potency. l do not know by wha,
rule the competency of Confederate
Commander is determined in the at.
mosphere at Richmond, but if sue,
cess III every enterprise. and victory
upon every battlefield in the east,
as we'll rs in the west. be a correct
criterion TO judge of Generals mill
tary competency. of his high order of
military abilities, then Gen. Smith,
reputation will pass into tn" hands of
the future historian Of our e-un,ry,
radiant with all til. glory that success
and victory can shed upon the name
"ny great officer who is devotinS
his services and his life to the estab-
lishment Of our independence.
FAIR PLAY.
The Confelerates Recosni-ed by
IMerico.-Under this caption, in ex-