Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-10-23
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undoubtedly, a correct representation of
Davis official conduct as chief of the
squelched confederacy. The writer starts
out with the assertion, in detailed state
ments Of acts repeated. that JEFF. Davis
was not originally in favor Of secession.
1t is claimed by General Jordan that he
was behind his constituency in his OFF,
cial speech as to the right and propriety Of
secessiont The set speech of Davis, just
prior to his leaving the United States Sem
ate, is referred to as indicating his some
what reluctant acquiescence in the deter
mination of his people Jeff.,s remark
ably fervid and truly eloquent Union
speech at Portland, Maine, is also called
in testimony Of his sympathy and judy
ment in opposition to secession. [Asifeyery
other prominent rebel did not talk like in
tensisy of Unionism Immediately before
the election of Lincoln. Witness Judah
P. Benjamin's San Francisco speech. made
in the Fall Of GOT. General Jordan COM
mences his review of Davis Presidential
career by stating his disastrous selection
and appointment of one Colonel Northop
AN old Lieutenant associate of Jeff.'s-
as Commissary of the rebel army. Nor
thop is described as at"monomaniac !"
a man utterly incapacitated for the po-
sition accorded him, and n whom &C.
quaintances at Charleston, South Caro-
lima, regarded as not fit for any serious
employment. To this officer, with all his
vagaries and essential neglects of proper
service, JefsScommitted the Commissariat
of the army; nor was he displaced until
1864. Principally to this CommisSary's
fault is ascribed the lack of f~ollowing-up
rebel advantage at Bull Run; though
the writer in subsequent portion Of his
article, rather inconsissently ascribes all
the failure of this character to another and
seperate cause, viz: the ineficiency Of
the rebel Quartermaster's Department in
transportation supply. Then follows, in
this remarkable paper, q recital of in.
stances of Davis persistent and democrat
izing interference in the entire military
management Of affairs. He refused to ac-
cept 100000 troops offered at the begin
ming of the war being as confident Of
speedy Confederate success as was Sew
ard to the contrary. He refused, up to so
late as the Spring of 1865. to allow the
organization of general stats, after the
French and American precedents and
present rules. He scattered the rebel
forces ; insisted upon garrisoning every
little port and fort, and directly
prohibited Generals Lee and Johnston
and Beauregard from doing what they
urgently advised at critical and suspicious
moments for the Confederacy. So insists
this General Jordan, with great emphasis
and variety of statement. In short, JEFF.
is described by this partisan staff officer Of
Beauregard's, as a man pre-eminently dis
qualified for his great, responsible, dan
gerous place; the author of all the woe
that came upon the land Of secesh. But
for the obstinate folly Of jeff we are
to take Jordan's assurance for 1.-THE
South would to-day constitute an indie
pendent Government. The writer does
not apply any harsh epithets to JEFF.
but contemplates his selection as Secesh
Prex. with evident feelings of sorrow.
It is not difficult to perceive that Jordan
believes that if Beauregard had been abso-
Lutte military director, Washington would
have been taken at Bull Run time OF
| Grant would have been irretrievably
whipped at Shiloh; or Rosecrans would
have been completely cleaned out in East
Tennessee; or Hooker would have been
eaten up at Charlottesville or Sherman
would have made his grand march only
into the very jaws Of death or Butler
would have been captured with oil his
Bermuda Hundred stores, and Grant i'm
mediately thereafter ANONYMOUSLY rout-
| ed;-or all these events would have come
to pass in regular succession, if the attain
ment of one Of the prior named victories
did not preclude the necessity of the fol-
lowing. We are convinced that there is,
however, much Of truth in Jordan's his
tory of the extraordinary hard road to
travel which Jef.'s egotism and contrari-
ness stubbled and swamped. But the
achievement of any one of the successes
described as due to proper effort, untram-
melted by Jef.'s interference, might have
stimulated our Government to exertions
that would have FASTENED the downfall of
the Confederacy. We have heard military
officers and statesmen Of the highest
ability and most unquestioned loyalty
declare that had Washington been taken
at the date Of the Bull Run defeat, the
rebellion would have ended in a conclu-
sive Union victory within six months
thereafter. And so think many thousands
of the people of the North. Perhaps, after
all, Jef.'s folly was the wisdom Of pro-
tracted life to the Confederate fortunes.
1t is more and more clear to the mind
of the patriot that this war was intended
by the Almighty as the Destroyer of
Slavery.
We were recently conversing with q
gentleman, now a resident Of Virginia
City, who was present at an interview be-
tween General John A. Dix,-and others
of the Union Safety COMMITTEES, appoint
ed at the great New York Union meeting
of ls6l,--and President Lincoln, at which
General Dix, together with n. P. Banks,
urged the President to enlarge his call for
troops to 500, 900 men. This force could
have then been had with ease. and it is
now definitely known that they could all
have been thoroughly equipped with the
uost eFeot;ve EnOlish anna in lesa than