Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-10-18
The Genius, Character and Organization of
the Confederate Army.

From an interesting and spirited article
in the September Crescent Monthly, by J.
| Quitman Moore, of Mississippi. we make
| the following extracts, treating of the gen
lus, character and general organization OF
the late Confederate army:
The army of the late " Confederate States
of America (the glorious name of that
bright meteor power, now quenched, that
shook its radiant splendOrs on the flaming
| crest of Mars , was an eclectic, or excepted
system from the high military models of Aus
tria, Prussia, France and the y. States. 1t
was a beautiful and complete model of
thorough scientific organization, full of in
terest and instruction to those who wish to
learn how to make war terrible and destruc-
tive, and above all things else, that sprang
from the master hand of that directing and
all-infOrming mind that stood at the head
of the Southern revolution, attested its
commanding genius. From Austria was
taken the admirable organization of the
grand field staff; from Prussia the firm and
compact general military anatomy from
France the model of its field ordnance and
scientific artillery theory and practice and
from the United States its tactical econO-
my, its infantry equipment and drill, its ar
my regulations and its theory of military
man9uvre and stragetic practice. West
Point confronted West Point, and accounts
in great measure for that phenomenon so
ineXplicable to the criticism of the foreign
lockers on-great battles fought, with no
marked or decisive results attained. Gen
eral Lee and his adversaries made the same
moves on the hostile field that they learned
to make on the chess board of the common
parent academy. jackson, alone, repudia-
ted West Point, studied Frederick and Ma
poleOn, and as a consequence, achieved
more brilliant results in brief career of
twenty months, than the whole array of en-
inent commanders, Federal and Confeder-
ate, combined, accomplished in four years
of war
The organization of the Confederate az
my was a finished piece of military mechan-
ism, methOdlcal, rmoniOus, composite in
all pertaining to its exterior, practical ar
rangement but there was fatal defect in
its interior, vital economy, q morbid, Or
ganic arrangement, that defeated every
hope of healthy bodily action, preyed upon
the seat of life, and caused its ultimate dis
solution. That disease was the absence of
discipline If it had possessed this one
important quality the battle of Sharpsburg
would have declared the independence of
the South. General Lee crossed over into
Maryland a fortnight before the happening
of that battle with eighty thousand troops;
but on that field he could only put his
hand on thirty five thousand of that num-
Der. Not that this more than moiety of his
army had wilfully deserted their colors; but
allured from their commands by the pro-
fuse hospitality of the people of Maryland,
they fingered behind the advancing army,
thinking to rejoin it in time to share its
laurels.
Such conduct the systems of Frederick
and Napoleon pronounced desertion, and
infexibly punished with death. The
great body of the rank and file of the South
ern army was comEo ed of a social element
that, in the armies of other countries, is
seen only in positions of command and au-
thority and the officers elected from among
themselves, and often their social and
Intellectual interiors, left matters of author
lty and subordination to take care of them
selves, while their only care was to make
their reports correspond from day to day !;
ana grave deinquencies were connived at
IN the same way that college students deem
1t badge Of dishonor to act the part of in
former against their associates. Under
such general relaxation of authority. dis
clpllne was impossible F.; and the Southern
army was nothing more than an association
of patriotic gentlemen, animated by the
enthusiasm of p common cause, and repar-
ding army regulations and discipline as de-
signed only for a race of slaves. When
once in battle, they fought with n dash,
spirit, resolution and desperation of valor
such as has never been excelled by any SOL
diery In the world, ancient or modern
In the European sense of the word, there
was no such thing known to the Confederate
army as discipline. The punishment of
desertion by death was the exception, rath-
er than the rule and the Lnnd Of the COM
mander-in-cbief was weakened just in pro-
portion as the severely of the discipline
was relaxed. Jackson was the only general
officer in the Confederate service who ap-
piled the rigid discipline of the European
armies to that under his own command !;
and in proportion to its numbers, and in
view of the brief period within which its
splendid operations were performed, no
army in the world ever accomplished such
brilliant results. His severe discipline held
his troops firm, close, compact, in hand,
and when he struck, it was with full
strength of his arm, and victory was the