New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-18
gew Orleans 9ailp Gresttnt.
MORNING, APRIL IS, 1866.
Foote'S "Ill.tory" of the war,

W. a. s. Foote has written book, entitled "The
War of the Rebellion'-a ludicrous misnomer-a
history of the war, in which the name of Robert
q. Lee does not appear A much more descriptive
title would be "The Life Wanderngs lin place and
politics. and Confessions Of the Author" It con.
tains not word Of the war no chapter or line on
the avowed theme. 1t is in great part the history
Of the events measures and doctrines, in Southern
politics, that proceeded and led to the war, pre-
scented by the anthOr from the false and new stand
point that he now so treacherously occupies.
But in the main it is written to glorify Fl. 5.
Foote. He is the hero Of the tale. The industry
with which he has gathered up, from newspapers,
from stump speeches, from private conversations,
from friend and foe, every notice of himself that
would tend to magnify and make him important in
public regard is truly wonderful Not one cramb
OF praise escapes him he gathers all these tender
tokens with the zeal of lover, and hordes them
with the care of mser. ''-
ana when the text gives out, he crowds the
nents to H. s. Foote The book begins and ends
with him, and we venture to say the personal pro-
noun " II occurs in it oftener than in any book of
IT'S size ever published that ever will be- unless
the author continues his history, "so-caled,' in
another volume, which he mercilessy threatens to
d. .'.-... a...
We did not take the pains to count the number
OF times that the author, by his own quickness,
sagacity and patriotic zeal, saved the Union; but
we know, without counting, that it was more than
nine! Once it was by getting into barouche
and rushing up to the White House to tell the
N.
(This, we think, was before breakfast) Once by
grasping Webster by the hand, in the ante-room
Of the Senate, and showing him a newspaper from
Boston, containing alarming" intelligence Once
by writing letter to Calhoun. Again by tender
Of his cooperation to Mr.. Clay.
In fact, he was for two years, in 1861, rushing
up and down Pennsylvania avenue-sometimes on
foot, but when the exigency was too great, in a
carriage-savng the Union. His activity and
agility on these "momentous" occasions, and the
entire friskness of his patriotism, could only be
equalled by the like display of like qualities by a
squirrel in tree-top.
But to treat the book seriously, whether becom
ing or not, it is gross and malignant misrepresen-
tation of the civil policy of the on the part of
the South. 1t is mean bird that befouls its own
nest. he falsely represents that the South was
governed by heartless military despotism that
the rights OF the Citizen that his personal liberty
was, for four years, in the name of State rights
crushed out by the iron heel of domestic military
tyrants.
perils and temptations of our position, was there
an hour when the President of the Confcderacy
assumed to take upon himself the suspension Of
the writ OF hdbeds corpus9 And how does this
tenderness to the principles of the Constitution
compare with the history of Northern events?
And but for ninety days, in all the long years of
the war, was the writ suspended by the act of
Congress and then only in special cases.
But for this brief period there never was time
when resident of the Contederacy citizen or sol
der, in camp or out of it, could not obtain the pr-
vieges of this writ. And there was not a day but
somewhere, before some Confederate Judge, SOL
dIerS were released from service, under the pre-
visions of this finest gracious writ" Where in
all the broad Coniederacy, was a citizen tried be.
fore military commission Or court-martal? The
cltizen was as securely protected in his personal
liberty as in the days of the profoundest peace.
We fought the on the principles for which
it was fought-the rights of States aud citizens
under the Constitution. If we failed it was not
because we were not true to them. To be sure,
there were men who said, Z" Let US, for season,
roll up the Constitute and stow it away in dusty
fight the devil with fire let us do evil that good
may come But such counsel, trcacherous to
principle had few friends, and was scorned by
the Confederate government.
We fought the war, determined, however it
ended, to hang up our battered armor on the
unviolated principles Of the Constitution. And
Foote, the mean traitor to every cause he damns
with his service, cannot make history of his malig-
nant talsehoods
With the views of our cause presented in this
book, what right had he to seek high place in the
government?
But he was member of the Confederate Con-
gress by his own seeking and he wines and
means and makes pitliul confessions to the North,
for having been so associated. We do not think
there is enough quite Of the spaniel, even in
Footc, to make his humility and confession salts
factory to those to whom IL is so ignuby offered.
There is nothing more despicahle in this bookApf
1ulsome fiattery and mean falsehood than this
hating co'TeSSton unless it be the constantly oc-
curing malignant attacks upon Jefferson Davis,
Foote is his enemy and he would like to be con-
sloered ms rival; but there is none so mean as to
do Foote the honor of such association
Prison-bound as he is, his word would stand
against the world. Reverence and love are now
paid him out of all hearts, more fully than in the
day of victory aud power All such attacks strike
as harmless upon the public heart and judgment as
do the wings OF the bats upon his sacred prison
walls.