The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1866-09-20
How Histories and Heroes are Made.

the Wan" is hardly entitled 10 {
IN credit Of being impartially written
~ The two large and handsome volum
n which he has given to the the publ
n. present, nevertheless, a substantial
/ correct resume of the whole wa
a His singulaTdislike for Mr.. Davis, Al
% his chronic disposition to find fau
!. with and weaken his administratio
/ dsqualities him for the position of a
if impartial historian, Like most othC
:. Virginia editors, he is prone, in hi
accounts Of battles, TO forget that ther
/ were other troops than those from hi
r own State, in the grand old army O
E Northern Virginia, Mississippians
we know, have often been overlooked
in the graphic and glowing description
of Lees and. Jackson's victories
which they contributed so often and SC
materially to win. nHi af"H
But our present purpose is neither
to attempt.a criticism of Mr. Pollard's
work, nor to contend for record Of
heroism for Mississippians which has
already been written with their blood
on almost every battlefield of the
war. We, simply propose. to correct
an error into which Mr.. Pollard has
fallen concerning the so called ''ad-
dress of Gen. Pemberton to the gar
rison of Vicksburg. On page Cpl,
vol l, after referring to the disasters
at Bakers creek and Big Black, lie
says: ~ |
"As a last resort he retired behind |
his works with a weakened and some |
what dispirited, but still glorious little
army The unfortunate commanderI
appeased the clamor against him by /
an apparently noble candor and mem
ofable words of heroism. u He said
that it had been declared that he
would sell Vicksburg, and exhorted
his soldiers to follow him TO seee the
price at which he would sell it-for it
would not be less than his own life
and that OF every man in his command.
Those words were not idle utterances3
they deserve to be commemorated." i
Without wishing to detract from the J
little glory that Gen. Pemberton seems
TO have won as military commander,
we deem it our duty to state that the /
memorable words" attributed to d
lin by Mr.. Pollard, were never utter (
ID from his lips. The writer of this !
financed to be at Gen, Pemberton's c
headquarters on the morning of the l
9Th of June, when a courier-Dl G. il
Walker, of Johnson's Cavalry-re- n
'orted to the General, having left Gen. i
ohnston's headquarters at. Jackson Y
he Sunday previous. The courier p
'rought with him twenty thousand g
'ercnssion caps, sundry dispatches, i
ndlater papers. In one of them was q
n article laudatory of Gen. Pember- a
on, and calculated to inspire outsiders \
18th hope. Referring to the events 7!
the 22d of May, the article con, Il
luded thus 20 iran in
"After the enemy had been repulsed "a
everal times, he spoke to his troops f.
lbstantially as follows: y
''You have heard that was incom. y
etent and a traitor-that it was my Of
ltention to sell Vicksburg. Follow tn
e, and you will see the cost at which tn
will sell Vicksburg. When the last GO
ound of beef and bacon and flour, the k,
st grain of corn, and the last COW or
nd hog, and horse and dog shall be Ca
onsumed, and the last man shall per- 81
h in the trenches, then and then only he
i'll | sell Vicksburg."t faID n sp
There was quite number of officers = =
resent, including Gen. p, when this us
'eech was read aloud by Colonel w. s y,
s reading was followed hyy q. hearty on
ngh at the Generals EXPENSE who Wy
ok the joke very gracefully, The til
nth is, Gen. Pemberton never made m
speech to his army; never addressed tn
EN- a word Of encouragement, writ n
n or oral, during the whole siege; IN
ID but the. fewest number of his on on
had ever even seen him, re-
g was nevertheless, in many respects !
| efficient officer. He dispatched his rei
lice business with great energy and pa
stem; but naturally reserved and tn
OrOse, there were few that could APP Sc,
zach him without going away i'm r.
'essed with the idea that he was not no
man to inspire armies Indeed he ial
owed singularly untitled and incom-
stent for the position assigned him. s !l
{ his fidelity to the Confederate cause tn
e have never had the slightest doubt, IN IN
though it would have been difficult pll
4 the 4th day of July, 1858, to con "
nee his army to the contrary. ''' pr
IL r. y ~ wv r. a fts