American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-04-19
CONFEDERATE MILITARY caIEfTAINs.

A Northern Estimate of their GeNaMs
Tribute to the ABILITIES Of Daeis,
Lee, Stuart and jackson, from the
Pen efa U"jed States Officer (
From long review Of the hate war.
published in the New York Citizen. Re.
publican Journal. edited by Colonel Hal.
pine better knownas Private Miles 0'Reil.
ly. late of the United States army. we ex,
trac. the following estimate Of Southern
Chieftains:
DAVIS.
Let those loyal gentlemen, disciples Of
Mr.. Abbott, who worship the character
of Bouaparte. make some consistent HON.
age to the brilliant directory Of Jefferson
Davis. Both we're men Of destiny. and
the personnel Of the survivor is by far the
nobler. Ofthe fallen angels. whose dark
plumage swept from our Senate Halls, be
made the most courtly adieu. Ofall the
traitors be was the most entirely ir earn
est. Of all decision. his was the sagest.
the promptest and the most enduring.
He only Of the conspirators felt that bis
quarrel with the Union was irreconcilable,
aud has never yet advised submission.
His captivity has been belitlsd by none
Of Bonsparte's queFuionsnes,. Blind.
and grey. and wasted. bis dominions are
narrowed to the -casemate. while the Re-
public be would overthrow reaches TO the
silent oceans.
In Robert Lee the same austere Provi-
dence. to purify our Republicanism. shat
tered our faith 10 traditional respectable
ty. The heir Of Washington went with
the res. Of the new chivalry. and with ten
times the talent Of the great Fabius. crush.
ed the armies Of our lesser responsibilities,
till be met in Grant man without pedi.
gree. He was the equal Of Wellington
in maneuvering great bodies Of troops
upon small interior lines. The Duke at
Waterloo fought bis whole army upon q
mile and quarter arc; but Lee at Cold
Harbor. for Eve days presented a solid
line Of battle wherever we sought to find
him, till his whole force seemed maneu.
vered by the wink Of bis eye, and every
salient that we touched was a corps.
While the Notifications Of Richmond stand.
his name shall evoke admiration. The
art Of war is unacquainted with any de-
tense so admirable. Splendid as were
the triumphs Of bis engineering. the vic
tories Of bis infantry were his best move
ments. But over the glory Of his talent
fell shadow 40 eternal as bis memory
the frown Of resolute Democracy, whose
sacrifice was longer than his heart.
STUART.
l stood 10 the cemetery Of the Holly
wood, at the grave Of Stuart--a space
without q shaft. He revolu,ionized the
cavalry tactic. Of our time. and was in
dash and dissoluieness the Prince Rupert
Of the West. Forrest and Stoneman.
Morgan and Grierson, Mosby and Kilpat
rick were his imita,ors. He inaugurated
the grand raid which taught Sheridan the
Of distance. and embolden-
ed Sherman to tear the continent like q
pocket map.
The fervid Imagination Of the South
ern people, demonstrated in feats Of 70.
nance, like Stuart's, made them, during
the war. the great suggestive captains.
They built the first iron-clad, made the
6rst great rides. and under Stonewall
Jackson executed the earliest OF the great
infantry marches. But the colder adapt.
ability of the North developed every !
nint from the South into perfect sys-
EN-. The experiment Of the M"rrimac
las grown to tho Dictator, the Dunder-
,erg and Ironsides. The engineering
Of Beaursgard, initiated By the
North, has marked the camps Of our arr
MES. as If the protecting mountains bad
ollowed our columns. But it may be
doubted that any division commander has
'et arisen to rival the splendid infantry
.enius Of Jackson.
JACKSON.
As Lee was master OF msneuvre, jack
on was the grea. captain Of aggressive
warfare. lie combined the cunning and
be boldness Of Napoleon To cover bis
yrest movement by the flapk, 10 1869. he
lid not hesitate to SIGHT Pope's whole ar.
ny with division. and the celebrity Of bis
march up the Shenandoah. to appear
sgsin on the field Of Bull Run. was only |
squaled BY the energy Of bis attack. He
moved infantry with the speed Of horse.
and having hurled three great command.
Ere back from the Old Dominion, died
before the lustre OF its arms had dimin.
shed 10 that flush Of victory when rebel-
ion bad assumed, indeed, the proper
ions of 4 nation. He was the most re-