The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1866-09-16
How Histories and Heroes are Made.

GEO. A. SMYTHE, City Clerk.
How Histories and Heroes are Made.
Mr.. PolIard's Southern History of
the War is hardly entitled to the
credit of being impartially written
The two large and handsome volumes
which he has given to the the public
present, nevertheless, a substantially
correct resume of the whole war.
His singular dislike for Mr.. Davis, and
his chronic disposition to find fault
with and weaken his administration
disqualifies him for the position of an
impartial historian Like most other
Virginia editors, he is prone, in his
accounts of battles, to forget that there
were other troops than those from his
own State, in the grand old army of
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 so
materially to win.
But our present purpose is neither
TO attempt a criticism of Mr. Pollard's
work, nor to contend for a record of
heroism for Mississippians which has
already been written with their blood
on almost every battle-f field of the
war. We simply propose to correct
an error into which Mr.. Pollard has
fallen concerning the so called sad
dress" of Gen. Pemberton to the gar
rison OF Vicksburg. On page 621,
vol. L, after referring to the disasters
at Bakers creek and Big Black, he
says:
AS a last resort he retired behind
his works with weakened and some
what dispirited, but still glorious little
army. The unfortunate commapde,<
appeased the clamor against him by
anappareHfly noble candor and mem
orable words of heroism. 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 utterances
they deserve to be commemorated."
Without wishing to detract from the
little glory that Gen. Pemberton seems
to have won rs a military commander,
we deem it our duty to state that the
memorable words attributed to
him by Mr.. Pollard, were never utter
ed from his lips. The writer of this
CHANGED to be at Gen. Pemberton' S
headquarters on the morning of the
18th of June, when courier-D. O.
Walker, of Johnson's Cavalry-re
ported to the General, having left Gen
JohnstOn's headquarters at jackson
the Sunday previous. The courie
brought with him twenty thousand
percussion caps, sundry dispatches
and late papers. In one of them wa:
an article laudatory of Gen. Pember
ton, and calculated to inspire outsider:
with hope Referring to the events
of the 22d of May, the article con
Guided thus:
CATER the enemy had been repulseC
several times, he spoke to his troops
substantially as follows:
You have heard that was incom
petent and a traitor-that it was my
intention to sell Vicksburg. Follow
me, and you will see the cost at whicl
will sell Vicksburg. When the las
pound of beef and bacon and flour, tn
last grain of corn, and the last Gov
and hog, and horse and dog shall b.
consumed, and the last man shall per
ish in the trenches, then and then onl.,
will l sell Vicksburg."
There was quite a number of officer
present, including Gen. p, when thi
speech was read aloud by Colonel W
Its reading was followed by heart
laugh at the Generals expense, VIII
took the joke very gracefully. Tn
truth is, Gen. Pemberton never mad
Il speech to his army; never addresse
them a word of encouragement, writ
ten or oral, during the whole siege
and but the fewest number of hi
command had ever even seen hin
He was nevertheless, in many respect
an efficient officer. He dispatched hi
office business with great energy an
system; but naturally reserved an
morose, there were few that could AZ
proach him without going away In
pressed with the idea that he was no
a man to inspire armies. Indeed h
proved singularly untitled and incom
petent for the position assigned hin
OF his fidelity to the Confederate caus
we have never had the slightest doub
although it would have been Difficult
on the 4th day of July, 1868, to COZ
vince his army to the contrary.
The Vermont State election ha
been carried by the radicalrepublican
and by majority of five thousand
more or less, over that of last year, AN
upon very full vote. The radical
of course are jubilant. They proclaii
that ''this triumph cannot be everest
mated" that their gains show tn;
'iastead of being demoralized" the
care strengthened by Mr.. Johnson
course" and that this result in We
mont is & an indication of the entil
canvas throughout the North, F."
Atthe Fenian Congress, which a.
journed on the 9th, they elected &c
Roberts President of the Senate, al
J. w. Fitzgerald Speaker of ii
House, Gen. Sweeney was deposed