New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-04-04
GEN. JOHNSTON on Full Run


Tie SeIma Da;Ig Messenger publishes long letter
from cen Joseph l.. Johnston correcting numerous
error. i'm life Of stouewall Jackson. 10y member oi ms
staff We extract several passages relating TO the iuS'
battle of Bun Rum
The account Of the battle does great injustice 10 zen
Bcurcgarl and to Lee, and Earlys brigade ana thc!r
% p of the enemy was not continued hvoad Cen
trcyl, this The hr,t ero' which uadc 1r I'
] lon I'm mart bv The psuctg clar,. bu ts eNco'' "'' n'
Justification iec3uV The cfy1t 90 9'ui 4" '.'u "o ,I
sae ias,,., bu' paused even before met With 'n! o''e
inc substantial fruit" Of . victory wa The prcser,
walton Of the coniedcIacy No a"i' C"' ,ot ,ti,rd
~, t ..i,d Tr.stanCc' of the United state infantry.
~ rrar c,ord was an entire div isou, which hld not
been engaged and was T. or 10 times more numerous man
o1,ircd to continue the pursuit because II would nave
nftT Tnincnmbcrcd by baggage trains can easily cs-
] ;,,s,iin infantry Napocou's victories OF Luton
aud BauZcn strong instances. MAINTAIN I'M. ~
sidcrne the relative strength OF the bcsereni. tne
SOUTHERN people could not have hoped for more suhrlan
tial fruits oi this victory The dcIcat 1I .I' ~
army would have involved the immediate oNe4lho" Vi
the COutedcwcy. - ,..
rrcs Another Of tt ia'srt. ga.':i , nq, .. gl
brought Of sunset to te c"lm'1itg ,e.r' l' som, T
bevIdercl picket Of g." greii. "-'n
them 10 recall tr fr,hcr regiment. on and send
t.Ir upon forced ch miles 70 meet a. r.1-f
enemy bnd o next morning {" The telI o." attic t mo-
We had. OF course, but one commanding General my,
self THE story of the alarmed scout and "bcwildcivd
picket" is doubtless intended for sarcastic snimlsr-sHt
fact. II is out OF place III biography OF ~, A'on y"
troops recalled from the chase ANA sem seven uI
eight miles by night, or day 10 meet 9R haG ~ S
my" Holiness brigade, NLlch aIrN 90 700 1,, ~ ' ia
tho battle pursuit. aud Ewels reported by s com
ordered return 70 their camps for the comfort % he
men, and 10 spare Ewcls needless march Inc lattcl
i'm his conversation with said that the Federal troops
which had been facing our center ana iSt during ",
day. reported 10 be ADVANCING lie asic'l VIZ me
however that IL this true they would soon n re-
ca led To serve guard. SIN. ne ana H"t- W'Ir
ca,tjrcd ~ he ON their guard No soldier was ordered
Ia discomfort fatigue No troops were ordered 10 Inc
"fG nj botc' ucyt dnv except those detailed 20 collect
the arms &c our infantry which pursued The enemy
from the field finding their pursuit heiiec'"'I soon
Psrs XII It Va, expected th the Confederate ,oHm,ai.r ro9a II
ea pur,ge The enemy 10 ihe cate %, ng , ] , h. ,rsef
eab, iu the aroly OF her ,oniu',aa =, d'., '. r.
PT6rs cytccfatons and hopes were expressed AZ the
time not hy military men who understood the state ~
affairs hut Nv the military Cfuc, 81 iHc press VINO
bad ut 81 itte while before heapcd dcnunciaOu
for the measure which avered the capture Of our army
i'm Inc valley and enabled IL 20 preserve The COnfedeidcY
Ar Manassas the abandonment Of Harpcrs Perry such
a n1Tsiiit wGud have been Ruthless We could not have
earned the Entertainments named bv a'sauIt, uu hiI
none of the means 10 bcsegc them our assault Wouu
have been rcpuscd. and the enemy then become the
Victorious party would have resumed their march To
river n mile wide lay between them and Washington
commanded by the heavy guns Of Federal fect II we
had taken Alexandria, when siah, on low anu 49, W.,
ground, those guns would have driven NJ out IA lew
hours, at the same time killing our ichu' INC Inhlpl
tants We could not cross the Potomac ana h.it9ie u
mpractlcabe 10 conquer INC I0'tIt cAlhlal OF
semauruatp oppressed Maryland. Tic fIllult OF our
inyasiOns IN 1862 and 1865 win lar greater means sn
convince the Southern people. think that the authors
expectations were eXtravagaIt
Page 2 The tong srm veh bad maebe ana tsh, along in
hl q Bull Rug through The long Jay %, demani,i WIZ IN
their iret in 20 gorous an Grand without a mumur'
MY information OF the disposition OF the army was very
different according to IT, the to0 Decy W ,t tner
that all their country required of them had been accom-
ed They therefore left the army IN crowds to return
10 their homes Such was the report OF the generals
coOncls staff Officers and railroad 0iilcias The e1ua
ton OF victory cost us more than the Federal army lost
by defeat
Pages 2J2: In few patriotic citizens Of AcIahdra
authentic rabbe there ami
Jackson did without actual testimony"
No such intelligence was sent 20 me Nor were the Fed
era troops south Of the Potomac rabblc Mansfeds,
could have brought against them had not been beaten
engaged-and the reports of the commanders OF the
brgades engaged show that they entered the ntench-
ments organized except those who fledmdviduay from
the field. 80.
after Lees victories Mcclellan and Pope, and
Jacksons over Banks Fremont. and shields The second
by the effect OF the battles Of Fredericksburg ana Chan
cellOrsvie.
ON these occasions the forces defeated ten times
great those repused the 2ls of july lGl. aud
their losses twenty times great those defeated
armies sharpsburg and Gettysburg, strength
ened numbers and spirit TO send back the war into
Virginia. These events show how far in July, 1851 our
army could have rushed blazing" through the North
land IL could have crossed the Potomac aud how much
tile North would have been frightened" The failure
OF conducted by Lee aided by Longstreet and
Jackson, and attempted under such circumstances,
proves that the COnfederacy too weak for offensive
war conclusive argument IN favor OF the course
against which the author dsclams so yelemently.
Jsckson) then compelled 20 sit silent and see
the army With enthusiastic recruits, whitening naeon
Angus. heat. and tn. stencil the camp
foh al he bullets Of the Regiments dgntled,
under the .keeobs and the rd temporary hospitals .e
he hls around ihs stone Bndge'
If Gen jackson had seen the OF things described
above, be could not have been compelled to sit silent
lie rOd h0ce done his duty by protecting his brigade
from the effects or such wretched Incompetence, by
reOnstrnnce 10 the General and II that proved neffec
i've, by appeal the Government. His silence proves
that ne did not the evils his biographer describes
Nit is wen known that large bodies OF troops
sckly in al climates Our sick reports largerin the
healthy climate othe Valley than az the time referred TO-
m -, " the than tony oy five mice
The dead had been buried 80 that the ladies visited the
field without Inconvenience The writer's own estimate
this account OF great losses by disease. He
estimates the Army OF the Valley at noCo when
To be about 1890, including 100 mounted men,
and she garrison OF Manassas AOOO soldiers
and sesmep, in all about $4,000 dedueting
thousands who wsnt home In the belief that their victory
had terminated the On page 23o the author says,
after their forces had grown 10 about 5000 men,, the
Confederate generals pushed their lines forward 10 Nun
some and Masons Hill" This early in September.
According this the army had then been increased by
the difference between 60OOo and SO,i02ss93. II my
recollection correct had received since the battle ten
rogmeuts-ons from South Csrolins from North Car
Oina one from Texas, one from Alabama two from Mia
sspp and four from Georgia averaging ess than 900
men So that these achievements amounted TO not
Represented 10 have "dwnded under tho sconPge.
skeletonS" But these assertions-that our regiments
dwnded 70 skeletons during August and that the army
had grown 10 about 10000 men early In September are
altogether incorrect have conrasted them 10 show
the csressspess Of accusations The battle
men When ia advanced guard occupied Munson's and
Masons H early In September. IL had received since
the battle not more than 5000 80 that Jus strength
Than Na Httle more than haf OF the bographers