The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-03-29
LITERARY NOTICES.
NEW BOOKS.


Greeley-voi. 2d-Hartford: o. d. Case
& Co. f.sf- M
1t seems a little out of place to
look for historian among the editors
of daily newspapers, especially a
historian of our late war The pas
sions and prejudices engendered by
the struggle naturally warp the judg-
ment and influence the feelings.
There is a great deal of human nature
in editors, however the fact may be
doubted by some who regard them as
without feeling and Indifferent to
public sentiment. A successful par
tisan editor--and Mr.. Greeley has
always been regarded as one-is, of
necessity, a man whose mind is
quickened by the intensity of his
feelings, and, it must be acknowledged,
very often by his prejudices. The
very elements of character that impel
him to achieve success as editor, are
calculated to retard aud disqualify
him for the great and impartial duties
of the historian It was a difficult
task for the man, the columns of
whose paper echoed every day the cry
of On to Richmond, to calmly,
justly, and philosophically, narrate
the causes that rendered. the FIRST
. onward movement disastrous
failure. Its hard for him to discover
the undergraduates of the surround
ings for such movement at the time
it was urged 1t is far more easy to
see the peeuliarities and weaknesses
of the commanders having it in
charge, which promised failure and
helped to achieve it. Consequently a
historian so constituted, is more like
ly to devote his special attention to
the falling commanders than to the
circumstances which contributed to
their i'll success, andoyer which. per-
haps, they had no control. -
/ In view Of these facts, we take up
the second volume of the Ameri-
can Conflict, prepared to make some
allowance for. errors of judgment on
the parto Of its author. Mr.. Greeley, as
an editor, has never been proven
guilty, we believe, of knowingly and
wilfully misstating facts. While.
therefore, no perversion Of truth was
to be looked for in his history, we
were prepared to see the lights and
shadows so adjusted as to materially
affect the grouping of his facts, and
influence the minds of his readers
with regard to the estimate they set
upon different officers Of the army
and members of the Government. A
careful perusal Of the book, however,
has convinced us that it is as impartial
as it was possible for man in Mr..
Greeleys position TO make IT, We
go further We believe 1t is more i'm
partial than any other man in the
countrywide has been intimately
connected . with its politics for
the last thirty years = could
have made it.i1Thisio is a. need
of praise fairly earnedl and eheerfully
awarded: The iinpartiality of his
| tory is essential to enable IT TO gain
Iconfidenceg gand having satisfied our
selvesain this particular we turn to
the other peculfarities'of Of The work.
| 1--WE admire Mr. Greeley's plan of
grouping his facts! Taking up par
lit;eala ,n;Iifsr ~ departrnentss lie mar
rates the principal events that occur
red in them In a terse yet comprehen-
siye manner and to agconsiderable
extent, entirely disconnected from
events transpiring at the same time in
other departments In this partieu-
lar his historyisl "a collection of small
er histories, each one, complete in it.
self of the various departments and
military expeditions, This plan has
the advantage of novelty, and, we
think. gives increased vigor and in
terest to the narration. We are con-
fdent students will find it more easy
to remember the facts of the war as
narrated by Mr, Greeley, than if he
had adhered to the old plan of arrang-
ing events chronologically, and min
gled the incidents of each day and
month as they were transpiring all
over the country in one heterogeneous
mass. y re..s ..a .eif,t-,o,
Mr.. Greeley's style is peculiarly his