Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-04-10
Gbt frfeman.
MONTPELIER, VT.:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 1867.
Greeley's American Conflict.

before the public. This volume is devoted
chiefly to the military events of the rebel
lion, the first volume having dealt mainly
with civil events and the causes which pro-
duced the conflict. The author says - it
treats mainly of armies, marches, battles
sieges, and the al ernations of good and i'll
fortune that, from January 1869, to May
1865, befell the contending forces respect
i've of the Union and the Confederacy." He
claims. however, that he regards these mill
tary events more in their moral than their
material aspect that he does not make the
military events only the occasion for fine
descriptive writing, but he views them
steps in the mighty march of the nation from
its voluntary upholding of slavery in 1861 |
to the final overflow of that accursed insti- |
tuition by the progress of our statesman
ship and our arms The New York World, !
which during and since the war always differ
ed from Mr.. Greeley politically, says of this
volume
Mr.. Greelevs book aims to be something
more than {; meaningless panorama OF
marches and battle-scenes, addressed to the
eve. 1t seeks to answer the question, ''what
tneN killed ettcH oiutT JO. III
this aim TO portray the soul of the war rather
than to delineate his features, and 10 regard
, the features merely the outward express
l sions of the soul, Mr.. Greeley has seized the
true point of view from which the history
ought to be written. He has thereby done
, service like that rendered by speaker in
debate, who correctly lays open the nature
of the question The views of such speak
er NAV be far from right but that cannot
l. .,r- bo 6 how la1
t way in giving right direction to the DIS
. cussion.
e We have mentioned Mr.. Greeley's style
as a principal merit of his work 1t is,
c perhaps, filter vehicle of argument than OF
| continuous narration but it has great ex-
, / cellence. Clear, terse, continent; aiming
u straight at the mark and with vi gOr enough
' in the bow always to reach it never over
; laving the thought by a cloud of words either
z because he cannot make the sense clear at
the first trial or because he thinks the words
), fine There are few STYLES ever
{ written which are less encumbered with YER
e biage. We are the more careful to bestow
! II this deserved praise, because a creeping or a
/ soaring verbositv are the contemplate kinds
: of writing most in vogue in the country
= Although Mr. Greeley, in his preface,
places a moderate estimate on his battle
IL scenes they are remarkably apt and clear
the turning points Of the engagements not
obscured by the din and smoke which make
n such tremendous figure in the descriptions
i9 given by the newspaper correspondents dur
- ing the war.
N With all his shortcomings, Mr.. Greeley i
Il the best historian of the war, as yet,-th
most valuable in matter. the most dilligent
o the best in point of literary execution. | n
u I'll he is SUPERSEDED we shall have to consul
er him. as we do the Tory historian Alison 70
E recent transactions in Europe. We may b
ng vexcd by his incompleteness and his distor
81 tions but in what other form so accesslbl
ad can we find so great body of succinctly re
'e- cited facts
k Mr. Greelev's method of writing his hi:
er tory is much like his method of writing fo
the Tribune. No opponent ever justly accu'
N ed him of wilfully misstating facts, or mi'
lis representing an adversary's position. \
political writer of the last thirty years ca
We be less Justly charged with unfairness tow
70 wards those whose principles or policy
,ot combated The Tribune has never concea
5h. ed from its readers the arguments of its OF
eh ponents. but has given them full space, an
~, then answered them. In this volume of hi
nd tory. Mr. Greeley writes in the same spir
of his opinions respecting generals nd ear
3D. paigns and battles. but he never COINS
ms. conceaIs facts u fortifv this opinion. If Il
elf reader is a friend Of Mcclellan. he will fin
ers the facts of that generals campaigns full
- set forth and what makes in his favor
for given as much prominence as what mai
against him. Every one who knows an
dc h9t no
wonderfully full and clear in his collecti
and statement of facts bearing upon a
not subject which he discusses Here he is nev
: or careless He verifes his dates and hguI
" and statements. He delights in accurae
tter The estimates of the Tribune before an el'
len ton and the figures il gives after an electiC
/, have been long conceded TO be more imp'
,i,r tally made. than those appearing in a
,cks other paper of either party. This abseI
the of partisanship in his statements OF ia
ors, and this diligence and success in gatheri
i'S materials added to style most admlra
,aks for its clearness and precision of statem'
han and its force and dircctness of expressi'
e of o.,,I;eod Nfr Greolev IN write n hist,
h he - ;s+ ..rl
ould oi TIE recent '0iiii'0' iii'iN
tfnrt engaged in it. more clear and comprehens
1t IN it's grasp of principles and motives, m
be full and accurate in its details, and M
IN of ,.,, g .o, .o
pom PoFuA 80 ~
this than could have been produced by any OF
says writer of our time. 1t is not. therefore
You matter of surprise that the work should h;
it of = o,;.;oI e,,,,o,,o,
,lay- 'iie coii'iii'''i''''
the and that its sale should be greater than
hear of anv work of similar magnitude publis
'coid in this country Up to January L, lo
ora 1000 = II, G.. ,-oI,,,,,o ,rd .
ut is l--'-i' 0opi'' =, 'Ho
SEN $50 of the second had been sold and nea
pro- a thousand copies day of this volume W
hale required to supply agents and canvassers.
nists
nm The volume contains more than seve
than portraits on steel of eminent generals, vi
have of places of historic interest, maps,
h1loh 1 grams of battle-felds, and naval actions
lder, large copper plate map of the seat of v
: Ny engraved expressly for this work, and a 4
other excellent portrait of Mr.. Greeley. The "
,n. .ort is printed in large clear type, and bo
oh. handsomely, and substantially in leather
e the contains 7S2 pages. The two volumes sh'
ana be in the hands of every family which
Cir = . ~ :,
furnish to alias well those familiar
,r,o the war in its progress, as those who
truly have TO learn It's gigan''0 ope' '','n' ""
mighty advances in the cause of huma
from the pen of the historian-the best