The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-01-31
The Armies of the Confederacy.

In a late issue of the Mobile Advertiser
a distinguished general officer of the lat'
Confederate army makes the following
defense against very unjust charg'
brought against the army Dy a physician
of louisville, Kentucky. Such defense
was hardly necessary, from the evident
absurdity of the charge; but as the &C
cusation was made, it gives us pleasure
to preserve and present to the public 5,
complete vindication as the following
CAUSES OF 1NDIsoIPLINE IN THE coNEEDE
RATE ARMIES.
1t has recently been stated in the news
papers that q physician of Louisville
Kentucky, attributes the failure OF the
Confederate cause to the excessive use OF
tobacco and whisky in the Confederate
armies -. a..
ters which overcame those great armies
must be of deep interest to the military
student. and to our whole people. There
fore we have considered DR.. IS theo-
rv carefully, as the responsibility of the
author requires; and our conclusion is
that tobacco and whisky troubled the
Confederate armies very little. At many
times it was impossible. for our troops to
procure tobacco; while whisky could on.
" be obtained from the medical officers
and for proper medical purposes.
Many and various causes have been as.
signed for our failure, each earnestly and
ingeniously sustained by such arguments
as the peculiar bias of the speakers mind
might suggest.
Some clever men think the omission by
our government to use the vast stores OF
cotton accumulated within our borders to
create sound credit, was prime cause
of our downfall. They say there were
millions of bales in the Southern States
which might have been sent to Europe
during the first two years of the war, and
have furnished funds sufficient for the ne
cessities of our young country. That it
was the plain duty and manifest policy
Of our statesmen to take possession OF
this cotton, paying the owners tair
price for it, and for iii they might pro-
duce. That our currency, based on this
cotton, would have been as good as gold.
Our planters would have worked earnest
ly in support of the war and the country.
Our soldiers having good pay would have
been able 20 maintain their families at
home: would have had no motive for de-
scrtion would not have felt the war to
be an oppression of the poor man for the
benefit of therich. That confidence, con-
tsntment. comfort, would have been on
ioyod By all classes throughout the South;
and that all would have been united in
unconquerable opposition. to their inva-
ders. This all seems plain enough now
that it is, forever, too late.
Others think the ''twenty-negro-bil
was our ruin. Others consider the sub
stitute laws the first agents OF demorali-
cation in our armies and our country
While some believe that tobacco and
whisky sapped the energy and efficiency
of our armies, and struck a bright star
from the galaxy of nations.
Few soldiers,ot the active armies of the
late Southern Confederacy can hear such
an opinion expressed without some indig-
nation.
1t may be true that officers and SOL
diers. while absent from the armies, used
tobacco and whisky too freely; such. in
stances were probably often seen about
our larger towns and centres OF resort,
and it is from that opinions have been
formed so unjust tc our soldiers.
The army of Italy, under the then
young Napoleon, won. more battles du-
ring the campaign Of 1896 than did the
army of Northern Virginia in the same
space Of time. But it had not such odds
to- contend against as we encountered.
It was composed Of veterans trained in
the strictest discipline of constant war.
It operated in an abundant country-was
we'll supplied. Its field of operations was
narrower, and it was led by the most
skillful general the world has ever seen.
The Austrian army, whether comman-
ded by Branieu, AEinzi or Wurmser was
always hampered by the, dictation OF
campaign from the Aulic Council in vi
enna-continua1ly repeated it's blunders
and exposed itself to be beaten in detail
by Bonaparte.
The brilliant results achieved by the
army of Italy over the six Austrian ar
mics, each twice it's force, which in the
course of eleven months it put to rout,
were justly attributable to the blunders
of.the Austrians and to the matchless
skill in war of Napoleon Bonapartc.
But the glory of the army Of northern
Virginia is its own. Whether we we.iregard
it under Gen. Johnston, or in detached
corps, careering through the valley, un-
der that great soldier and good man,
Jackson at tChicamauga with Longstreet,
at Petersburg under Beauregard, or eve
rywhere with its great Virginia general
that 'grey bearded man in the black
slouch hat who is riding grandly down
into history" in the fame Of its exploits, it
will be found always the same undaunted,
victorious army of pure.minded, devoted