Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-05-16
RUTLAND HERALD
FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1857.
General Johnston's Explanatory
Letter.

CeQIY WIlllcu u lOLS lIbpNA w - SN'N"
ern paper, in which he criticises severely,
in some respects, a life OF stonewan
Jackson, written by John Esten Cook.
The points noticed by him are those that
relate to himself, and In regard to the
situation at and after the battle OF
Manassas. The letter is of much in
terest as showing the confederate com
mander's opinion of the feasibility OF an
advance on Washington at that time.
Mr., Cook asserts In his book that pur-
suit Of the Union troops after the battle
and an attempt to capture the capitol,
were generally expected that the
troops were anxious for the pursuit;
that ten thousand fresh men arrived
from the Shenandoah Valley and Rich
mond the next day; that the Union
forces South Of the Potomac would not
have resisted, and that then was the
time, to use his own language, for the
rebel General "to thunder at the gates
OF Washington and replenishins his eX-
hausted equipments, rush blazing like
lightning that shineth from one part
under the heaven to the other, through
the afrightened North"
To each of these assertions General
Johnston in his letter replies in detail.
The pursuit and capture Of Washington,
he says, were only looked for by "mili-
tary critics of the press" and if it had
been possible to carry the Notifications
south Of Washington, which he does not
believe, a river mile wide lay be-
tween the attacking force and the CAPT
tai. So far from the troops being anx-
ious to pursue, they considered their
work as good as done, their indepen-
cence achieved, and they were leaving
for home in crowds. The only re-en-
forcements the ConGederates had were
about $1,000 from the Shenandoah and
one regiment from Richmond. And
that there was no ability or disposition
on the part OF the Union army to resist
an advance. Gen. Johnston denies on
the most reliable authority Of officers
OF the Northern army, and on the ground
that General Scott had $4,000 men with
in call, but none Of them were ordered
forward.
Gen. Johnston charaCteriZes in his let
ter the language Of these statements of
. Mr.. Cooke as "bombast" which rational
readers are "not expected to believe" He
says;
"The masses referred to were less dis
organized by defeat than our army by
triumph. By gates Of Washington is
meant, suppose, the fortiflCations upon
which skilllul engineers, commanding
the resources Of the United States were
engaged for several months-manned by
double our numbers, half of whom haC
not seen the battle-and a river q mile
wide commanded by the guns OF thu
United States fleet. We attempted in
vasion in 1862 and again in 1863. FRS
after General Lees victories over Nc
Clelan and Pope, and Jackson owe
Banks, Fremont and Shields. The seCon(
time when the way was supposed to hay'
been opened by the effect of the battles
of fredericksburg and Charlottesville
On these occasions the forces defeated
wer9 ten times as great as those repulset
on the DIST Of July, 1861, and their losse
twenty times as great. Yet those de
feated armies met at Sharpburg and Get
tysburg, so strengthened in numbers an
spirit as to send back the war into Viz
ginia. These events show how far, i
July, 1861, our army could have 'rushe
blazing through the North Off it COul
have crossed the PotomaC,) and hoy
much the North would habe been fright
ened The failure Of invasiOns cor
Quoted by Lee, aided by Longstreet an
Jackson, and attempted under such Gil
cumstances proves that the confederac
was too weak for offensive war and is
conclusive argument in favor of th
course against which the author dl
claims so vehemently."
This explanation Of General Johnsto
gives new view Of the rebel strengt
as compared with our own and the
weakness when we supposed them to
the strongest.
A New AND "MoNEY MAKING" Bus
NEss.-Three young men were arreste
at Chicago lately on charge Of "
grancy, and in defense one Of the
showed that they were engaged in tn
novel business:
"These two gentlemen and myself a
the firm Of Edwards & Griffin. We q
proposers. By that mean we propo
to young ladies and help them to g
married. We are benefactors. VIII
we see q young lady who is not, al