The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1867-03-01
Extract from Gen. EarIy's We.
rnoir of the War.

.he collision of arms might be avoid
ed. and some satisfactory adjustment
arrived at. The adoption of that ordi-
nance wrung from me bitter tears of
grief, but l at once recognized my
duty TO abide the decision Of my ma
tive State, and to defend her soil .
against invasion. ANY scruples which /
[ may have entertained as to the right I
Of secession, were soon dispelled by /
the mad, wicked, and unconstitutional I
measures of the authorities at Wash /
lngton, and the frenzied Glamour Of /
the people of the North for war upon I
their former brethren of the South / (
then, and ever since have, regarded /
Abraham Lincoln, his counselors and I
IS the real traitors VINO /
had overthrown the constitution and
of the United States, and
in lieu thereof an odiou5
despotism; and this opinion | entered
on the journal of the Convention
when | signed the ordinance OF Sc
cession. | recognized the right OF re
sistance and revolution as exercised
hv our fathers in 1776, and, without
cavil as to the name by which 1t was
called, ! entered the military service
Of my State, willingly, cheerfuly, and
zealously.
When the State of Virginia became
one of the Confederate States, and her
troops were turned over to the Con
federate Government. l embraced the
cause of the whole COnfcderacy with
equal ardour, and continued in the
service. with the determination to de
vote all the energy and talent pos
ses sed to the common defense i
/ fought through the entire war, without
/ once regretting the course | had pur-
sued: with an abiding faith IN the
Justice of our cause; and / never saw
/ the moment when | would have been
/ willing to consent to any compromise
or settlement short Of the absolute III
+ dependence Of my country.
! 1t was my fortune to participate ID
most Of the great military operations
i'm which the army in Virginia was en-
cared. both before and after General
Lee assumed the command. In the
last wear this momentOus struggle, l
commanded. at different times, q dl-
vision and two corps Of General Lee ;
. Army, in the campaign from the Rapi
! dan to James Rivcr, and subsequently,
+ q separate force which marched into
1 MARYLAND. threatened Washington
/ CITY, and then went through an event
/ full campaign in the Valley Of Virginia.
/ No detailed reports of the operations
of these different commands were made
before the close of the war, aud the
campaign in Maryland and the Valley
Of Virginia has been the subject Of
much comment and misapprehension.
have now written q narrative OF the
operations of all my commands during
the closing year y the war, and lay it
before the world as q contribution to
the history of our great struggle for
independence. In giving that nara
tive, | have made such statements of
the positions and strength of the OPP
posing forces in Virginia, and such re
ference to their general operations, as
were necessary to enable the reader to
understand it: but | do not pretend to
detail the operations Of other com
. manders.
have not found it necessary to he
guilty Of the injustice Of attempting to
pull down the reputation of any Of my
fellow officers, in order to build up my
/ own My operations and my cam
paign stand on their own merits, what
ever they may be. Nor, in anything |
may have found it necessary to say in
regard to the conduct of my troops,
I Il I l. L, l 1
way, decrying the soldiers who con
stituted the rank and file of my com
mands | believe that the world has
! never produced a body of men supe-
/ rior, in courage, patrio tism, and endu-
rance, to the private soldiers of the
4 Confederate armies. | have repeat
/ eddy seen those soldiers submit, with
cheerfulness, to privatiOns and hard
ships which would appear to be almost
incredible; and the wild cheers of our
brave men, (which were so different
from the studied hurrahs of the Yam
KEGS, when their thin lines sent back
opposing hosts of Federal troops,
staggering, reeling, and flying, have
often thrilled every fibre in my heart
| have seen, with my own eyes, rag
ged, barefooted, and hungry COnfeder
ate soldiers perform deeds, which i
performed in days of yOre by mailed
warriors in glittering armor, woulC
have inspired the harp of the minstre
and the pen of the poet
do not aspire to the character of;
historian, but, having been a witness o
and participation in great events,
, have given a statement of what | saw
and did, for the use of the future
historian. Without breaking tn,
thread ofmy narrative, as it proceeds
l have given, in notes, comments OF
: some Of the errors and Inconsistencies
r committed by the commander of tn
Federal army, General Grant, and Tia
Federal Secretary of War, MI Stan
ton, in their reports made since tn
t close of the war; also some instance
of cruelty and barbarity committed b,
, the Federal commanders, which wer
! brought to my immediate attention, q
well as some other matters of interest
As was to have been expected, GU
t enemies have flooded the press wit
1 sketches and histories, in which al
the appliances of meretricious lit
erature have been made use of, t
; glorify their own cause and its supper
, tiers, and to blacken ours. But som
X Southern writer's also, who preferre,
r. the pen to the sword or musket, hav
not been able to resist the temptation
to rush into print; and, accordingly
carping criticisms have been written b.
! the light of after events, and even his
, tories of the war attempted by persons
, who imagined that the distinctness o
o their vision was enhanced by distanc
from the scene of conflict, and an ex
o emptiOn from the disturbing element
whistling bullets and burning shells
= Perhaps other writer's of the sam
class may follow, and various specula
tons be INDUCED in, as to the cause
! of our disasters. As for myselt
T. l have not understaken to specu
late IS to the causes Of our failure. as.
have seen abundant reason for it in tn
tremendous odds brought against us