The Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1865-1870, 1869-06-05
LIFE OF JEFF DAVIS AND
SECRET HISTORY OF THE CONFED-
E2iCY

c: and advance sheets of Edward A.
poIIard's new work entitled " Life of
Jefferson Davis, with a Secret History
OF the Southern Cohfederacv gathered
behind the Scenes in Richmond"
There is no lack OF nerve and snap 1"
il Pollard's pen and his audacity
makes him interesting even though his
ties chargeable with sameness and q
y.tuperative spirit. Al idea of what
NJ. Pollard claims to have attempted
i. this book may be derived from the
following, which is the concluding SEN
,ence of his " Announcement =:
Finally the writer, careless as he is
l. the just sense Of history Of the per
son of Mr.. Davis, and disdaining what
ever criticisms may grow oct OF personal
feelings, Is yet sensible that he has I'M
Gertaken . great and serious work. and
protests that he approaches /: in a be-
coming and collected spirit. He at
Temps no mean and evanescent COM
sleutary on the late war. III betafing
himself to & literary task. eXceliing all
his former ones, and in which he Is
acel by various desires, he prOuC " ven
lures to produce work that VIII not
only interest these present times, but
that = will live permanently and as
sureGly, II even among the humber
Ct America.
IN this booker the advance sheets
with which we have been provided
Nj Davis is not the only object of criti-
cisn and deuuuciation. Here is what
he says OF the Rebel Congress
IN writing OF the dereliction of the
Confederate Government within the
-eriod referred to in the preceding
cEaptcr, il mag be thought strange that
We have not drawn into the account
tcLle notice CT Congress. and distribu-
TED upon It some Of the responsibility
tJr The decay of Confederate Affairs in
lie first var Of the w@r. But an es-
recjal explanation attaches here. We
nay, at once. remark upon the utter
,uauity # thai body which MADE pre-
teace Of performing Legislative duties
during the wa- and Il the Confed-
crate Congress has been sIEk nearly
cut of sight in al historical notices of
the contest. il IL because OF the meagre
Al j 'uziimpe-,crs pa, !: performed in
II. What was Known es the Provis-
ional Congress, was really the most
cane, uuimportant, Incompetent. and
barren of pCb.ic assemblies.
Speaking of the Conscript.on acts of
the Confederacy, Nr. Pollard makes the
following significant AMI truthful ad-
mission
It's political significance vas immense
aad unavoidable. 1t necessarily estab-
.ished CO.'S Iidatei government, found
ed on military principles it was de-
psrture f.ou ali the constitutional prec-
eients known il the Country, a direct
assault gpeu State RI gifts, n declara-
tom that the powers OF NJ. Davis, and
h;s Congress, were henceforward to be
measured by military necessities, in
stead Of being coatairei in written
Constitution.
This would seem to be very vigor-
crs thrust at the champions and apollo
g:sts of tie rebellion, whose defense
thereof has been based upon the sacred
ress of the dogma of State Rights. Mr..
Pollard is evidently ana cruelty turning
- States evidence -, and we are get
ing scraps OF the secre: history of
t1e Confederate Government in abund-
auce and il ve.y entertaining form as
for instauce-conu upon the
state CT affairs 10 Richmond while
Mcclellan was on the Peninsula and
when it Was wholly within his power
as admitted By Pollard) to bsve taken
that city, be says
The true history Of this uneasiness in
Richmond is. tbat President Davis had
secretly resolved TO evacuate Richmond.
What was at that time al sLgry sus-
piciou is now ascertaineG to have been
an actual fact. 1t is a remarkable cir.
cumstance that up TO the time General
johnson fell wounded in the battle of
Seven Pines, Mr. Davis Enthusiastically
refused the recommendations of this
commander with whom he seemed de.
termined never to act in Concert) to
draw in any considerable fferces from
Other parts of the South to defend Rich
nond-a condition which Johnston had
named as essential to the aafety of the
capital. He had sent his wife to q
country retreat in North Carolina he