Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-08-06

Davis and the Generals ut Manassas, APP
pears to have founded his first dislike to
to Johnston, and TO have developed his
tendency to imperious and envious COM
mand. But
when Mr.. Davis went further. gave ad-
ditional proofs of his temper, and broke
with General Beauregard. commander
who was then prime military favoritc Of
the South, who had q temper Of his own,
and who had such sensitive regard for
public opinion rs to commit the officer
like act Of writing letters in the news
papers, the quarrel attracted attention
through the length and breadth of the
South, was carried into Congress, actually
created two parties in the Conlederacy,
and occasioned, indeed. the first serious
huctuation of public confidence in the
administration of Mr.. Davis.
1t was seen that he
had an enormous conceit from the moment
he became inflated with the victory Of
Manassas, and considered his tenure OF
Office secure from that day. The fact is,
that victory became the signal for political
intrigues, in which all care for the war
seemed to be dismissed for an anxiety to
secure the offices and patronage Of
government as already firmly seated.
DECENTRALIZATION OF RICHMOND.
Of the state of things in Richmond, he
says - -
After Manassas. the capital of the Con-
fedcracy was given up to liccniious JOY
and dissipation. 1t was
in this time that Richmond made that
reputation of moral iniamy, which marred
whatever military glories ii aitervards
won-a reputation which has not only
lasted, but has accumulated since the war
which in fact has suggested the title of
'.he wickedest city" in America for place
where the houses on the best streets are
shops of female infamy, and where in
nearly every court there is kept behind
the drapery of Justice an auction-block
bribcs. The gamblers
reaped harvest that will probably never
he told. A few months otter the COM
mcncement of the war n Richmond
newspaper stated that twenty gambling
houses might be counted in three or tour
blocks on Main street There was abund-
ant gossip of almost fabulous sums lost
in these places, by quartermasters, COM
missaries, and pay-agents. And in these
"hclls" were doubtless, concealed the
traces of that immense amount OF detalca-
ton in the Confed ederatc administration,
Which has never yet been told of but in
broken and imperfect whispers. In every
war, the frauds and peculations OF dis
bursting officers make large amount {;
and il is curious, that no reference tothls
loss-busily investigated rs IL was by
the North, on her side. in the late contest
was ever made, in any public manner,
in the case of the Southern Contederacy.
There was vague impression of the
people OF the South, that there was an
| enormous amount TO be credited 10 this
account; and towards the end Of the war
there was an uneasy report that the pro-
| portions of such fraud would stagger
a.. a. Il. III
terminate the last breath Unpopular conf
dence IN the Davis government.
sToNEwALL JACKsoN's PROPOSAL TO USE
THE KNIFE.
In regard to disputed proposition of
midnight butchery, by Stonewall Jackson,
Mr.. Pollard says
The field of Fredericksburg had an
interesting incident, which has not APP
peared in the common histories OF the
war. After night had fallen upon the
contest and when the shattered remnants
of Burnside's army were covering under
cover of the town, Stonewall Jackson
made the extraordinary and fearful prop
osition OF stripping his men to the waist
and hurting them in the darkness upon
the enemy, trusting to paralyze his already
demoralzed forces by the terror and
novelty of such an apparition. This story
| of Jackson has been doubted, and has
excited some unpleasant criticism in the
newspapers. But the incident has been
related to the author as having occurred
in council of war in which Jackson dis
sented from the opinion of General Lee,
that the enemy would make another at
tack, and then proposed that the artillery
should he collected upon the hills directly
in front OF the town, and heavy fire be
opened upon it, and that the men OF his
corps be stripped to the waist to dis
tinguish them from the enemy, and under
cover of the artillery fire force their way
into the town, and bayonet all who were
not similarly attired. "My troops shall
not be allowed to fire." stipulated the
grim commander; 'they shall use only
the bayonel." There was only one pom
toon at the town, which would not have
afforded egress for one fifth of Burnside s
army; the bridges at Deep Run could
have been easily secured; and to the
suggestion that his own men might suffer
from the artillery fire, when mingled with
the enemy, Jackson replied that it should
cease when his troops were once in the
town and that ''their yells would tell
when they were at work" The plan for