Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-10-21

unenviabIe at the best The Romans new
er erected monuments on the battle fields
of their civil wars nor permitted oYations
to the returning conqueror in an interne-
cine strife but, as We honored the memo
ries and celebrated the victories of FARRA-
GUT and TBoMAs, SO will the Southern peo-
| pie honor the memory aud celebrate the
victories of LEE.
From the Philadolphis North American. ,
| General LEE has left name that viii
endure. He was really the foremost man
in the long and bloody war by which il
has been decided that republic can main
tain itself against malice domestic as
we'll as foreign levy. The decision is SO
vital to all other nations and ages that
mono of those prominent in the argument
can over be excluded from its record. The
| position that LEE will hold will class with
| that of Stonewall Jackson in some favor
able points and surpass it in others. He
was not promoter of the rebellion. At
the last instant he hesitated; and finally
! gave IN his adhesion more through mis-
taken construction of his duties to Virginia
than from any desire for personal glory or
any ambition to construct new empire.
lie was led rather than O leader until war
was joined. Then his leadership began
He exercised it wholly in q military phase,
and had many severe conflicts with the
Ihe events OF his military career compare
favorably wi Ii those of any other chief
tain III tho war, and surpass those of all
but a few. He was modest, thoughtful
and brave; not arrogant in victory; not
disgraced in defeat. It only needed that
he should have shown himself as jealous
for peace and unity after the rebellion
closed as he was for victory pending its
progress, TO have rescued his name from
much Of the odiua cf treason, and placed
it in an honorable niche. Ho was a man
OF commanding prcsence, stately and re-
served manners, ana great pride but popu-
lar beyond Az southern leader eayo Jack
son.
Lreas lie =. j. Esr-,d.
II c '73LaND cF THE ARMY CT EoRTuEhN
VIRGINIA.
Bal! Run had been fought and lost by
| ,hs Union army. Months Of Inactivity fol
owed, broken only by the disastrous en-
gagement at Balls b uff and few mioor
combats. Yh= year 1862 opened, however,
actively. Grants army WIS set in motion
and Fort Donelson captured. Immediate
| j. ter Nashville was evacuated and the
whole Of Tennessee thrown open. In this
critical situation Bsauregard was sent to
the West to aid Albert Sydney Johnston
and Joseph e. Johnston remained in COM
mand in Northern Virginia. But on the
| the battle Of Seven Pines, and it became q
question for few days as to who would
succeed him. General Lee was ordered to
take command Of the army. He did SO
under most inauspicious circumGtances.-
Not on1 y was lie laDoriug under the cloud
| of recent disasters, but the army was dis
pirited and almost demoralized. Discipline
scarcely existed in its ranks. Within O
month after Lee came q marked change
was noticeable. His energy, well second
ed by the efforts of the rebel authorities,
soon made his men confident and resolute.
For weeks he remained on the defensive,
deaf TO all clamOrs to advance, but deter
mined to move only when his preparations
were complete. At length he gave the order
and his army advanced upon the federal
forces besleglng Richmond. For seven daya
the two giants met in battle, the carnage on
both sides was fearful. Lees plan was to
destroy Mcclellan utterly. Two things
prevented its cOnsummation-frst the
stubborn and heroic resistance of the
Union army, and next the dilatoriousness
of Huge and Magruder in not moving in
time from Petersburg to cut off the retreat
to tho James river. But though he failed
to capture McClellan's army, he undenia-
bly, gained a great triumph in raising the
siege of Richmond. This done, he ad-
vanced his army rapidly In the direction
of Washington, routed Pope at Manassas
in August, and crossing the Potomac river
fought the battle of Antietam on Septem-
Der II. 1t is doubtful, notwithstanding
his repulse, If he would have left Mary
land, had the people risen to aid him as
he expected them to do when he entered
the State. Finding them Indifferent. if
not hostile, he Withdrew his army into
| Virginia. The Union forces followed him;
Burnside took command, and Lee
beat him at Fredericksburg. Decem-
ber 1916. Hooker next led the
| Union forces, and was signally defeated
at Charlottesville in the battle of May
to 4 of 1863. This was the critical point in
the fortunes of the Confederacy, and hero
Lee made the only mistake Of his military
career. He invaded Pennsylvania, instead
of remaining In Virginia and sending part
of his Amy to Mississippi to aid in the
relief of Vicksburg. Gettysburg follow
ed, and his army was repulsed and forced
to retreat to Virginia. When General
| Grant opened the campaign of 1864, the
cause of the Confederacy was on the wane.
Nevertheless it was in this campaign that
Lee displayed the greatest military genius.
He fought against overwhelming numbers
every step of the way to Petersburg, hand
ling his mon with q skill which excited
the admiration of even his opponents.-
Every flank movement made to cut him off
from his base was foiled, and when the
two armies finally settled down for the
long and laborious siege of Petersburg
Grants losses had nearly equalled the en-
tire strength OF Lees army. What came
latter the siege scarcely needs recounting.
The defence was as heroic as the assualt
was gallant and determined. Attack upon
attack failed, until April 2, when Grant
threw the-whc'e weight of his army upon
the Attenuated line of l. . and crushed if.
The retreat-a hopeless one from the start
failed, and on the 9Jh of April General
Lee and the remnant Of his army surrcn-
dered.
BigGTy tn Washington.
Tu2rn ia considprabI .vc,,ar,a,4 orooro