Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-06
THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS.

I
twcen President Davis and Gen. J.
L. JohnstOn-Vindicat of the
| Truth of History.
Such is the captioInso an article in the
jackson (sIiss. Clarion, edited by E.
Barksdale, ESQ.,, once member of the
Confederate States Congress, and in that
body deemed the special exponent of Mr..
Davis. The Clarion, referring to the
second volume of Mr.. Stephens work,
after lauding the first without stint,
says:
of Mr.. Stephens and his reliability as an
impartial historian if he had stopped
here. He has been less accurate in
stating the details of the formation of
the Confederate States government, and
in describing the conduct of the war,
than in tracing the responsibility of the
conflict to its true source. He hasacom-
mitted several errors of facts which are
scarcely excusable in one occupying his
position and who has undertaken to write
for posterity. One of these errors has
rendered necessary the publication of the
following correspondence. 1t is the
statement that President Davis "was re-
sponsible for the failure of the Confed-
crate troops to advance after the victory
of Manassas The original of this CORE
spondence has been in the possession of the
writer since it occurred, and would proba-
bly, have remained among the secret hid
den things of the Confederacy, if the
story, often repeated by ambitious penny
a-liners and venal scribblers had not found
an enduring place in SO imposing work
as tho history of the war by the Confed-
crate States Vice President. Mr.. Davis
himself is silent. During the war, when
tee object of the persecution of ignorance
and malice combined, he forebore to
speak because the disclosures which he
would have been compelled to make in
his own defense would have operated in
juriously to the cause with which the
hopes of his country were bound up.
And since its disastrous termination, not
only has he been in no condition to en-
gage in controversy, but he has been
restrained to silence by other motives
which ought to have protected him from
misrepresentation if not criticism.
Upon the point raised by Mr.. Stephens,
the following correspondence is conclu-
sive. On the testimony of Gen. ]. E.
Johnston it is established that if the VIC
tory at Manassas was succeeded by q
fatal blunder, as the historian intimates
his belief, it was not attributable to Rresi-
dent Davis. Unwilling to believe that
Mr.. Stephens would intentionally mar his
book by the grave error which this cor
of hox
mitted, we trust that it has been brought
to his notice in time to admit of its cor
rection before his volume is issued from
the press. The historical value of the
correspondence is enhanced. by its revela-
lation of the real causes that prevented an
advance of the Confederates after their
success at Manassas:
CORRESPONDENCE.
RICHMOND, VA, Nov. 8, 1851, Gen.
j. E. Johnston, Commanding Department
of the Potomsc-SIR: Reports have
been and are being widely circulated to
the effect that prevented Gen. Beaure-
gard from pursuing the enemy after the
battle of Manassas, and had subsequently
restrained him from advancing upon
Washington City. Though such state
ment may have been made merely for my
injury, and in that view their notice
might be postponed to a more convenient
season, they have acquired importance
from the fact that they have served to
create distrust, to excite disappointment,
and must embarrass the administration
in its further efforts to reinforce the
armies of the Potomac, and generally to
provide for the public defense.
For these public considerations, call
upon You as the Commanding General,
and as party to all the conferences held
by me on the Dist and 22d of July, to say
whether l obstructed the pursuit of the
enemy after the victory at Manassas, or
have ever objected to an advance or other
active operation which it was feasible for
the army to undertake
Very respectfully, yours, etc,
JEFFERSON DAVIS.