The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-03-10
Morning Star and Catholic Messenger.
NEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY, MARCH w. lo'.'
General Early ON Robert Z. Leo.

came 10 the COMMAND Oh Cuo hIuy VI
Northern Virginia, and conceived that
splendid campaign of which q great mind
alone was capable. In the seven days
battle around Richmond Lee had 5,OOO
infantry and 5000 cavalry and artillery,
and this was the largest army he ever COM
nanded-
In swinging round to attack McClellan's
rear and Aank, he left but IS 900 men be-
tween the enemy and Richmond. This was
the perfection Of wise doing, and had Gen.
Lees orders been carried out by his subor-
dinates, McClellan's army could have been
annihilated. Gen. Pope came next. jack
sons movement in the rear of Pope with
strategical movements on record. Gen. Lee
now undertook the bold plan of crossing
the PotomacA SharpsburR. jackson had
but 4OOO men, aud Gen. Lees whole force
engaged dia not exceed ID 900 men. This
was one ~ the most remarkable battles of
duri9Rth whole Of the 18th and part Of
the 10th Gen. Lee confronted Mcclellan
with only $500 infantry, and his whole
Force of all arms from first to last was less
than $4,000 men. Mcclellan had 81, 200
men and 400 guns. Mcclellan did not
found Lee had crossed the Potomac, and
he began to crow, at first feebly, and then
moro loudly. With anything like equal
means, Lee would, in September, 1862,
have dictated terms OF peace in Washing
ton City. At the battle of Fredericksburg
because Of the farions artillery fire. jack
SON ordered the speaker to attack and then
csuntermanded the order. At Chancellor
vile Lees success was q triumph. jackson
fell, and Gen. Lee might we'll say that he
had lost his right arm. At Gettysburg, on
the frat day, we gained decided victory;
on the second and third days, we failed to
dialCdua tho auaunv 0nr nitiOn
short. Gen. Lee consulted me q whole
day, and determined to fall back.
The magnanimity of Gen. Lee kept back
the true secret Of ill-success at Getty sburg.
The attack was to have been made at day
light, but Longstreet's corps was not ready
Meade's whole army was up. In the morn
ing an attack by our right-on the enemy's
left-must have resulted in brilliant sue
cess. The attack on our left was only made
to support Longstreet. IT what Swim
ton Gays in his book "a to what Longstreet
heutenants did not go into the fight with
that confidence and good faith necessary to
success. Gen. Lee, In this battle, had less
than CO., 600 men of all arms. The defensive
line of the Rapidan was then chosen as the
only one that could not be fianked by
Grant came with l4O, 900 men. Then came
that long death .grapple. At Spottsylvania
our lines were for a time broken. Grant
had received 10000 men more, Lee not
one. Grant finally landed on the south
side of the James River, where he could
but to reach which cost him more men
than the entire number of Lees army. All
things considered, this campaign of Lees
ia the most remarkable of ancient or mod
ern times.
The disparity of numbers sounds like
1866, that it would be hard to make the
world understand and believe the fact, but
Lee was always anxious to take the often
sive. He said to me, if Grant goes to
James River, it would become a siege, and
then it will only be a question Of time. For
pine long months constant exertion and
lingering starvation were doing their work
when Sherman reached Goldsboro. The
end came at Appomatox. Eight thousand
men, the equals of any in all the tide of
time, laid down their arms before 100000
General Lee had not been conquered in
battle, but surrendered because he had no
longer an army with which to give battle.
This Is but an imperfect sketch of Gen.
Lees military career. When I returned
from Canada, submitted my estimates of
his forces to him. He said they folly
covered the amount, and sometimes exceed
ed them. They are those have given to-
day. or the generals of antiquity, Hanni-
bal is nearer to Gen. Lee, but the forces of
Rome and Carthage were equal and the lat
ter maritime power. So, too, with Marl-
borough. Among moderns Napoleon's re-
treat from Moscow and shameless flight
from Waterloo are blots upon his career.
Whoever draws parallel between Lee and
Jackson, to depreciate either, knows no.
thing of either of those two congenial
Christian heroes. Let us rejoice that we
can look to their graves and look the world
sqnarely in the face. Lee is like tall
column, towering above all others, needing
no borrowed lustre, and he is all alone.
There is some tendency to bury our dead
past, which bodies no good. The man who
does not cherish the memory of our dead
heroes was born to be slave.
Gen. Early appealed to the ladies, to the
young men and his old comrades to cherish
such noble memories, aud concluded his
discourse of two hours amid a storm of ap-
plause.
No man of unupeachable sanity would
question the OF science and art in this
century. prolific in discovery. invention and manu
'acture The study Of medicine has made giant strides
nce the advedt OF 1900 and II will increase Its efforts
70 benefit man. Ono Important fact has been