The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-12-13


signed TO make, and that child not
Every young" would draw this "infer.
ence," unless he had imtibed some of Mr..
keiley's zeal for this infallible historian.
10 prove that he does mean to make
this impression, quote from Swinton's ac-
count Of the same battle in his decisive
Battles of the War" After stating (page
3I) that while the battle was going on on
our left we had "several Confederate bri.
gades at the lower fords of Bull Rum" he
says: "Indeed, it was not until O'Clock
that the withdrawal of part of these
forces and the arrival of Johnston's fresh
troops from the Valley gaoe the Con-
.federates numerical equality and at
length, IN their turn, superiority" And
any one will turn to this same book
(pages 80 and 40), and read his further
account (Which have not space to quote) it
will be seen that he does most distinctly
claim that Mcdowell was overwhelmed by
numbers after the arrival of "Johnston's
column from the Shenandoah" Now, the
truth is that three regiments Of Ezey's
column" that came at this time, and that
the whole force that fell on McDowel's flank
consisted Of Early's three regiments, which
had never been in the Valley, and two com.
panies of cavalry and five pieces Of artillery
under Stuart.
3. MIR. Kelley seeks to break the force of
my charge that Swinton is guilty ION pages
249-25O of suggestio falsi" as well as a
SuppreSsio ueri" in giving the numbers OF
the Federal army at 10000, and saying that
we "received large reInforcements " without
giving our numbers by saying "that host
of things are omitted In history of a four
years war which is compressed into thirty.
SiE duodecimo pages can surprise no oQe."
Now, it would not have taken rs much space
for him to have simply given our numbers
forty-Seren thousand men. And / would
beg to ask why Swinton confines
himself to thirty-siX pages if he can.
not tell the truth within that space
The fact is that he almost always fails to
allude to the odds against which We fought.
This suppression OF the truth is one of the
forms Of falsebood which q need not tell his
Honor Mayor Kelley the law does not per-
NIT. The witness is sworn to tell "the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth" 1t is true that In school history
full details cannot be given, but important
and vi tai facts ought not to be ignored; and
certainly the pupil would never gather from
this book that during all the four years OF
our war the Confederate armies were con-
tending against immense odds. General Lee
said, at will be difficult to get the world
to understand the odds against which we
fought" If MIR. Swinton and his friend
Mr.. Kelley are to prescribe what history
our children shall study, it will be difficult,
if not impossible, to get our own people to
understand it.
6. Mr.. Kelley thinks that the letter of
William II, Seward settles the question OF
the reason for returning our commissioners
who were taken from the Trent. and that
Swinton is right TO follow him. Well, l am
not surprised that gentleman who can
swallow SWinton with such gusto should
also swallow Seward. But he must really
excuse me if insist upon nv original view,
and deny that Seward is 4 proper historian
for our southern youth.
7. Mr.. Kelley attempts to throw doubt on
my charge that Swinton claims the battle of
Williamsburg as Federal victory. The
reader can judge of his language; but hap
pen to have an authority that Is inialliblt
with Mr.. Kelley, no less than Swinton him.
self, who, on page 2S4 lin his topical review
tory" think have shown that this claim
is fulse.
8. Mr.. Kelley thinks that it would "be
difficult to compress into as few words a
more truthful account of the most unsatisiac.
tory battle of Seven Pines than Swintor
gives. l quoted from General, Joseph E
Johnston's official report to show that his
account is utterly false, and does our army
the grosseSt injustice. As an offset, Mr..
Kelley quotes E. d. Pollard. Now, must
say, without meaning the slightest dsrespect
that gentleman who would quote Pollard
as authority on any mooted historical ques
ton, and who would receive bis stateme en'
Johnston's official report, thereby gives un'
deniable proof that he is not the best man
to select suitable history for our schools.
l next come to MIR. keiley's reply to my
second article. He again tries very inge
nously to shift the real issue and to draw
away the attention Of the reader by sneerins
raj Early do. and happened to bear Gene
raj Lee say" and to the "fervd rheto
ric and sympathetic appreciation which
GLOW ole IN" NV =" dramatic paragraphs )
Now, / have not space to reply to all OF
this Introductory matter further than to tel
Mr.. Kelley that the good people of Rich
mond and Virginia will receive us true what
ever "saao General Eartg do," and that tn,
,rorld will receive as history whatever
"heard General Lee say" Mr.. Swinton ant
his jealous defender TO the contrary not
withstanding. Aud beg to call him bacl
TO the question at issue, which is, not whe
ther J. William Jones or Mayor A. NJ. keile.
are competent writers for the newspapers
but whether S,ctnton'S History is a proper
book for our schools. .....
9. Resuminy my notice of Dir. Keiey's
renly TO nv citation of errors in SwintOn
come next to Jackson's splendid Vale!
c,mpaign, which Swinton calls "raad,
and which Mr.. Kelley thinks is fairly treatet
by him because of his "enforced breoity'
which he " impartially observes 1.-THE omis
sion of all mention of Kerustown being IN
Mr., Keiley's view an Offset to his omittlnt
all notice of Mcdowell, Winchester, Cross
Keys, and Port Republic. Now, who sen
forced this "brevity 2" Had Swinton AZ
order TO manufacture for the School Boart
of Richmond a history whose account OIL th'
war should embrace only "36 pages duode
cino"Y If not, why did he not-take spac'
enouqh to tell the truth And insist ina
even in the space he occupies ne mIght nay'
given the reader some intlmation OF JACK
sons splendid victories and large captures
and that in dwarting this brilliant ampalgl
into mere raid he has made an lnexcu
sable blunder, from which Mr.. keliey's ID
genuity can never relieve nlm: lh'
boys who wore the graz" ano
all who sympatbized with them VII
continue to think that q book which is tos
brief to give better account OF TINS cam
paign is entirely too brief for their chiidref
to study. ,,....-.-. :
As for his omission of the account o
Kernstown, Jackson always claimed that ~
accomplished his main object on that heiu-
!, e., the prevention of an attack on Jonn
ston's flank; and General Johnston sald a
IL