The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-06-08

action, were little eaIcuiatea 20 raise the
| generals reputation. fWheR he let in the
/ winter, by Jeferson Dayis's ORDERS to psf
the defences Of the .Carolinss In order, HIS
name was as unduiy deprecated as that of
Mcclellan was exalted. For that ofhcer'e
early success in Western Virginia had ahed
| CLEAN Of light over the North. In its
humiliation. It caused his instant selec-
| ton "a Commander-in-Chief when Scott
resigned the post he had. hitherto retained.
of Mcclellan as the young Napoleon of the
Union, the critics OF Richmond poured
forth their structures on General Lee as an
tover-refined etrategist. too subtle for prac-
teal warfare, and declared him the only
| failure among their commanders-judg-
! ments which were destined 70 be singularly
| reversed q few months later. And even
whilst they were being made, the presence
Of the latter in Carolina sufficed to bring
| back instant confidence to the forces sta
toned there, who in the frss moment of
panic at the success Of Burnsidess expedi-
tion against Roanoke, were for abandoning
the coast defences altogether
During the winter OF 1862, McCiallan,
welding large resources at Warrington,
showed to the full his real genius for organ
ization. At Lengths at the head of q we'll
organized army numbering over lO0, 600
men, with Q large fleet in support, and the
strategy-not without q sharp styn ggfe with
Tie strong win Of President Lincoln-l
70 bis own Judgment, he disembarke6 in
May ON that historic peninsula below Rich
mond which had witnessed In former days
the triumph of Washington over Cornwall
lis, forced his way along it despite obstinate
resistance, and crossing his right over the
river Chickahominy, which describes q
steady curve at q few miles distance around
the north and east sides of the city, planted
himself firmly within sight of the spires of
the enemy's capital. The North, under the
int IF har &ref IaFa hoa 10 Gov
more exertions than the Confederacy since
the previous summer. McCiellan's army
was soon made up to l56 GOO men, whilst
Johnston could only collect rather less than
half the number to protect the city, which
was really covered mainly by the works.
Cooperating with Mcclellan were further
Independent armies under separate leader
ship. OF these, Fremont and Banks, with
80, 600 men, were opposed by jackson with
half that number in the Shenandoah Valley;
end more important force of 40, 600, under
Mcdowell ut fredericksburg, was designed
to come in on Mcclellan's right, and would
complete the Investment of the city on its
northern side and bring nn immense su-
periority of numbers to overbear it's de-
tenders.
I such was tue programme on the side of
the North. But Jackson's detached COM
mand against great odds proved just such
an opportunity as that general needed to
make his rare talent for war conspicuous.
Being ordered by johnson to take the Of
feusive in the Valley, and draw some of
the pressure off Richmond, he perfolmsd
his task 80 admirably as not only to o l.
tralise the large forces of Fremont and
Banks, but to cause President Lincoln in
alarm to direct Mcdowell to send half the
Fredericksburg corps westward to take
| part in the operations against this redoubt-
able adversary. This detachment from his
| expected support held Mcclellan motion.
lees; for he had from the first considered
his own force Insufficient for direct attack
upon the enemy in his works, and, indeed,
overrated the number before him under
Johnston: and while he thus stood indecis-
i've the latter suddenly issued from his line
Of redoubts on the south side Of the Chick
ahominy, and became the assailant. The
action that ensuea on May 3fst, known as
the Battle of Seven Pines, was the most
obstinate of those fought at this early
partly entrenched and we'll guarded By
artillery, and though the left of his line
was forced, the Confederates gained no
decisive advantage over him, whilst they
themselves suffered the loss of their GEN
eral, who was severely wounded in the
commencement of the engagement by a
she'll. 1t was of course necessary to give
the Southern army. new chief at once,
and the choice fell naturally on Lee. He
had just returned to Richmond from his
duty In the Carolinas. He was more init
nlately acquainted with the defences of the
capital than any other officer. Aud what
was still more to the purpose, his former
rivals in reputation. and superioSs in the
favor of Jefferson Davis-Albert Johnston
and Beauregard-were far away, the one
slain in the hour of his promised victory
over Grant on the Tennessee the other still
in command of the large forces near that
river. On June Sd Lee took charge of the
army in which, save to the original vifei-
mia battalions, he was unknown or thought
little of, but which was destined under him
to achieve a history hardly less glorious or
less chequered than that of the African
veterans of Hannibal. Accident, rather
than the choice of the 'Confederacy. had
given him his high office 1t remained for
him to use his opportunity so as to win at
once the confidence Of his soldiers and /,
the Government. he served. The opinion
of him at that time was that he was dis
posed to be cautious, slow and somewhat
timorous. He was about to show himself
on the instant master of the art of strategy,
at once as daring, as sagacious and as bril- |
liant in combination as decisive in action. !
Mcclellan 8 force as we have said, was