The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-12-05
SwintOn's History i'm the Public
Gn1pnnls

Editors of the Dispatch Gentemen,-
Rev. Mr.. Jones continues in your paper of
TO. .dav his criticisms on Swinton's History,
and offers me, therefore, the opportunity OF
continuing my defence Of the School Board.
or the article before me about nine.tenths
consist of the Rev. Mr.. Jones's account of
the war intcrspersed with very interesting
"reminiscences of what he happened to see
General Early do, and happened to hear
General Lee say.
Iallude to this with no purpose, of course,
of objecting to the very widest latitude
which the Dispatch can afford It's corre-
spondent, but that | may have occasion to
recall Rev. Mr.. Jones TO the question at
issue, We are not discussing whether
Swinton or Rev. MIR. Jones could have writ
ten more satisfactory history of the war,
nor is the Board arraigncd for substituting
the terse. and cold, and compressed details
which child's history seemed to Us 70 re-
uuire for the fervid rhetoric and sympathetic
appreciation which glow in Rev. MIR. jones'
dramatic paragraphs; and my friend, II ne
will allow me, is in danger, therefore, oil tal!
ing into that logical pit, with which he l.
quite familiar, under the name OF 'gtiordht
eLencht.
Let us, therefore, remember that the ONLY
pertinent inquiry is whether the Schoo
Board, in the limited choice of books Il
which it was unhappily coutined, did its best
and, keeping this in view, let us pursue the
further counts of this indictment. l do sc
with the greater pleasure from reading the
frank declaration of your correspondent
that if be finds himself in error he will cheer
fully admit it. expect no less from his pro
fe>sion and from the manly character anC
high loyalty which won for him in the times
that tried mems souls II sObrtquet which, how
ever inappropriate some may think it. is ir
the judgment of one the least entitled, doubt
less, to form an opinion thereon, the highest
compliment that could be paid him.
And now TO the examination:
l. Mr.. Joncs's first complaint is that
Swinton's account of Jackson's famous Val
lev campaign is so framed that Il child would
ret theretrom the Idea "that Jackson made
a raid in which, after oyerpowering a
small force of the enemy, he ran off when
ANYTHING like an equal force appeared against
hiIn-ran so fast that Fremont and Shields
could not catch him-and secretly escaping
tbrouph some mountain hollow succeeded In
Joining Lee at Richmond"
| ask Tue CluUlu leuuCl IL lLSAS - VIZ 'ii5 ~
est warrant for this charge. Here Is what
Swinton says, and all ne says;
"While the Army OF the Potomac was
living waiting, the Confederate commander
sent Stonewall Jackson on a raid northward.
Jackson first struck Il blow at Fremont,
which caused that officer to retreat. lie
then fell upon Banks's force at sfrasouis'
and punishipg it severely, sent it to the 70
tomac. McDoweIrs army also bad to retire eur
from Fredericksburg. so US to oppose JACK
sou. when Jackson had thrown hach 1ne iN
thrce Union forces he put back to join Lee
The Union forces OF Mcdowell ana ,A bahkS
raced Jackson up the Shehanooan T, aiG, =:
but they could not head him of: these sur,
rim. events took place in the latter part O
Nav and early part of June. On bis return =
rom this raid jackson was ordered ny Lei e,
TO J move secretly down upon the right llanl
of the Union army ut MechanlesVile.D ),
l. there syllable OF countenance 10 'h'