The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-04-16
GEN. JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON.
His Differences Of Opinion with Ez-
President Davis Carefully and Con
cisely Reviewed by Colonel
George z. Phelan.
An Able Defense of Ilr. Davis, a nd
Severe Criticism Of Gen. John.
0GOn'S Military Career and
Ability During the

EDITORS APPEAL-From an articl
, which appears in your Sundays issue
seems that General Joseph E. Johnsto
: has at last written the book which has fo
so long excited the expectation of tn
, public. 1t had been announced long az
that this book would reflect upon tn
course of the Confederate administratio
in the conduct of the war, and the south
ern people were prepared to listen wit
attention and decide with justice upol
any statement made by the distinguish
author. 1t is therefore with astonishmen
at the fact, as well as regret for the mo
tive, that we have seen this violent, bite
and personal attack upon the President
Mr.. Davis. And it is proper that eacl
one of us should express a candle
and respectful condemnation of such
course.
In the first place, even admitting all
General Johnston has stated to be an &C
curate statement of all the facts, as vel
those the general did not, and could no
know, as those he had opportunities o
knowing, there is no propriety in thu!
using them as an instrument of persona
attack. The Generals own recollections
of the principles which prevailed when he
was an honored member of the proud
spirited, chivalrous cold army" should
have taught him the dignifed rebuke ad,
ministered by correct statement of facts
without comment; or should advancing
age have brought to his mind the memory
| of still younger days, he might have re-
mem bered the brave West Point motto:
'Don't strike him when he's down" and
spared has kick to the decrepid form OF
our broken chief. But as this question
has now passed beyond his control, and
become the purchased property of the
publishers, who have bought his book, we
have now TO consider it only as it appears
in the book. And not having the official
documents to which he has and has not
referred, nor his time and large acquain-
tanee to draw upon by letter, we may
claim to be at least fair, when we discuss
his letter upon its own statements, and
lynch him In the blaze of his own ar
son.
Two questions arise at once upon this
book: First, are they true second, are the
deductions correct?
In the first place, General Johnston
charges Mr.. Davis with the authorship of
an unsent message, presenting the Gener-
al to the Confederate Congress as a mill
tary failure. And for reasons stated sat
isfactory to himself, he considers that Mr.
Davis, not having the courage himself,
has loaded blunderbuss, and hired man
to pull the trigger after he is dead. For
the purpose, therefore, of obtaining his
favorite position, he has assumed himself
to be attacked, in order to show how well
he can defend himself. And having ar
ranged his antagonists attack in a COM
Portable manner, he proceeds to whack
away scientifically upon its utter destruc-
ton. We might leave the general to the
fierce conflict, our regard for his safety
being allayed by confidence in the artist;
but for believing that in point of fact the
generals conscientious suspicious are cor
rect, and that perhaps Mr.. Davis, in
common with large proportion of the
people of the South, did consider him as
an utter and absolute military failure.
This, however, cannot excuse his wanton
attack, on purely suppositious grounds,
upon Mr.. Davis. Previous threats are
no justification for assault, unless connect
ed with some present demonstration, even
in the vilest criminal; and the general APP
pears, from his own statement as to his
grounds for attack, to have awaited him
self of private rumOr to make out a pub
lie wrong at the hands of Mr.. Davis-a
wrong which, if contemplated, had been
abandoned-and unconnected with any
other evidence of future danger than his
own fears
Butsupposing these charges to have been
made by any one-what are the generals
answers thereto?
The grGUGnser of the charges, an toto, is
that General johnson was a failure as a
general. This is the substance of the whole
matter And will the general himself as
sert that he aOa8 mott
Universal opinion has long since settled
that success is the only practical criterion
of merit. The rule is without an excep-
ton in military affairs Success is not
the result of accident, but of the exertion
of talent and energy toward the attain
ment of a given end. And no matter
how great the energy and talent displayed
or professed, failure shows indisputably
that they were not sufficient for the pur-
pose.
In military affairs the means Of execu-
ton are the lives of thousands, the proper
ty, honor and liberties of nations. And
the man who sacrifices these in the en-
deavor to attain more than he can achieve,
is not only failure, but criminal. Such
are the chances of ambition. Its rewards
are too great and too tempting to human
desire, not to demand the check of punish
ment equally great. The great Albert Sid
ney johnson sealed his Acknowledgement
of this with his life Bonaparte made it his
rule of promotion, and General Joseph E.
Johnston denies it by book. General
Johnston, by his own showing, during the
late war, was continually in command of
large armies. At various times he COM
handed every army in the Confederaey
east of the Mississippi, he has fought
many battles, and has Unanswered over
every section of the theatre of war, and
the fact remains that in no single instance
has he ever won either campaign or
battle. Under direct orders, he says, he
advanced to Beauregard's relief at Manas-
sas, and as soon thereafter as he assumed
control of the army he retreated. He
advanced, he says, under direct orders, to
Yorktown, and again retreated to Rich
mond. Once away from the direct control
and orders of the war department, in Mis-
sissippi and Georgia, and he at once re-
treated. Let the general explain these
facts to the country; and while thousands
of desolate homes keep the passover in
sorrow for the victims of his failures, let
him not break upon the gloom with his
querulous complaint against 1.-THE admin
istration." He was a failure-an utter
failure; and he stands now as the only
general in the Confederate service who
never won battle.
The first charge in his synopsis" is that
he abandoned Harper's Ferry with much
valuable MACHINERY" and that he did not