National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-28

WHAT RUIKED TIE so UrHERl
CONFEDERATE
GENERAL J. e. JOHNSTON'S VIEWS.
The rebel General Joseph Z. Johnston hasjus
Published . work entitled "A Narrative Of I'LL
tsy Operations Directed During the Late Wa
s3otween the States" He shows that Jehsrsol
Davis intsrfered with his movements In ver1
psovoking way, and then attempts to SNOW INA
eAs South might have succeeded had u rignttJ
managed lite resourcea He says:
"A full treasury was necessary to dsifay tine q
psnsss Of great war. The South had the mean
Of making enc, In Ito cotton alone. But ~ gov
srnmeut rejected those means, and limited III
financial efforts to printing bank notsa viii
which the country was soon flooded. The nsces
sity of actual money in the treasury, ard IL
mode of raising II, were generally UNDERWOOD b
the country. It was that the govsrnmsnt shoald
take the cotton from the owners and sead Il q
Europe Is fast ss possible, to be sold there.
This was easily practicable, for the owners wUrs
ready to accept any terms the Government might
ax, and sending to Europe was easy In all the
1irst year Of the Confedsraey's existence. IT,
government went into existence early in Febru.
ary. The blockade Of the Southern ports vas
proclaimed in May, bat not ct all effective until
the end Of the following winter % that there was
period Of twelve months for the operation Of
converting four or i've million bales Of cotton into
money. The sum raised In that way would have
saabled the War Department to procure ct once
arms enough for 1--WE hundred thousand men, and
after that expenditure the Confederate treasury
would have been much richer than that OF TIE
United States. By applying the first money oh.
tanned in this way to the purchase OF arms and
military accoutrements, or using for the purpose
the credit which such an amount Of property
would have gwen, the War Department would
have been able to equip troops as fast - they
could be assembled ind organised. And, - the
Southern people were full Of enthusiasm, hvs
hundred thousand men could have been ready and
IN the field had such course been pursued ct the
time when the first battle was actually fought
the 2lst OF July, 1861. Such force placed on the
northern borders of the Confederacy, before the
United States had brought fourth Of the num-
Dor into the field, would probably have prevented
the very idea of coercion" Such disposition Of
such an army, and the possession Of financial
means Of carrying on war for years would have
secured the success OF the Confederacy.
Tho timely adoption Of such q financial system
would have secured to US the means of success,
even without an extraordinary importation of
arms and the immediate organization of large
armies. |
But after the Confederate currency had become |
almost worthless. when . soldiers months pay |
would scarcely buy one meal for his family-and
that was the case in all the last period Of ton
twevle months-those soldiers Of the laboring
olass who had families were compelled to choose
between their military service and the strongest
obligations men know-ther duties to wives and
children. They obeyed the strongest Of those
obligations left the army, and returned to their
homes to support their families.
The wretched impressment laws deprived the
army of many valuable men Of . class less poor
fhan haiti inst rafar radf RI law anutr ad
the impressment OF all articles Of military neces
slty that could not be purchased. |,
The government had the power Of regulating
the prices to be paid by It for all such commodi-
tics; and the commissioners appointed for the
purpose nxec them much below the market values.
No one would sell to the government of course,
when he could get from his neighbors twce the
government price for his horses or grain; conse-
Quently the officers Of the Government could
never purchase, but had always to procure sup
plies by impressment No rules for their guild
snoe were prescribed; none At least that were
observed BY them or known to the public, and
they were subjected to no supervision. All the ,
property Of Confederate citizens applicable to /
military purposes was therefore, under their ab-
holute control. The bad apd Indifferent officers !
Impressed what they were called upon to furnish,
In the manner least inconvenient to themselves,
usually on the nearest plantations or farms, or '
tho1e where opposition was not to be spprehended
The farms Of soldiers were generally under the q
management Of women, and therefore, were not !
unusually drawn upon for more than their pro- | d
portion. Hence it was not uncommon for soldier q
to be written to BY his wife that much Of the n
food he had provided for herself and his children
had been impressed that he should return 70 save
them from suffering or starvation. Such . sum- q
mons, 1t mayb be we'll supposed, was never un- n
heedsd. In
The sunerings Of the soldiers themselves bro. n
duosd by the want Of proper clothing, drove many
Of the least hardy out Of the ranks. Want of food
also 10 said to have had the same effect especially
IN the army before Richmond in the last year Of q
the war. nj
It was by such causes all due to an empty treas.
ury, that armies were reduced In the last Il
months Of the war. b
the charge of want Of loyalty or zeal In the
war, assert, from a. much opportunity for OBJ Ar
servaton rs any individual had, that no people Il
ever displayed much under such circumstances b,
and with little Tagging for 50 long time con- CT
tnuously. To-
An error in relation to the state Of preparation
for Of each of the two sections Of the country
the beginning Of 1861 has prevailed in the North
since then. refer to the belief that when the CT
Southern Confederacy was formed the arms that 4,
United States for the common defence were In the
possession Of the seeded States. b,
This beliefwas produced by the most malignant
and industriously circulated ISLANDERS BY which "a
the alton Of any public man I'm the United q
States ever sufiered-the accusation against John "
b Floyd. Of Virginia, that while Secretary Of fr
war he had all the public arms removed from nj
Northern TO Southern srseuals; to disarm the VI
North and arm the South for the impending war.
This accusation was % extensively circulated as
60 lead to IN investigation by committee Of the
House of Representatives. In January, 1851 The
chairman Of that committee was one Of the most
respected members Of the Republican party In !.
that House-Mr. Stanton. Of Ohio. The report Of D
that committee completely exonerated Mr.. Floyd
Ind refuted the cAlumny. Yet It co4ttn9sd TO Pc =,
and believed, while the refutshon, A. =
though BY such body, was unnoticed, and, BE- :,
liye Is now forgotten.