American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-04-11
GENERAL JOHNST0X'S BOON.

From advance sheets furnished
the New York World, we are placed
in possession OF this distinguished
soldiers views on the cause which
led to the defeat OF the South IN
her struggle for independence. 1t
we mistake not, similar views were
entertained by Mr.. Stephens. and
other Southern statesmen, but which
did not find favor with the govern
ment. During the first year of the
war the subject was often discussed
in the army, and it WAS the opinion
of many Of our Tost intelligent
officers hat the action of the gov
erument III this matter would prove
IA fatal oversight. On the question
of failure. General Johnston says:
Much has been written and much
more said of the cause of the over
throw Of the Confederate States in
their great contest for independence.
One class. and much the larSest-
Tor it Includes the people who were
victorious i'll the war, and those
Europeans who watched the StruG
gle with interest, us well as many
of the Southern peOple-ascrIbes 1t
10 the superior population and
greater resources of the Northern
States. Another, Il class of South
eIn people, attributes our defeat to
II want of perseverance. unanimIty,
and even of loyalty on our own
part, and the consequent abandon
ment of the government of the Con
tederacy i'll it's efforts by the people
themselves. In my view both are
far wrong.
The cause of the suhiugation of
the Southern States was neither
want OF wealth and population nor
of devotion to their own cause on
the part of the people Of those
States. That people was not guilty
of the high crime of undertaking a
war without the means of wasing 1t
successfully. They had ample
means, which, unfortunately, were
not applied to the object of equip
ping great armies and bringing
them into the field. A full treas
TRY was necessary to detray the eX
penses of "a great war. The South
had the means Of making one, III it's
cotton alone. But its government
rejected those means, and limited
lis financial efforts to printing bank
l. xv-Y.I <.t. h.x
soon flooded. The necessity of
actual money in the treasury, and
the mole of raising it, We're gener-
ally understood in the county. 1t
was that the government should
take the cotton from the owners
and send it to Europe as fast as
possible, to be sold there. This
was easily practicable, for the OWL
ers were ready to accept any terms
the government might fix, and send
ing to Europe was easy in all the
first year of the Confederacy's eX-
istence. It's government went into
operation early in February. The
block ade of the Southern ports was
proclaimed in May, but not at all
effective until the end of the follow
ing winter, SO that there was a Pc
riOd of about twelve months for the
operation of CONVEX ting 100000 or
5, 0OO, 900 bale of cotton into money.
The sum raised in that way would
have enabled the War Department
to procure at once arms enough for
GOO, COO men, and after that expen-
diture the Confederate treasury
would have been much richer than
that of the United States. By APP
ply ing the first money obtained in
this way to the purchase of arms
and military announcements. or
using for the purpose the credit
which such an amount of property
would have given, the War Depart
ment would have been able to equip
troops as fast as they could he as
sembled and organized. And, as
the Southern people were full of
enthusiasm, SOC, 900 men could have
been ready and in the field, had
such course been pursued, at the
time when the first battle was ac-
tually fought the 21st OF July,
1861. Such force placed on the
Northern borders of the Conteder-
acy before the United States had
brought fourth of the namber III
to the field. would probably have
prevented the very idea of ''coer-
ciOn." Such disposition of such
an army, and the possession of fl
means of carrying on the
war for years would have secured
the success of the Confederacy.