The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-10-30

| command under General Evans, of South
Carolina, which was not with the army
during the battles around Richmond.
| Another instance OF the difficulty which
surrounds any one who ventures to enter
into detailed history Of the war will be
found in the same Narrative Of which
have been speaking. On page 140 General
Johnston says: "About noon (of the 1st
of June) General Lee was assigned to the
command Of the Army OF Northern Vir-
ginia by the President, and at night the
troops were ordered by him to return to
their camps near Richmond, which they did
soon after daybreak" (Mouday, June 2d).
| On the next page, General Johnston pro.
ceeds TO describe the relative forces and po.
sitions Of the armies that had been engaged
| on Saturday, and says, with reference TO the
condition Of affairs on Sunday, June 1st:
CATER nightfall, Saturday, the two bodies
Of Federal troops were completely separated
from the two corps of their right, beyond
the Chickahominy, by the swollen stream.
which had swept away their bridges, and
Summers corps, at Fair Oaks, was six miles
from those of Heintzelman and Keyes,
| which were at Bottom's bridge; but the
Confederate forces were united on the front
and left fink of Summers corps. Such ad-
vantage OF position and superiority of num-
bers would have enabled them to defeat that
corps on Sunday morning, before any aid
could have come from HeintzelmaD, after
| which bis troops, ia the condition to which
| the action Of the day before had reduced
| them, could not have made effectual resist
ance."
And again, on page 14S, General Johnston
says:
"No action of the war has been so little
| understood as that Of Seven Pines. The
southern people have felt no interest in it
BECAUSE, being unfinished in consequence Of
the disabling OF the commander, they saw
| no advantage derived from it and the Fede-
| raj commanders claimed the victory because
| the Confederate forces did not renew the
battle on Sunday, and fell back to their
camps on Monday"
| The meaning Of these extracts is that
the Confederate army lost great opportu-
| nifty to destroy that of General Mcclellan
| the day after General Johnston was wound
ed, and that General Lee is responsible for
| the loss of that opportunity because he took
command about noon on Sunday, and at
night ordered the troops back to their camps
!
vantage they had gained on Saturday and
avaiing himself of the separation CT the
! Federal forces caused by the food in the
| Chckahominy.
| Now, | believe that General Johnston is
the last person in the world to endcavor to
magnify his own great merits by deprecia-
ting the conduct of others, and especially by
| deprecitiDg the conduct Of one whose
name, canonzed by death. is treasured
| by the southern people in their inmost
| hearts. And yet General Johnston has
! fallen into an error in those parts
of his Narrative that l have quoted
which is calculated to give the sane
| ton of his great name to reflection upon
| the capacity and conduct Of the illustrlous
chief under whom the Army of Northern
| Virginia attained its undying renown.
! General Lee did not take command OF the
army "about noon" on Sunday, nor were
the troops ordered by him "to return to
their camps near Richmond"
| When General Johnston, unfortunately
for the country, was wounded, General q.
| W. Smith succeeded to the command of the
army, and retained it for 3 few days. until
bis infrm health compelled him to relin-
| quish it.
| General Lee did not take command before
! the Sd of June, and when he did the troops
were already in the camps near Richmond,
| whence General Johnston had led them to
fight the battle of Seven Pines, Of which he
| truly saws that " no action OF the war haS
| been so little understood" Ncr do ! mean
! BY what / have said to disparage General
Smith. The opportunity Of which General
| Johnston speaks did not become known ur-
| TIL some days after the battle. ana could net
| therefore have been used the day after Cen
eral Johnston was WounGtd.
When you reflect that those who have
every desire to tell the truth. and whose op-
purtunities Of knowing the facts OF which
! they write are so far superior TO ny cWn,
| have fallen into errors which an sure lhty
| will be the first to correct, you will reaQliy
understand why do not venture 10 ScIect
| from all the events which marked the Ills.
| tory Of the Army of Northern virginia any
one of its great battles as the subject OF ny
address tonight. l have been engaged lo1
| two or three years, as scme OF you may
| know, in trying to write an account OF inc
| life and achievements OF the great leaaer OF
the Army OF Northern Virginia: ana, con-
| scieus OF my inability to "rse to the height
| of that great argument" I have spared no
labor TO make what shall write accurate,
|
| the dignity of the subject.
The Secretary of War saw proper to deny
nv request (preferrcd by distinguished
| senator of the United States, who honors
me with his confidence and trlendShlp.) to
| be permitted to examine the captured re-
! cords of the Confederate Government, OF
the contents of which some more fortunate
| Federal officers have from time TO time given
| ,.b,r tho lawyers call HDarOle testimOny.'
have thus been thrown back upon other
sonrces of information. and while am most
| grateful for the assistance | have received
from officers, both Federal and Confederate,
| 70 whom have applied, candor compeis ME
to acknowledge that the seeker alter truth
has a hard time OF it when be undertakes 10
describe with anything like mlnuteness any
| of the great battles of the war.
| Ever since the surrender at AppomattoA
! Courthouse have regarded myself asa man
of peace, but am obliged to admit that on one
| or Two occasions, when l was IN pursuit OF
| information, | have nearly come 10 oIo"s
with some jealous Federal officer who IN
| sisted upon convincing me that Tue Cohleae-
rate army was beaten in the Wilderness, or
with some unrecoustructed rebel who would
| not admit that we were repulsed at Ueltys-
burg. .,ot
Knowing, therefore, the difficulties that
| heset the way of the honest inquirer, casS
the mantle of charity over the errors OF tnoSe
who venture TO provide "materlas for the
usc of the future historian OF the war between
tbe Statcs"; but I shrink from following
| thair example lest | also fall into the same
condemnation.
There are. however, some undisputed