Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-05-22
Gen. }. II. Hoods Reply to Ger.
tain Statements Contained n Gen
Joseph T. JOhnslOn,s Book.

L very much regret that should find |
it incumbent upon me to discuss ut
this hour certain operations in the
West during the late war between the
States, but most unjust structures,
passed upon me by Gen. Johnston,
and which are derogatory to my char
acter alike as a man and a soldier,
compel me to speak in self defence, or
otherwise admit by silence the charges
brought forth. Although [ feel by
reason OF injustice done me in tho past
that l have greater cause to demand of
our people the privilege of a hearing
upon certain matters little understood 4
by them, / would nevertheless have
left the work of vindicatioD to the I'M
biased historian of the future had not
my words and actions been so strange
ly misrepresented.
Before and just after the close of |
the revolution our people, in the des- |
pair of defeat, were in no state of mind |
to listen to truth which ran counter to |
their preiudices. Blind passion how |
ever, has now subsidized, and reason, it |
is hoped. has returned; therefore, if |
not soliciting too much of some of the
principal journals of the South and of
the North. would request a hearing
| through their columns, as by that
channel alone can I arrive at the OBJ
! iect, now seek. L request this in
diligence ut least so far as the most
important historical events discussed
in Gen. Johnston's book are concerned,
and in which I was prominent actor.
Gen. Johnston speaks as follows,
page 1853 "a: "Gen. Hood, in his re-
port of his own disastrous operations,
accused me of gross official misstate-
ments of the strength of the army and
OF its lOsses-asserting that [ had sat
and near Dalton an available force of
seventy-tive thousand men, and that
twenty-five thousand fave hundred of
them were lost in the campaign,
including seven thousand prisoners.
He recklessly appealed for the
truth of these assertions to Major
kinlocke, Falconer, Assistant Adjutant
General by whom the returns of the
army were made, which were my au-
thority for the statement attacked by
Gen. Hood. At my request, made in
consequence of this attack, Major Fal-
coner made another statement from
the official data in his possession VIII eli
eontradicts the appellant. BY that
statement the effective strength of this
army sat and near Dalton" was forty
thousand, four hundred and eighty
four infantry and artillery, and twenty
three hundred and ninety cavalry"
Again, page $50, he says 1.-The loss
of the Confederate army in this cam
paign. while under my command, was
nine thousand nine hundred and sew
enty-two killed and wounded. About
third of it occurred near Dalton and
Resaca." The point in controversy is
this statement made in lay OFFICIAL re-
port "On the 9th Of May, 1864, the
army lay at and near Dalton awaiting
the advance of the enemy. Never had
so large Confederate army been as
sembled in the West. Seventy thou
sand (70,0OO) effective men in the easy
direction ofa single commander, whose
good fortune it was to be able to give
successful battle, and redeem the loss
es of the past" 1.-The Army of Tennes
see lost 22,750, nearly one-third of its
strength" shall now demonstrate
the ACTUAL loss during Genaral John
ston's campaign. In order to do this
it is necessary to prove what was the
forge Eat and near Dalton" or, as I
} expressed 1t in Lay official report, Gin
the easy direction of single com
mander,' May 6, 1864. 1t must be ad-
mitted that i'll order to ascertain the
} loss of an army during any campaign,
t seige or battle, We must first ascertain
the total effective force at the begin
ming of hQstilities, ana when the battle
is oyer, or The siege or campaign end
! ed, again find opt the etfectiye total,
which, suhstracted frQm tie number
= at the outset. will unauestionably give
the loss. This is the only means by
l which it can be fairly indicated. The
p, losses of an army are greater or less,
according to .he manner the troops
are handled, j. e.: An army standing
! its ground and fighting or advanc-
ing and driving the enemy, as
. was tue case in Virginia, under Gen
elal Lee. will count but few stragglers
and deserters the actiiaI loss is not
: great, iron the fact that The wounded
| men go to their homes, proud of their
, wounds, and the majority of them are
soc2 found again u the ranks. On
the o.Ler hang a.. array fighting and
retreating at the SANG ting, taking VI.
+ positions day after day only & be
, given up under cover of darkness, SUI
fers great loss. During such cam
paiSu the orders necessary to be given
!, i'll withdrawing from the immediate
presence Of al enemy are depressing;
such as directing that dead SILENCE DE
observed, wheels untitled, etc, for
fear of discovery and being fired upon
by the enemy. Let this policy be con-
tinued for distance of one hundred
miles, as it was from Dalton to Allan
ia, and the glory, pomp and circum-
stance of war are lost in somewha.
} funeral procession. The wounded can
not so home buoyant and hopeful, as
they are fcrc d to bear to their dear
ones the chilling intelligeEG e that "the
army is falling back - IN all such cases
they tarry with their friends, and many
fail to return. However, the loss from
this source is but small in comparison
to the nrmher of strqgslers picked up
by the enemy, and deselters who, be-
holding their homes abandoned to the
foe, BECAME disheartened, and re-
turned to their families within the
lines OF the enein,, as EGa the case in
North Georgia and West Alabama. du-
ring General JOhnston's continued re-
treat. The statement as derived from
Dr, Foara's return of the killed and
wounded il Doubtless correct; but
Gen. JOhnstons intention cannot as
suredly be to assert that this number,
nine thousand nine hundred and sew
enty-two. constitutes his entire loss
| during his campaign. AS will be seen
| i'll the return of Major Falconer to
which he refers, page STA, the effect
i've strengthen the army on the 10Th
Of Junes near kennesaw mountain.
when ab61it eighty miles from Dalton, |
and within about tEentE miles |
of Alta pta, was ffty:nine thou
sand two hundred and forty-eight;
whilst the return Of the 10Th of July
shows, Just after crossing the Chatta-
hoochee riyef, or the night of the
which subtracted from the number we
had when near Kennesaw Mountain
the 10th of June, demonstrates loss
of 9,62l, less 600 of J. X. Jackson's
command sent to Savannah. There
fore it seems impossible that General
Johnston should wish to create the
impression that c.o72 was his entire
loss from all catises,- when within the
last twenty miles Of his retreat he lost
IL