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

those Of such battle.6elds as Manassas,
Charlottesville, and Cold Harbor? We be.
levc that ICE won those fights, and wonder
why resolution Of Congress should be ne
ceSsary to blot them from the list Of Union
victories recorded on the standards of its
armies.
Do We not all think that we know some.
thing about the second battle Of Manassas !;
aud yet is not General Fitz John Porter, the
man who fought lis SO stubbornly at the first
battle of Cold Harbor, now in disgrace be-
cause it was proved TO the satisfaction OF a
Federal court-martial that half the Confede.
rate army was not in fact where we know it
was on the Goth of August, 1862?
And, on our side, have not all read Gene.
ral Joseph +. JohnSton'S " contribution Of
materials for the use of the future historian
Of the war between the States -; and has
any man risen from the perusal Of that in"
tcreSting book without being convinced that
its distinguished author is mistaken as to
some Of his statements, or that all the rest of
the world Is in darkness and ignorance?
| will venture to present two, and only
two, illustrations ofthe perpleXities in which
the culture historian OF the war between
the States will find himself involved when
he comes TO compare the material coutrl-
hute6 by General Johnston with the other
material contributed by official records and
documents which General Johnston seems
not TO have seen, or not to have consulted.
He, General Johnston, says on page 14J OF
his Narrative: "The author OF Alfriend'S 5
Life OF Jefferson Davis and some other
bioSraphcrS represent. TO my diSparagement,
that the army with which Genera! Lee fought
in the seven days was only that which
| had commanded. Ii is very far from the
truth. General Lee did not attack the enemy
until the 2Gth Of June, because he was en-
pIoycd from the first until then in forming
q great army by bringing 10 that which |
had commanded $4,000 men from North
Carolina under Ma ior-General Holmes, 22,0Oo
from south Caro!ina and Georgia, and above
10000 from the Valley i'll the divisions
of jackson and Ewcll, which the victories
Of Cross heys and Port Republic had rem
dereu dl-po>ahle."
General Johnston states in note the
sources of his information. He says: "Gen-
cral Holmes told me in General Lees pre-
Scnce, just before the fight began, on the
3l>t OF May, that he had that force 15,OOO
mcn) ready 10 join me when the President
should give the order" He then refers to
other evidence, which he says is in his pos
u.
mentS brought by General Holmes to Gene
raj Lee. aud which took part i'll the "seven
days" battles, amounted to $4,000 men.
As 10 the $4,000 from South Carolina and
Georgia, General Johnston says:
General Ripley gave me this number. He
brought the first bryade-500O men. Gem
eral Lawton told me that his was 6OG0;
General prayton that his was 1000. There
was another brigade, of which do not
know the strength
Now, the future historian Of the war
would not be apt to question the accuracy OF
statement made by General Johnston in re-
pelling insinuations in disparagement OF him.
self: aud if he did not push his Investigations
bcvond the lmlts of the Narrative would
be apt to record that from the three sources
mentioned by General Johnston the army
under General Lee was augmented by thlr-
ty-seven thousand men before the battles
around Richmond began.
And vet how hard the future historian
will be nut 10 it to reconcile the statements
in Johnston's Narrative with the official re-
ports made at the time. In the first volume
of the official reports of the operations OF
the Army of Northern Virginia, published
by authority OF Congress, ut page 1ol VIII
toe found General Holiness statement or the
number Of men brought by him to take part
in the battles around Richmond.
He then says that he was joined on the
3Oth of June by General Wise With TWO
regiments Of seven hundred and bfty-two
bsyouets. and two batteries Of artillery,
and adds: The effective force under my
orders thus amounted to six thousand In
rantrv and six batteries Of artillery being
less bv nine thousand than General John
ston's Narrative assigns to General Holmes.
General Johnston says that Ripley's brigade
was five thousand strong, and that Ripley
told him so. There may possibly have been
that number of men borne upon the rolls
of the brigade, but we have General Rip
ley's official report Of tue number under his
commaud who took part in the battles
around Richmond.
AT page 2S4, volume l., of the official re.
ports, General Ripley says: The aggregate
force which entered into the series OF en-
cacements on the Goth Of June was twent y
three hundred and SiXty-siX, Including pio-
peers and the ambulance corps
The Narrative puts the force under
General LlTton at six thousand men, but
before the future historian makes use OF this
contribution 10 his materials be would 40
well 10 read General Iawtous othclal report,
at pare go of the volume already referred
70. where he will find that General LaWtoh
gives the force which he carried into the
battle Of Cold Harbor on the 9th OF June,
1862. as thirty-fve hHndred men.
| have not been able to find General
Drayton's report of the part bis com,
mand took in the engagements arouhu
Richmond, if he did take part
in them, and therefore cannot com.
pare General Johnston's statement OF
be strength of Drayton's brigade with any
official statement but if the numbers given
officially bg Holmes, Lawton, and Ripley be
correct they brought less than J. l,S66 men TO
reinforce the army at Richmond instead OF
g6 600 as estimated by GeHeral Johnston.
Kinley and Lawton brought, according TO
their official reports, 1856 men instead OF
II GOO. ~ stated in the Narratives; and
Holmes. after being r.Ilforced by $50 ln-
t.utry from Wise, numbered G,000 muskets
instead OF lJ,OUO.
If RipIey and Lawton brought but 5,S66
effective men to reinforce the army around
Richmond, counting pioneers and the aul-
boIaDcc corps" it follows that Drayton's
hriuade. and the other whose strength
General Johnston says he does not know,
must have made up the rest OF the 22,ooo
men who. we are told by General Johnston,
came TO assist in the "Seven days" Datlie
from South Carolina and Georgia.
That is, those two brigades, Drayton.s ana
the unknown one, must have numbered
ahout 1G 600 men. General Johnston says
that General Drayton told him his brigade
was 1000 strong, so that the unknown brl-
gade must have had 5000 men to make up
p, 90 0no tb,t n,me from South Carolina