Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-07-08
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 5, 1875.

| WASHINGTON, ID. C., July D, 1919.
EDITOR 1t seems that
the criticisms of General BoyntOn, the
able correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gazette, are not clearly understood as
to their real import by some OF your
readers. Having carefully read the
articles in question and interviewed
Gen. BoyntOn concerning their ami
mus, l wish to say few words upon
the subject: BoyntOA does not propose
to discuss the military character OF any
of Gen. Sherman's movements and
campaigns, and will leave them for
comment of soldiers concerned therein.
But he does propose, in the future, as
in the past, to discuss questions OF fact
traversed by statements appearing IN
Gen. Sherman S memoirs. He claims
that Gen. Sherman has allowed many
gross and glaring inaccuracies to appear
throughout his entire work, and partic-
ularly where he has endeavored to cast
blame for failures and defeats upon 9TH
er Generals, or to assume for himself
unwarranted credit for certain success
full movements or campaigns. BOyn-
ton has had access to official records and
has certainly Individually controverted,
by Gen. Sherman's own afiidavits, cor
respondence and dispatches, and the
reports of other Generals, many of the
assumptions seen in the memoirs, and
Justify him clearly in his assertion that
he is criticising the book written by
Sherman, not his (Sher:nan's) military
career-the author, not the soldier.
There is a wide difference between
soldiers war career and book that he
may afterwards write upon the matter,
and Gen. Sherman is taking up the pen
after laying down his sword, simply
puts himself where he becomes a fair
subject for honest criticism. We have
noequitable right, whatever, to allow
our admiration of the soldier to lead us
into the error of accepting blindly any
statements he may make when he
turns author and tries by special plead
ing to prove his own side Of the case.
1t is not possible for any General in
prolonged war TO avoid error in cam
paign or battle, and Gen. Sherman
should have rested on the nations char
ity, which has been so freely accorded
to any and all blunders he may have
made. The people have ever looked
alone at the results accomplished by
him, and have certainly overlooked
fault t-fnding because that at particular
times he met with reverses or because
that on other occasions he may not
have accomplished all that subsequent
light has shown was possible. But now
that he has seen fit to turn critic, to
write book teeming with inaccura-
cies, which official records made by
himself refute, he certainly cannot
complain if criticised most severely in
return, and if it be clearly shown that
he is far better soldier than author or
critic. II he cannot spare others-the
dead as we'll as the living-it is not just
to allow his misstatements to pass into
history without correction, and those
of us who revere old Pap Thomas
and who accord to Grant, Logan and
Blair some share in the war cannot re-
sist being gratified that Boynton has,
and VIII criticise the critic who has
written 'Sherman's Memoirs Were
Gen. Sherman nominated for Presi-
dent, thousands of soldiers who fought
under him, and who are proud of him
as their General, will, l am assured,
take precisely the same ground as that
of Gen. Boynton, in drawing distinc-
ton between the General and the man
who assumes a new role, with which
merit as soldier has nothing at all to
do, and in refusing to vote for him, to
that extent will criticise him for at
tempting that which lies outside his
profession. To be more specific l
would say that surrounding Gen. Sher-
man are influences which few Protest.
ants would care tc see in the White
House, and vet his nomination as Pres
ident necessarily puts before each SOL
dier voter the simple questions: Does
brilliant record as General compel
sanction and support Of all that may
arise after the war? Shall we who ac-
cord him every honor as soldier be
compelled to foregO judgment and
criticism when he assumes to be pol
| itician. u.