The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-04-01
Lee and Jackson.
AN ENGLISH GENERALS ESTIMATE OF THEIR
GREATNESS.

Lee anG JackS0ns
AN ENGLISH GENERALS ESTIMATE OF THEIR
GREATNESS.
Mai..Gen. Sir Garnet J. Wolseley, the vic
torious commander in the Ashantee war OF
1884, was stationed in Canada during our
civil -then.plain COL Wolseley- made
an underground visit to Gen. Lee just after
the battle of Gettysburg. In the United Ser
oice Magazine there is being published month
Iva biographical sketch of Sir Garnet Wolse-
lev. written by Lieut.. Low, late of the Indian
navy, who is the author of "The Life of Sir
George Pollock" In the last number of the
magazine the biographer reaches the period In
his heros life when he was in Canada and
made his visit to Lee. The reader is enabled
to obtain from this narrative some account OF
Wolseley's opinions of the leading soldiers who
fought on both sides in our war, and the value
of their military operations.
of Gen. Robert E. Lee-the reader is in
Eormed by Lieut.. Low-Sir Garnet Wolseley
had the most exalted idea. These arg his
words: .It is Wolseley's deliberate opinion
that in military genius Lee has had no superior
since the great Napoleon astonished the world
by his marvellous career cs victory and he
places Robert Lee even above the great Ger.
man generals who have so recently avenged
the defeats inflicted on their country BY the
mighty Corsican." It was his great admira-
ton for Lee as well rs bis desire to study war
under the novel aspects presented in the
Sonth that induced Col. Wolseley to under
take the rather perilous journey to that coun-
try. Leaving his quarters at Montreal quietly,
he passed through New York and Baltimore to
the lower counties of Maryland, where the
northern terminus of the underground passage
to the Confederacy was secretly laid. He had
obtained in Canada and Baltimore confidential
letters to persons in Maryland, who were in
possession of the necessary facilities to put
him on the right track He struggled through
the usual dangers which at that time attended
the surreptitious crossing of the military lines,
lodging from house to house and hiding IN
out-of-the-way places, and narrowly escaping
one evening capture by Federal cavalry. But
finally he got across the Potomac IN safety,
and wended his way partially on foot to klch-
mond. He picked up at the river country
man of his own, bound on the same adventure,
and during his subsequent stay in the Confede.
racy they Stuck together, This companion of
his subsequent travels was the Hon. Frank
-Lawley. brother of Lord Wenlock. Mr. Law,
lev was going to the Confederacy with COM
mission from the London Times to act as its
correspondent When the two Englishmen
reached Richmond they were received with
open arms by the people there. They had
MANY social attentions, and the Confederate
Government, through its Secretary of War,
Mr. Randolph, gave them carte blanche to 90
wherever they pleased. After Inspecting the
fortifcations of Richmond and Petersburg they
started by the Virginia Central Railroad to
visit the headquarters Of Gen; "l Lee, which were
Col. Wolseley and his companion were re,
ceiyed by Gen. Lee with that kindness and
stately courtesy for which he was SO noted:
Wolseley speaks with the utmost enthusiasm OF
the Southern commander. he described him
as q person who, wherever seen, whether in
castle or hovel, alone OF in crowd, would at
once attract attention rs "a splendid specimen
of an English gentleman, with one OF the
uaost rarely handsome faces ever seen. The
General was living in tent like the rest OF
the men, though there was comfortable farm
house near by. But he so scrupulously respect,
ed the rights of private property that ne would
not consent to take possession o. II. he ieo
the two Englishmen to q seat hard by, under
large tree, and there conversed with them on
the topic most interesting to them, the past,
present and future of the war. Wolseley says
that, notwithstanding his personal losses at
Arlington and elsewhere, which were very &C.
yere. Gen. Lee never evinced any bitterness of
feeling against the North, nor gave utterance
to q single violent expression. On the contra,
~, he alluded to many former friends and
companions on the other side in the kindest
terms. He talked freely about the battle of
Antietam, which had just previously been
fought.
The celebrated Stonewall Jackson received
Wolseleg and the Times correspondent with
much affability. "He talked most affection
ately of England and of his brief but enjoya'
Bile soiourn there Wolseley was quite over
come BY his interview with Jackson, For
1nyself" he afterwards exclaimed impulsively.
ri believe that, inspired by the presence OF
such a man, / should be perfectly insensible to
fatigue and reckon on success as moral GER
tainty."., Wolseley also made some remarks on
the morals of the Southern soldiers. He met,
while visiting the front, patches of convaes- al,
cent soldiers marching to join the army. rms
led him to praise the spirit of the men, but TO
condemn the great want of judgment evinced
.by the medical officers. After a sojourn OF
several days in the neighborhood of the She
1,andoah Valley, Wolseley and Lawiey re-
traced their steps to Richmond, and from
thence the future conqaeror of the Ashantees
made his way, by the tortuous and dangerous
passage across the Potomac and through Mary
land, to Baltimore, and so back to Canada.
EARLY CORN AND SUMNER DROUGHT.
rrI - 80 +bo,o, 1ybo question the prODriety OF