, 1875-06-05
General sherman,s Memoirs.

| Whatever doubts may be entertained as 10
the sonndness of General Sherman's opinions
oil his contemporaries or the propsiety a ex-
pressing them at the PRESENT time, no cus
Will be inclined to question the courage with
which he publishes them OF the faith that he
has IN their oorreCt.ess himself a man Of
acute and intense kseling, strong peeiudices
| which he does not effect TO conceal a plain
manner and dsuntles personal courage,
with, besides, an apparent delight in public
| controversy, our GeneTsl of the aruey is the
very man. when he shoulders his pen and
shows how fields were won or lost, to treat
with frankness approaching Is brutality
any one concerned with whom his relations
are not particularly amicabls. Genarzl
! Hooker, for instance, is set down n " &gh,-
er very much oyer-rated, especially by him
self; General who lightly esteemed orders
| or military principles when he could "switch
| off after glory" dispatch writer rather
more eloquent than enact, and q man who
managed in one act TO display two unsoldier-
ly characteristics, personal piqpe and per-
sonal cowardice. General II Clernsnd, again,
Is written down as an in.riguer and sE etS-
gist who did not hesitate to claim in the
had never performed. General Frank Blair
and Logan are admitted to have been brave,
but General Sherman mistrusted them be-
cause they would inevitably subordinate the
soldier to the politician. General butter
fields departure TO the rear at critirsI
period is asCribed to a fear of being involved
IN the disaster which he thought impending
at Atlanta. Mr.. Murat Halstead comes in
for a hard knock as an editor who would
sacrifice truth on the shrine of sensation.
And 50 the General stalks along in his heavy
jack-boOts, here impinging on a sensitive
skin and there grinding tender toe to pulp.
The days of dnelling are practically over
IN this country, and General Sherman's posi-
ton would, even if the code were generally
recognized, make it somewhat difficult for
most of tho parties interested to secure what
satisfaction Is afforded by an exchange Of
shots, 20 that the publieasiou of these ''mem-
Oirs' will not be as fertile of cartels and
combats as might have resulted few years
since under similar circumstances. PIblio
opinion too, is against the righting Of wrongs
or answering of accusations with the hOcss
whip or the bludgeon. Nevertheless-snd
this is a source Of alarm to the reading pub
lic-the person assailed can always find q
battle ground in the newspapers. After me,
may General Sherman say, the deluge Of
cards, contradictions, corrections, statements,
interviews, sfidavits, what not; all the
more certain To be printed because they will
appear at dull season Of the journalis.io
year. What the ultimate result will be Is
not easy to predict. To each man different
opinion, particularly on matters personal.
1t may, however, be assumed that General
Sherman, having the ample opportunities
I for observation and ample time for reflection,
has not expressed himself more vehemently
! than he is warranted in doing by the facts as
seen from his standpoint.
| PerhupS the book is all the better for this
Better it certainly is for the reader; better
it may be for the grand cause Of truth. If
| there are men who are masked in false repu-
tations it is well nigh time to find them out.
1t is only from the production of all the facts
as they appear from every point of view that
| the impartial observer can arrive at histori-
cal truth. The great civil war remains as
vet wrapt in mist of Misrepresentation,
/ suppression, exaggeratiOn, prejudice, enrhu-
siasm. Such books as this of General oher-
mans will. when properly "eighed and
edited, be priceless contributions for our
American Kinglake whenever he srises.-N.
Y World