Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-28
Up HIS DAILY APP Il A I1----SUN

the steamers lay with our supplies. There
we're twenty-five thousand effective men In
Donelson at the beginning of the siege OF
course there was a risk In attacking Donelson
as did, but, said the general, smiling, 81
knew the men who commanded it. | knew
,me of them in Mexico. Knowledge of that
ind goes far toward determining q. move
.aent ike this.
THE ATTACK ON FORT DONELsON.
Suppose Longstreet or jackson had been
1 commando said your correspondent.
''If Longstreet or Jackson, said the gen
rral, ''or even if Buckner had been in COM
land, | would have made different cam
paign. In the beginning we all did things
more rashly than later, just as jackson did IN
MS earlier campaigns. The Mexican war
made the officers of the old regular army
more or less acquainted and when we knew
he name of the general opposing we knew
enough about him to make our plans accord
Ingly. What determined my attack on
Donelson, said the general, was as much
the knowledge | had gained of its command
ers IN Mexico as anything else. But as the
war progressed, and each side kept improv-
ing its army, these experiments were not pos
slble. Then it became hard, earnest war, and
neither side could depend upon any chance
with the other. Neither side dared to make
a mistake. 1t was steady, hard pounding,
ana the result could only be ruin to the de-
teated party. That was a popularity In our
war that we were not lighting for a peace, but
TO destroy our adversary. That made it so
hard for both sides, and especially for the
south.
PRESIDENT JoHNsoN's RESOLUTION TO AR
REST LEE.
Your correspon dent recalled a rumor cur
rent at the time about the intention of John
son to arrest Lee. YES" said the general,
''Mr. johnson had made up his mind to arrest
Lee and the leading southern officers. 1t was
in the beginning of his administration, when
he was making speeches saying he was re-
solved to make all treason odious. He was
addressing delegations on the subject, and
Offering rewards for Jeff Davis and others.
Upon Lees arr 'st he had decided. Iprotest-
ed again and again. 1t would come up IN the
cabinet, and the on Y minister who supported
my views openly was Seward. always SAID
that the parole of Lee protected hun as long
as he observed 1t. On one occasion Mr.. john
son spoke of Lee, andtwanted to know why
any military commander had a right to pro-
tect an arch traitor from the laws. | was an
CRY at this, and | spoke earnestly and plainly
TO the President. | said that as general it
was none of my business what he or congress
did with General Lee or his other command
ers. He might do as he pleased about civil
rights, confiscation of property, and so on.
That did not come in my province. But
a general commanding troops has GER
tain RESPONSIBILITIES and duties and
power, which are supreme. He must deal
with the enemy in front of him so as to
destroy him. He may either kill him, capture
him or parole him. His engagements are sa-
cred, so far as they lead to the destruction of
the foe. | made certain terms with Lee-the
best and only terms. If | had told him and
his army that their liberty would be invaded,
that they would be open to arrest, trial and
execution for treason, Lee would never have
surrendered, and we should have lost many
lives in destroying HIM. Now my terms OF
surrender were according to military law, to
the instructions of Mr. Lincoln and Mr.. STAN
ton, and so long as Lee was observing his pa
role | would never consent to his arrest. MIR.
Seward nodded approval. | remember feel
ing very strongly on the subject. The matter
was allowed to die out. l should have re-
signed the command of the army rather than
have carried out any order directing me to
arrest Lee or any of his commanders who
obeyed the laws. By the way, one reason
why Mosby became such friend of mine was
because, as general, gave him safe conduct
to allow him to practice law and earn a
living Our officers IN Virginia used to
arrest leading Confederates whenever they
moved out of their homes. Mrs. Mosby
went to Mr. johnson and asked that her
husband might be allowed to earn his ii-5ng.
But the President was in a furious mood, and
told her treason must be made odlous, and
so on. She came to me in distress, and l
gave the order to allow Mosby to pass and
repass freely. | had no recollection OF this
until Mosby called it to my attention. By
the way, Mosby deserves great credit for his
sacrifices in the cause OF the Union. he Is
an honest, brave, conscientious man, and has
suffered severely for daring to vote as he
pleased among people who hailed HIM as
hero, and III whose behalf he risked his life. y
ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON AND JOSEPH E.
JOHNSTON.
An allusion was made by your correspond
ent to Albert Sidney Johnston, and the gen.
eral said 81 knew Albert Sidney Johnston
before the war. When he was sent to Utah
had high opinion of his talents. When
the war broke out he was regarded as the
coming man Of the Confederacy. | shared
that opinion, because | knew and esteemed
him, and because | felt as we all did IN the
old army, where was public opinion among
the officers as to who would come out ahead-
In maLy cases, in most cases, our puollc opIn-
ion was in error Bragg had great reputa-
ton in the south. Bragg was the most con-
tentious of men, and there was story IN
Mexico that he put every. one In arrest under
him and then put himself IN arrest. Albert
Sidney Johnston might have risen IN fame,
and we all had confidence in his doing so, but
he died too soon, as Stonewall jackson died,
too soon for US to say what he would have
of the war. The southern army had many
good generals. Lee, of course, was good
soldier, and so was Longstreet, but | do not
know that there was any better than Joe
Johnston | have had nearly all or the
southern generals in high command in front
of me, and Johnston gave me more anxiety
than any of the others. | was never half so
anxious about Lee. By the way, L saw In
Joe Johnston's book that when l was asking
Pemberton to surrender Vlcksburg he was
on his way to raise the siege. | was very
sorry If had known Johnston was coming
would have told Pemberton to wait In Vicks-
burg until | wanted him, awaited Johnston
advance and have given him battle. He
could never have beaten that Vicksburg
army, and thus L would have destroyed two
armies, perhaps. Pemberton's was already
gone, and was qui.e sure of Johnston s.
was sorry did not know Johnston was COM
ing until it was too late. Take it all IN all,
the south, in my opinion, had no better sol
der than Joe Johnston-none, at least, that