The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-05-27


BIO, General, do not want to know your plans
Tell me what you need 20 carry them ont That is
all Icare 70 know. And when you GO 10 Mr. Lin
coin you will do we'll TO observe the same discretion.
Mr.. Lincoln may not want 10 know any more OF your
plans than do. but can understand how you might
naturally sock the confidence Of the President Now
Mr.. Lincoln Is Of gentle and tender nature. apt
eonnds in many people, and what you tell him about
military movements he may tell to tho next Senator
with whom he has intimate convcrsu-
ton, saw Lincoln He was cordial and hearty
as Stanton, II possible moro so, because no
was man OF more alabls and gracious manners.
When Lincoln and alone tho President began
tho conversation by repeating story from article
BY Orpheus G. Kerr-a comic article satirizing tho
conduct OF the war. II was, rs remember. y story
about Captain Bob Shorty ana the MacKcrcl Brigade.
ana the anaconda policy, something about generals
in Tho field being hampsrsd by food Of orders
When he had finished Lincoln said very much what
stanton had sad--ihat ne did not to know what
/ was TO do, only to know what wanted; that
should have nil ! required Ho wished mo to
beat Leo how did II was my own duty.
He said he did NOS wish to know my
plans or to exercise any scrutiny over my
plane so long az beat tho rebel army no satis-
fed He spoke Of plan he had long thought ovor
and took down a map. He drew imaginary limo
between two OF the Virginia creeks or rivors. the
namos OF which have escaped 0ne, and said that
might move ON that limo and have the streams for
supplies. looked AT tho plan and saw in q moment
that II / PIT my army on such line would be Ia
much tho Same position az tho army OF the James.
would be powerlsss; could 10 no gaod to our
side and no harm to the other. ! would be locked
up told Mr.. Lincoln ! would consider
the plan and that was the Lass Of II.
The route was nm impossible route, and
was never mentioned again by Mr.. Lincoln.
That is as far remember. the story OF the
conference between Mr. Lincoln Mr.. Stanton and my
self when took command OF The army. The ques-
tion Of my plans and their wisdom and wisdom was
never aforward subject Ut conversation cor.
.respon dence. II there; biunders in that
paign tho blucders mine and not those Of Lin
coin or Stanton They did everything In the world to
assure my success Upon me and upon me alone
most the whole responsibility tall"
HOW HISTORY wRirTxS.
This led 10 a remark from your correspondent re-
GREETING that men or rank and emiucncc like Taylor
and welles should write what is called history, in vio
lation OF facts, especially when tho truth
was so easily accessible 'Yes" said the
General with smile, las history goes on
we shall discover that tho North were fighting wind
mills, that tho South mad troops that In sme we
discovered the absence OF any enemy and stepped
in and claimed victories. sometimes ask where were
all these abc-bodied Of the South during the war
II VIC believe history not many Of them were In
battle. 1t always struck me that enough Of
them in every engagement aud thatI bad but little
advantage in orce-none II you consider the that
tho Southern were always the defensive. In
these articles Of wellcs and Taylor you note
that they not only assume that the true
and proper way TO have attacked Leo was
by way or the James River, but that tbis also
was my opinion. II the whole OF my command had gon
BY the way OF James River certainly would have
found enough Of Lees force to have retarded my
progress and to fight me- and possibly enough would
have spared have threatened the national CAPT.
tall AS It confronted Lee, and held him and ali
his hosts far from Richmond and the James, while I
seat the Same day Of my advance across the Rapdan
force by the James River sufficient as thought 10
have captured ali south OF Richmond TO Petersburg
and hold Il. believe that II General Butler had
had two corps COMMANDERS such might
have selected had known the material OF the
entire army well as did afterward he would have
done So and would have threatened Richmond ITSELF
80 as materially TO have aided me further 10 the
North"
TnE RELATIVE POWER OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH.
s.Thero Is another point" said the General THAT
these historians omit II Is said that crwhelmed
the South. In foreign journals and foreign assem-
Giles is put this way, that we overran the South
with the scum OF the world with hirelings aud Hos
sane. No one do more honor 10 the foreigners
who came into ranks than myself. They werc
brave men and earned our gratitude But SO
far from our armies being foreign question
II moro than three pcr cent were aliens.
Yet havo no doubt many we'll informed authors
will tell you that there werc only three per cent
r.gu
during the war, and this is the way history u made
now. We never overwhelmed the South, ana 1 am
only sorry we could not have done and ended tho
war and its miscries. What we won from the South
won by hard lighting, and the Odds when there
were odds. were never decisive. We had to
fight the Southern States. They were a unit
and we were divided. Every able-bodied malo
In the South from fourteen to sixty was in tho
army or was supposed TO DO thors wo had 10 depend
upon volunteers and tho transcription. Tho South
had 1900 900 Of negroes These negroes kept tho
farms projected the families, supported the armies
and wcro really reserve force, most important
reserve force In lighting nation. Those ZOO, 900
OF negroes did work that white men would have
been compelled 10 do Yet thoy never counted in
any summary Of the forces Of the South. rhey arc
forgotten as II they had existed, and yet they
kept the acres green and the harvcsts growing whio
tho white men IN the war; Men, women and
children went into the fields The South was
really nm organized army During tho In tho
south all progress. all industry 70 a halt and
nothing allowed 10 interfere with the war Even
the South suffers from war stagnation, from war
paralysis In tho North Industry was never more
brisk ali tho arts Of cherished; society
moved on; inventions discovered; the genius oil
the country as keen ever. We supported an
army ana bockading 1eeI We never tagged in our
industry. We kept our place a. . manufacturing
commercial power. Cities like Chicago, new York,
San Francisco grew and grew, while savannah and
Now Orleans and Charleston iasguishsd. We not only
sustained our part In the war, but oil that
CURED for peace. In spite or ali the drain upon
the resources OF the North moro prosperous,
more powerful, moro respected ana feared by tho
nations than whom the war broke out. Remember,
as have sao, that ws had By NO means y united
North. while tho south was unit We had TO send
troops suppress riots in New York had enemies