The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1878-07-25
EGENEftAL LEE;
As he is Pictured by Distinguished German
Officer before Class in the Royal
academy Of ArlitIcfisis and tngi-

tDr. Joseph p Thomnsou in the n y tndspahden'
Raring the American waf The yGapa'
/ thies of the G srmau people we're -strupg,
ly on the side of the North They
showed their good feeling toward the
Union, and their con6denco in its success
by subscribing largely for United States
bonds, at most critical period of both
our arms aud our finauees-a a confidence
which Congress has abused In a most
humiliating way by providing for cheat
ing the b1ndholders out OF eight cents
on the sdoilsr TbRsda We anrselYes ets
cipation. Bue while on she qyeaf ton q
slavery and the. union the German peo
pie were with u5, yet, from professional
point of view, military men in Germany
rated the southern generals, and esPe9i
ally Lee, above the generals of the
union. They do not seem 10 have mas
tered the grand strategy .! Grant and
Sherman, by which Richmond was at
last shut tip id vicej the energy with
which Grant drove Lee back 10
Richmond; the patience with
which, having shut Lee up in his
capital, he held bim there, until Sher-
mans arrival at G larleston gave the
signal for taking Richmond, without
giving Lee siDgls chance Tor escape.
The other day, seeing it announced that
CIptain MAngold, instructor in the royal
academy of artilIeris:s and engineers, in
Berlin, would give a lecture on General
! Lee, was curious to hear how German
officer would picture the military leader
of the Confedelacy. Captain Mangold
/ has been conscientious student Of the
American war III it's military bearings,
! and so we'll did he peIf,rm this tasS,
with so mitch discrimination, CaDdar and
fairnf IS, that felt constrained to say to
the lecturer: ''W, re | 4 southerner, ]
could not ask more; and as a uniOnl5t, |
should not have b en- zatisfi~d with lesa. J"
Surely, all Americans are now ready to
accord to Lee his just need Of praise for
| brave, honorable and skiIiful soldiership
! in mistaken eauae Tue lecture WAS a
chapter from book which Captain Man
gold is writing upon the civil war in the
Unit.d States, and was limited to a
sketch of the personal career Of General
Lee, In the, limits Of an hour he cqnld
give details of battles, and, indeed, he
only sketched the peninsular campaign.
Briefly describing Lees birth, family,
education and early career in the
United States army, and the relations
OF Virginia to the Union, the lecturer en-,
tered directly upon the act ofsecession, by
which Lee felt himself drawn with his
-tate-thcush with reluctance and even
protest-into the VORTEX Of Civil war.
His skill as an engineer in planning the
fortjfcatio1s of Richmond his manly
modesty when called to the supreme
| command bis tact in turning the mill
tarv vanity of Jrferson Davis to the
advantage of the aru1yi the energy and
secrecy with which he combined his forces
so as to outgenersl Mcclellan, and the
vigorous strategy with which he drove
him from the peninsula; and, when times
of disaster came, his fertility in gathering
resource his wisdom in harmoniGipg the
civil with the military authorities, his
power of eel command, his influence
over officers and men, his patient endur'
ance of ilI-foTtune, his desperate struggle
against hope, and, at last, his dignjfed
resignation to defeat -these sli were
pictured and illustrated as exhibiting
military genius of high order and en-"
titling Lee to place Ia history among
the first generals Of the world. Lees
failure in the offensive was imputed to
the intermeddIing of Davis with the
army but two defects IS general were
ascriEed to him personally-au indifer~
enCe to discipline, and too kindly consid-
Grafton fer incompetent officers, both
resulting from excess of good nature,
Captsin M2ngold was persuaded also
that, rom first to last, Lees heart
was not In the cause of secession.
This was shown by the letter in
which he threw up his commission in
the United States army, and by his re-
fusal to make him eli military dictator
when it b, came evident that Davis was
running the coniederacY and the whole
south was ready to transfer its allegiance
to Lee. One point in Lees conduct
Captain MangoId could not reconcile
with the apparent sincerity of bis
character, nor with the C de OF military
ethic.-ths violation OF his oath as
United States officer. To Prussian
officer the violation of an oath Il crime
10 damnable as to BE- inconceivable.
Captain Mango!L stated fairly the
reasons by which Lee iu,tifed his action
in the trying dilemma in winch he was
placed hut he could find no ground
upon which a P,ussian officer could
Justify or evtn extenuste such breach
0. honor This must, indeed, remain
melancholy stain upon usne otherwise
attested rs noble aid gsed. But the
north should remember that Lee acted
only ior him seit when secession forced
the issue, and did not seek TO organize
conspiracy against the government he
had sworn to defend. Ole o'the saddsst
comments on secession is the perversion
IL gave to such a character. Let The
warning live with the mem Try Ct Lee
This Summers Eclipse.
A paup.et is just issued from the