The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-04
ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON.
HISTORY AND MCPHERSON HsAvHs VIM
EpHgATEfEb.

| HISTORY AHW SHHHMMsSN WAvA5 WIN"
| HpHgATEEB.
| ] do not feel Justified III trespassing upon your
columns farther, by an elaborate answer to
| the communication Of your correspondent
10y" Full Justice cannot be done to either
side of the controversy within the limits OIL
owabe In daily newspaper am excused
too from this task, by publication which has
lust issued from the press Of Appleton's, Of
| New York This Is tho Lille OF Albert Sidney
Johnston" by his son, Col. william Preston
| Johnston, Professor Of English Literature at
Washington-L University, Virginia, lhave
| @ copy Of this work, which has been largely
subscribed for by our citizens, and for which
that popular and gallant gentleman, Gen.
Writ Adams, Is agent and solicitor. 1t Is
| d deeply interesting and Instructive DOOR.
| The style Is clear, vigorous and elegant, tho
narrative vivid, graphic and fotoble, the
| temper iudiciols, bipartisan and charitable.
| IL Is q book which ought to be read by every
Southerner- all who admire and respect
the highest traits Of Southern manhood and
berolstn. In no one of the Confederate
chiefs, who sacrificed their lives In that
gfeat struggle, were these qualities
more tremendously blended than In Albert
Sidney Johnston. It Is In no dlspatagement
Of any living oheftain that this can now be
said. and was said Of him by our venerated
ex- President tt has al egUtistic and parti-
san aspect to cens,lre or carp at tribute so
Justly rendered to our dead hero by his life
| time friend and associate, his companion In
many campaigns, 10 interpret an eulogy
which caused the hearts Of every one
who heard or read it to vibrate with
sympathy and poignant sorrow as an
invidious and Indirect depreciation Of n living
chieftain The theme and the occasion for
such manifestation were Inappropriate and
| ill-timefl. It reminds us OF the publication OF
that infellcituus and ungenerous criticism Of
Mr.. Davis, while prisoner and under indict-
meut. which appeared shortly after the war
| in hostile magazine (Harper's Monthtp).
The author of that untltpely and ungeneruus
criticism was the chief Of staff Of Gen. Beau
regard. The friends Of Gen. Beauregard were
gratified to hear through the newspapers Of
his condemnation Of this publication. Its au-
| thor achieved II most unenviable notoriety
among the people Of the South.
| The complaint Of your correspondent
against Mr. Davis Is expressed in q for differ
ent tone and spirit from the publication In
| Hmper's but Is alike inappropriate, Illogical
| and unployoked, And what is worse, the
weight Of authority and Of reason is against
| him: That Albert Sidney Johnston command
from Corlnth to attack the Federal camp on
| the Tennessee on the first day Of May, 1862
| that he planned and executed the battle Of
Shiloh; chat he had tho aid OF Cen Beaure-
gard In the organization and direction Of the
| army: that the plan was carried oHt In spite
yTu7 mi annnE m tn
this PLAN that with Gen. Johnston In the
| front and directing personally every principal
assault. there was no pause in the victorious
onset until he fell after the last strong posi-
| had been executed to the very letter In all It's
points. and fully justified the propositions
of oluston and falsitied the discouraging and
dsheartenng appfehonsions OF Benutegard.
thenight before the battle, when he advised the
retreat to Corinth and the adoption Of q do
| feusive instead of al offensive strategy. that
| during the twelve hours of terrible struggle,
of the tieroest fighting ever done on this CON
| tiuent ending in the victory and death OF
Johnston, Gen. Beauregard lay in his alnbu-
lance. In the rear OF the army FRUSTRATED by
q facilitating malady, which would have de-
tanned a less proud brave and ambitious sol
| dier from tho field, but had no effect what
ever TO prevent his prompt assumption OF the
| ommald on the announcement OF the death
| Of his superior Whether this change Of COM
manders operated the change Of strategy and
| the abandonment of the plan which Gen.
| Johnston had executed, and which Gen. Beau-
| regard had regarded impracticable-a tho
| consequent disastrous retreat and loss-I
| have not the time or the temper or the
| ability to discuss In this paper. But they
generals and other distinguished com
| inanders in the army which Johnston led
| to victory, and to whom Beauregard assigned
the responsibility Of conducting the retreat.
| The conclusions Of these officers may be found
clearly stated by Con. Duke, In his Life of
| Morgan" in these words, pngo 154: ut Is o
point conceded now on all sides that had the
Confederate army pursued its SUCCESS on the
evening Of the first day the army under Gen
Grant would have been annihiluted, and Buell.
never could have crossed the river. Had Gen
Johnston survived the battle would have been
pressed vigorously to that contamination
Then what would have been the situation?
The army remaining upon the banks OF the
Tennessee for few days, would have been
reorganized and recovered from the exhaus-
tive effects Of the battle. The slightly wound
cd, returning to the ranks, would have made
the muster roll full 10000 efoctives. Price
and Van Dorm, coming with about $1,000, and
the levies from all quarters which were
Johnston nearly 10000 men,
| Then we have the statement Of Jordan, In
his Life Of Forrest" that, after the capture
OF Prentiss' Division, Forrest, who was Skin.
HllSIulB LII blle lItIlty oclIt IL SEtll UlllCbL W
Gen. Polk, that by Il strong, rapid forward
movement, the enemy might be driven into
| the river.
Bragg, who, with oil faults, was certainly q
brave, honest and truthful man, and at the
battle of Shiloh was all the while in the front
thus concludes his report:
"What followed is q part Of the sad history
of the country, and need not be recapitulated
Had the first shot OF the fifth on the skirmisl
line killed Sydney Johnston, the battle Of
Shiloh would not have been fought and wor
by the Confederates. Had the fatal shot
which struck him down on the sixth not beer
fired, Grant and his forces would have beer
destroyed or captured before shutdown, ant
Buell. would never have crossed the Ten
nessee."
Hear Hardee, too, on the same subject:
"At the moment OF supreme interest it was
our misfortune to lose our commanding Gen
eral, The disaster caused a lull In the ATTACK
on the right and precious hours were wasted
1t is my opinion, the candid belief OF all IN
teligent men, that but for this calamity W.
would have achieved before sunset a triumph
signal not only in the annals Of war, bu