The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-21
DAVIS, JOHNSTON AND BEAUREGARD
NEW ORLEANS, July 20, 1878.


Editor DemOCrdt-The writer of q commit
nication signed Soy" in your issue of last
Sunday, fourteenth instant, takes exception TO
some features in the late address of ex-Presi-
dent Davis, at Mississippi City, in a temper
ate and courteous manner which entities it to
an attention not due to some other criticisms
OF the same address that have appeared in
different quarters. AS no one else seems to
have seen fit, however, to answer 10y l will,
by your leave, say word or two in correction
of some mistakes under which he seems to be
labOring.
"Cy' complains that credit for the planning
nj the batflGof Shiloh is given to Gen. Albert
S ydney Juhus ton, commander OF the army, tn-
stead Of to Gen, Beauregard, second in COM
mand. He says:
GentraliO ani organization OF our forces at
Cornth. The ptan of the battle of Shiloh. the
order ii march of our army on that day and
on those pr. eding it; and, in fact. OF all the
minor d@t.il@ and preDarati MS in, relation
thereto ~ devised, conducted and written
S yS ne h p but Gen. G. T. Beauregard
his second in command; and that, too, at the
| earnest req est OF Gen. Johnston himself. The
approval tf Il 0 plan by Gen. Johnston may
have made it, % some measure, his own, rs it
bore bis off. al signature; but the conception
anu execution of it.. so deservedly lauded by
Mr.. Davis. are due entirely to Gen. Beauregard;
and Gen. Johnston, when adopting that plan
of battle. made not. nor even suggested, one
single modification or addition thereto.
| Now, | have not the slightest disposition to
| detract, in any particular, from the fame OF
Gen. Beauregard. His great and brilliant
| reputation needs no doubtful adiuncts to sup
port it. But this startling claim Of all the
| creditor even Of the chief creditor the
| operations of an army, in behalf OF q subor-
dinate, however distinguished, instead OF the
chief commander, needs close examination
| and unquestiOnabie proof before 1t Is ac-
cepted. Certainly, the fair presumption is
! that the general-in-chief directs and plans
a.
wise established by sufficient evidence and l
am not aware of any that has been adduced
| to sustain this There is nothing in the an
| tecedents or character of Gen. Johnston 70
! lead us to suppose that he would or could
have acted the part of O. mere fgure-head
under such circumstances.
| It is impossible that he could have consent
ed to accept the credit justly due to another:
| Yet President Davis states-and the truth OF
the statement is no doubt capable Of being
sustained by evidence, even IL 1t were possible
to question it-that Gen. Johnston, before the
battle was fought, sent him dispatch, being
his (Johnston's) plan OF battle" adding That
it was the only instance within his knoWledge
of plan executed exactly as 1t had been de-
vised. Can we believe that, IL this had been
| the plan of another, and only approved ana
adopted by Gen. Johnston, that manly, gen
erOus and modest soldier would nave re-
| Trained from saying so, and left the President
| under n false impression as to it's authorship
| It might be inferred from the statements OF
your Correspondent that the General com
handing had left the direction OF operations
to his lieutenant, merely, approving his dis
positions In sort of idle, inactive, or listless
confidence. So far is this from being
correct, that we have every reason
for believing that Gen. Johnston had
given close attention to the most minute
| details of these arrangements. Col.
Frank Schaller, an accomplished foreign sol
der, who was at that time serving q believel
on the staff Of Gen j ohnston, in an Interesting
sketch appended to his translation OF Mar
monts Esprit of Military. Institutions, -
gives many particulars which go to prove
this. He tells us OF remark made by Gen,
Johnston to Col. afterwards Major General
Bower, as early as the January previous to
the battle, when, looking over map with
Col Bower, he put his finger on spot mark
ed "Shiloh Church" and said: Here the
grent battle Of the Southwest giU be fought"
Again. he tells us that toward the latter
part of January Cen Beauregard arrived at
| headquarters. He was astonished that Gen.
Johnston, with so small a force at his COM
mand, could have so long held so large line
IN conference he fully coigcted aCith has plan
of future operations; namely, the withdrawal
/ from Kentucky and the necessity Of deciding