The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-18

ply W, l5pz - Wt ths, NV nviainp military st-
nation. the writer adds the following sell
Fences, the italics being my own; 49,,
Silence | DESIRE as far as practicanle, specs.e
II fc Instructions as to the future movements of
ste arntu of ashich am about TO assume cGHl.
ataRd. It 1t be necessary for the salety OF
Y the country to make, with oil my forces, a
desperate stand ut Columbus, am ready to
slp ID. / regret much that illness has pre-
vented mo from being already ut my post,
Init during my stay here | believe ] have
nude myself as well acquainted tr5t yoW
ueaerat vieats and Intentions as circumstances
haYn pernttpd. and tbhtch abhn ntUnuA De
T0nDu to carry into effect TO tie best Of my
abi6tges. -
According to "Cys" theory, Gen. BE Bea 1L,
gard. during the six or seven days OF his stay
st Bowling Green, prior to penning this let
a tsf, instead OF seeking to famliarize himself
with Gen. .iohnston's views and Intentions,
would have been occupied in impressing upon
that commander his olcn views md Intentions,
and Johnston would have been the learner III
stead Of the instructor.
Oh pages 5O5-6-7, OF the Same work. may be
found statements of witnesses OF the highest
character, In proof Of the "unshaken contl-
s1enee and serenity with which. as Gen, Pres
ton expresses 1t, he was bearing the obio1uy
Ieveled at him by igno3lant agsa t at
sQttutktfg" under it--in proof, too, that INC
whole plan Of q concentration at Corinth and
movement thence for the recovery OF ,Tennes-
& Hee was his own, and not another's His pur-
poses had been matllrey formed, and they
were lii full process Of successful execution
when arrested by his untimely death.
Col. Johnston gives 4pp. 4ss-4ool q f.lll ex"
PLANTATION OF the incident, mentioned III my
1ormer communication on the authority OF
y Col, schaller, of the remark made by Cen
Johnston to Col. Bowen In January 1862, des-
isattle Il the Southwest would be fought"
This Ia disputed by "Cy,"' ON the ground that
sthere was no map in existence showing the
a insignificant little Westinghouse referred
Lt.txE II,x.,F
that was Ia error IN surprising him to have
y been u member Of Gen Johnston's personal
staff, but who commanded q regiment In his
army, expressly states in letter to Col,
Johnston, that Il survey and military map OF
Y the Tennessee river had just been made by
the engineers and submitted to the General
The Incident is further certified by the fact
thati IL was recalled and spoken of by Gen.
Bowen, when wounded upon the battlefield
a oil Shiloh. az a remarkable instance of fore
sight. The incrcdulity Of soy furnishes no
sufficient ground for impugning the veraGlty
VI the narrator or tho authenticity OF the in
q rident.
Your critical correspondent makes point
on me with regard to this anecdote, by show
ing that the 'Colonel, afterwards Major Gen
E afal Bo,oer" mentioned III my account of it,
was ~ mythical being for, says he, there
never was Colonel, afterwards Major Gem
eral, Bower" The truth is, did not write
Bower" II was O mere mistake OF the
printer for Botbe1t--n name so familiar to all
acquainted with the history of the Western
Arfny-Aa mistake SO readily rectiied by All
Intelligent reader. that although it attracted
my attention Mt once, when the article ap
peared In type, II was not thought necessary
Ito make O. special correction of 1t. There
were other misprints OF a more serious sort,
because the correction was not SO patent,
which shared the same neglect. soy will
pardon me for suggesting that his comment
upon this point. Ii not absolutely childish, Is
Mt least hypereritical but il the DEMOCRATS
! aompostor should make them appear chur-
Iish OF hypocrittCal. hope he will acquit the
writer Of any intention to employ those un-
Cun1ely epithets.
no return to the more serious subject under
consideration. If the influence of Cen Beau
regard had Wrung from the commanding
General reluctant consent to prosecute the
advance and give battle to the enemy If he
had, as OF Manassas, claimed and received, us
his privilege, the command Of the troops
immediately engaged, which he [thenl proper
lysuggested belonged to the second in rank,
not TO The commander Of the army (see Gen.
J. D. Johnstons Narrative page 49);. If,
when Johnston fell, the Confederates, had
regard to the command b Ad retrieved the for
tunes OF the day, turned the tide of battle
d e,ns, converted defeat into victory-~in either
oil these cases there might have been some
ground for contrasting the right Of the COM
inander to the honor of being considered ''the
true hero Of Shiloh" But ; Gle case is just
E the reverse in each particular. Gen.
Beauregard had earnestly advised
agast giving battle ard nd the General hi.5
own Judgment and his own responsibility
ssThe troops Immediately engaged were under
The direct personal command Of Gen. John
ston, who led brigade after brigade. into
action at the most critical points, and finally
lost his life in so leading them. Success at,
taiif.9a his presence wherever he went, ana
with his last charge the victory was 1ro',-"a
complete victory as Cen Beauregard de-
clnred 1t In his first dispatch from the field.
;fi. - hat 1nt
fell and In his fall the handspring that
moved the machinery OF battle was broken.
@ III was turned, and its fruits We're lost, o few
hours later, when the astounding order to re-
lire was issued, Such atleast is the only con-
Cl,lsion that can be derived from the recorded
statements of the three corps commanders
who were engaged in the battle, supported by
those Of d number OF commanders OF divisions
and brigades.
III would be but O vulgar and pitiiul feeling
that could seek TO detract from the credit o.
Gen. Beauregard by attributing his action II
Issuing this order to any cause inconslstan
with his often tried and well attested persona
gallantry and patriotic fidelity. Whether il
was judiCious order that saved the army
from impending ruin, or stupendous biunde
that threw away all the gains OF 81 great vic
tory, Is q military, not n moral question, ant
as such a legitimate subject for discussion. !
lis not my purpose, however, to discuss 1t. |
y Is referred to thus briefly and incidentally
only AS illustrative of the .preposterou
character of the claim to traSter to anothe
the honors justly belonging to the memory o
the slain Hero Of Shiloh" 1t Is mistaken
friendship to urge such claim
With regard to the second complaint, rciter
atea by your correspondent, that the name c
Gen. Beauregard was not mentioned by MI
Davis In his address to the soldiers OF tn
Army of Tennessee, it is scarcely necessar
to add anything to what has been said before
If it is d startling proposition that in a put
lie address, on a voluntary. OCCASION, TIL
speaker having free choice Of his subject an
his manner OF treating it, he may not at hi
commander and omit to mention living one
without being called to account for aviolatlo
Of 'justice and propriety' '-our premises az
so radically different that there Is no commo
ground on which to argue the question,
With regard to events that occurred at Tu
uelo there seems to be some confusion c
ideas on the part of either "Cy' or myself