New-York tribune., 1879-05-24
GENERAL TAYLOR'S BOOK.

PEoPLEi
tFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rhibON MI
IoSDoS. April l5-There has just appeared IN
England from an English press and puDIsner
tNiessrs Blackwood) q book with tins tite' De
struction and Reconstruction: Personal Experl-
ences of the Late War in the United states py
Richard Taylor, Lieutenant-Gene in the Conied-
crate Army" The title indicates pretty clearly 'ho
spirit and aim OF the book. 1t is the work OF an
,mnenitent rebel one more effort TO reargue the
lost canse before a tribunal which once was only
too ready 10 give judgment in favor OF the Conteo-
eracy Whether anything is to Dc gaheu
by such an attempt is matter OF opih-
ion. and General Taylor was entitled TO MS
since his hook came out news OF his death has
reached England. | desire, therefore, TO say DO
little as possible on what may be called the personal
part of the question. Ii General Taylor were hVlhs
/ should have had criticisms to offer on inc VaSVo
aud temper in which he has done his work. u oi'i'
all that except so far as it touches the general ques
tion whether or not American does well 10 spredu
abroad libel on his own country even Tor poilt'-
cal purpose Whether General Taylor still called
himself AN American, OF would wish others
to call him an American, l do not KNOW lie
writes throughout as a man might be expected 10
xvrita who made war on the Government OF
his country, who detested that Government then
and detests it still. Upon the leading members OF
1t he avishes such epithets as the French Jourhal
lists of the most reckless sort are in the habit OF aV
ishing on the Germans, ever since 1870. Upon the
Government itself upon its policy, upon the major
ity of the people ruled by IT. upon the whole social
life of the North General Taylor pOurs out torrent
Of invective and calumny. 1t must be supposed
that an American would shrink from thus holding
M his country and his countrymen to the contempt
of Furope Good taste and right feeling would re-
volt against it, 1t seems better therefore, to suppose
that General TAYLOR no longer considered hlmseh
citizen of the United States. In that way he may
no ocouitted of this charge II then becomes posi-
bic TO deal with his book as political mauliesto'
II no longer matters that IL is published England
1t is matter for regret that any man IN General
Taylor's position should still hold such opinions;
should still hate the Union should still look back
upon the Rebellion a struggle which had just
and honorable object should still regret its failure
and parsue though by other means, the same ana
similar ends But since that is the 1t is better
the case should be stated. General lay
lor's book is an invaluable testimony to the
state OF feeling which still exists, more or less
generally, in the South, and the purposes still
cherished and not always openly ayowed.
Extracts from it would make excellent cam
paign document; a suggestion which respectfully
offer to the National Republican Committee. Ii
the Solid South must be fought as such, she will be
sure to supply with plenty OF weapons ana thls
Is one
General Taylor has spent some time in England.
He was well received and personally liked. lie
learned enough of Englishmen to know that they
were ashamed of having given their sympathies to
slaveholders who organized a rebellion in order to
extend slavery. He begins his book, therefore, by
nm attempt to prove that slavery had nothing TO do
with the Rebellion or rather by series OF asser-
tions from which the English reader is to infer that
the real question at issue between the North and
South was State Rights. Very likely he has met
people here who believed that the war was war
about the tariff There such while 1t lasted Cen
eraTayor dates back the of the war TO the Co
onial era They cropped out he says, INTO full view
In the debates Of the several State Assemblies on
the adoption of the Federal Constitution, when
African slavery was universal He refers to Though
he does not mention) the Pennsylvania whiskey
insurreetion of 1904, and to the Hartford conyen-
tion. as antecedent illustrations of 1851 lie tells
us that the Missouri Compromise of 1920 was in
reality truce between antagonstic revenue sys-
tens and he says expressly: 1.-The common belief
that slavery was the cause of civil war is lncor-
rect.n adding, "Abolitonists are not justified IN
claiming the glory and spoils of the conflict and IN
nlumnq themselves as choosers of the slain," what
ever that may mean. 1t appears further that imm-
grafton was one of the States in the West
were controlled by Germans and Scandinavians
The Irish took possession of the seabOard towns the
modes of political thought were seriously disturbed
and so "atendency manifested to transfer exci-
ing topics from the domain of argument to that OF
yiolenceD Then follows account of the Charles
ton Democratic Convention of 1860, which the
English reader may peruse without suspicion that
the Democratic party was then broken up and
double Democratic nomination engineered by
Southern leaders for the express purpose of eectng
Il ,-i,,o, air faras ont
In consequence. need not stop for single word of
comment on all this. Ii occupies but few pages;
and is an adroit maneuvre to confuse the minds of
tbe nublic to which General Taylor appeals in
England.
The greater part of the volume is devoted to mill
tary "reminiscences; chapter is occupied with mil
itary criticisms; two more are gwen to Reconstruc-
tion under johnson and under Grant. 1t is these
latter which have the greatest political value
which reveal most clearly the ideas of political
dominion and political vengeance which had possess
sion of General Tay lors mind. But there is hardly
n page. there certainly is not chapter, In which
proofs of the same spirit do not occur. They may
be taken at random. 1t may be worth remarking
that General Taylor like many other Rebel
commanders has an admiration for General
Mcclellan, whom he euogizes in hand
some terms His most dangerous enemies
were not in his front, says General Taylor. His
enemies were " people blind with rage an ignor-
ant and meddlesome Congress, and a wolfish horde
of place hunters" This strikes the keynote of
General TayloPs appreciation of those to whom he
was opposed. He has talent for vituperation and
n store of cOntumelious adjectives and nouns.
of which lie is never sparing He describes
General Pope as an officer whose eiirontery,
while danger was remote, was equalled by
beplessness while it was present, and men
dacity after it had passed. The annals OF
despotism Q4incolns excepted scarce afford an ex-