The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1881-09-15
The Niss and Fall ef the Cesssd~rats
Government.

Many persons. probably, not only IN Tia
oouutry bni in Europe, were anxious
, bear an account Of the greatest struggle
: modern times since the French kevolniio
j closed al Waterloo, from the lips OF q ma
, who WAS the political leader. the oonspict
Gus figure, and the official chief Of one {
the eontending forces. Yet we cannot bu
think that the great majority of those VII
have eagerly expected the book will b
disappointed when they read IT, We d
not say this because We think Mr.. Dayi
has done bis work badly. for from hi
stsnd point II is well done. but because VI
are satisfied that it is not the kind OF bool
which the public looked for Most per
sons, We are inclined 10 believe, expect on,
Of two things either memoirs full Of per
sonal experiences, thoughts and incidents
OF what the newspapers call revelations,
spiced with attacks upon individuals, o.
else careful history Of the war and III
causes, snch as the eI-president OF tn,
Southern Confederacy would be likely Il
write after twenty years ofquiet reflection
Bnt Mr.. Davis has given us neither one mol
even a mixture Of both, His two volume,
are for the benefit Of that august Judge and
sadly oyerburdened individual. ''the fut
ure historian" andIform an elaborate argu
ment or plea in behalf Of Jefferson Davis in
particular, and Of the Southern Confeder,
acy in general. As a contribution to his.
tory, in the ordinary sense. The Rise and
Fall OF the Confederate Government is OF
little value, except, perhaps, for some OF
the private letters which are scattered
through the various chapters. This may
seem q strange assertion TO make in regard
toa book professedly historical, written
by principal actor in the scenes which il
describes. But it must be remembered, in
the first place, that nearly one half OF the
whole work is devoted TO arguments, legal
and historical, on points OF constitutional
law, while the remainder is, after fashion,
only a history OF the war itself The form
er are clear and forcibly stated, for Mr..
Davis is man OF undoubted ability and
knows his subject thoroughly; but legal
and constitutional arguments are not his
tory. On the other hand, the portions re.
lating to the war are SO distorted, one
sided, and false, so thoroughly absurd,
even, at times, as 10 be worthless as his
tory. II person utterly ignorant Of the
whole suject. say a highly civilized Maori
scholar, some thousands Of years hence
we're TO read this book, he would learn
that there had been great and terrible
war between two sections Of the same
country, the North and South. He would
find that all the battles from the first to
the last, except in few instances, lightly
referred to or explained away, were won
by the South. He would learn that all the
men OF the South were heroes, aud per.
formed everywhere prodigies Of valor in
their career OF victory against overwhelm-
ing odds Of men, money, and resources,
while the soldiers and people OF the North,
with few exceptions, principally confined
to their defeated generals, were cowardly, |
tyrannical, and in short SO base and cruel
that it would be difficult to tell why it was
such great exploit to overcome them.
Yet at the end OF all this he would be in
formed in an unmstakable way that the
South had been thoroughly beaten, or, as
the author prefers to put it. "subiugated;"
and we are inclined to think that onr
searchor after truth would be solely puz-
zled by such consummation. and would
wonderland wonder in vain, il he had
only these pages to turn to-why the side
which had all the valor, truth, and right,
and won all the victories of any apparent
Importance, should nevertheless have been
hopelessly defeated But in our day and
generation there is no need to rectify such |
narrative, nor do we intend.to dwell on
Mr.. Davis account of the war. We leave
him in this respect to more competent
critics, especially to our military histori-
ans, and to his own generals among the
number, in entire confidence that he will
receive full justice. We have no doubt
that il il is worth while, his account in |
in many instances will be molished as
completely as it was in regard to the
burning OF Columbia by General Sherman.
whose statement OF fact, az Mr. Davis has |
forgotten, was fully sustained by an i'm
partial tribunal, the mixed commission |
which sat to hear the British claims for |
cotton burned at that place, and which |
did not agree with Mr.. Davis, General
Wade Hampton to the contrary notwith-
But putting all this aside, these volumes
have in one way real and lasting value,
and will be Of great service to our esteem
ed friend the future historian, who will
unquestionably have proper appreciation
OF their rightful merits. The future his
torian will not go to Mr.. Davis book for
facts, but he will take it as a whole, argu-
ments and history. so called, together; and
he will find il an unequaled representation
Of type OF mind and Of q mental condi.
ton which entered very largely into the
war Of the rebellion, and probably did
more to precipitate that war than anything
Else. Time passes very rapidly, and even
The greatest events soon grow dim, so that
il is well worth while, especially for the
generations who wish to know
he history OF the country, to study the
type Of man and Of mind which is here de-
picted, and TO examine closely the mode Of
thought and reasoning Of which Mr.. Davis
IS the best exponent.
As we read these pages We are carried
back to the period before the war. into the
Of the South in the time Of the
conflict,-an atmosphere
nurky with deceit and self-deception,
when men listen only to their passions,
md took their own ignorance OF others for
he truth. Mr. Davis is man who has
earned nothing and forgotten nothing. a
genuine Bourbon; and it is this which
gives value to his book and makes it typi.
,al The world in its progress has moved
BY him, and he is no wiser and no better
han before. Other men, other Southern
eaders. for the most part have learned
be il much or little, in the last
Iwenty years; Mr.. Davis has learned
nothing. He is a Southern leader OF 1860,
live with the power Of thought, and utter
" unchanged in 1885,, "a very rare and in
eresting combination. II he we're not so.
be would be more respectable as man,
but his book would be very different and
probably less instructive. As it is, these
.wo volumes seem as ifthey bad come from
lnder some cornerstone where men are
won, TO put the money and current iitera-
lure OF the day. The great building rises
rom the corner aud becomes one OF the
landmarks by which pours day after day
he eager stream OF life. Years come and
20: the building burns or is torn down,