, 1881-06-12
Pitney Refuses to Testify Before
the Treasury Court Of the
1nquisition.
Thurman Will Not Run for Governor
This Fall on the Ohio
Ticket.
JOE JOHNSTON


WASHINGTON, u. e., June 1l.-Gen. Joseph
Z. Johnston, who has become permanent
resident Of Washington. was found ut his
home on Connecticut avenue to-day, and was
asked whether he cared to say anything with
regard to the charges made BY Jefferson
Davis respecting his conduct in tile Civil
War. Gen. Johnston said that lie had not
seen the charges, excepting that he had read
some newspaper extracts purporting to be
portions Of the work. lie lad also seen the
published report Of Gen. S!lerman's speech
at Hartford If these extracts were
all that jefferson Davis said in his
book respecting him, Gen. Johnston said
lie dill not think that there would be any
necessity for him to make any reply. $50
far us Mr.. Davis criticism Of my military
record is concerned,'' said Gen. Johnston,
''thcse charges are nothing new. l UNDER
stood, in 1865, that
THE LIFE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
was being prepared, and that the author had
submitted the manuscript to Mr.. Davis while
lie was living in Canada. Being satisfied,
therefore, that this book had passed under
Mr.. Davis eye. and finding in it certain
reflections and complaints against me. I
male answer In a work which was published
i'll 1878. So far as have seen, these extracts
purporting to be taken from Mr.. Davis own
book, now published, have contained little
or nothing that did not appear In his life OF
1865. II on further examination / find that
Mr.. Davis in his book has made any charges
which reflect upon my character as Il soldier
or citizen. I shall then take such steps to re-
ply as the charges seem to warrant.'
Gen. Johnston at first thought that this
general statement would cover all that he
cared to say at present, and, while he seemed
to be entirely composed, it. was evident that
the republication of these charges had at
least
STIRRED Up SOME UNPLEASANT KECoLLEC-
T1ONS,
and when it was suggested to him that al
though the charges were published, as le
said, in1SGs, and answered by him III 1873, the
act that these were again published by
Jefferson Davis himself now, might make it
well for Gen. Johnston 10 make more ex-
plicit statement than mere reference to his
book of 1878, lie assented TO that view.
"Onc charge, i'll brief, Gen. Johnston,
seems to be that you did not improve the OBJ
portunity offered By the battle Of Bull Run
to take the City Of Was|lington.''
II know that charge has been made,'' re-
piled Gen. Johnston. sit was made soon
after the battle. Many Of the Southern news
papers took up the CIT, and sa1tt l should
have gone into Washington. The simple fact
Of the matter was this: that it was al abso-
lutte absurdity to attempt to take an army
into Washington from the Virginia side.
To have done SO 1t would have been
necessary to have crossed the Potomac
River, which is a mile wide, and we GER
tainly had no facilities for doing that. Be-
sides, our army was in Il somewhat disor-
ganized state after the battle. Many Of the
men thought that ended the War. They
thought
WITH THAT LITTLE sKIRM1sH
the United States army was permanently
beaten, They scattered off, went to their
homes, and the army could not have been
taken Immediately after the battle to the
shores of the Potomac. Just as the
battle of Bull hun was ended
Mr.. Davis arrived on the field
from Richmond. Lie rode in a special car,
and with him was a brother Of mine. lie
came upon the field, l should say, half an
hour after the musketry firing had ceased,
and rode in front Of the men who we're
there, and they cheercd him. Afterwards
he went to the headquarters Of Beauregard,
and we there-Beauregard,D Davis, and my
self-spent the evening until O'Clock in the
morning, our conversation having reference
to military operations, During that time
M1:- DAVIS NEVER SUGGESTED
the possibility of taking the army on to
Washington. He was there as President Of
the Coufcdcracy, and, II lie thought that it
should have been done, all he needed to have
done was to have issued the order. II any
one desire 4 more detailed statement than
this can only refer linn to my book.''
WHO WAS IN COMMAND.
~ have seen i'll connection with this mat
ter, Gen. Johnston, the statement that when
you arrived at Manassas from the Shenan-
doall Valley, the day before the battle Of
Bull Run, you found Gen. Beauregard there,
whom you ranked; yet that you yielded your
privilege of commanding the army to him.
Yes, sir; have seen that story" replied
Johnston. 1t is absolutely and entirely
false. 4 document, the general order for the
disposition Of the troops OH the day Of battle,
drawn up by Gen. Beauregard, was sub
mitted to HE and approved by nle. That will
settle that question. can also narrate an
incident In the morning, when the firing
began, we were satisfied that quite sharp
was going on at your left.
Gen. Beauregard and myself Immediately
our horses aud rode rap
idly . over i'll the direction of the
firing. When we reached the. field. being