The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-10-27
quill OF BLUNDERs :"


The above is the heading under which
the Gainesville Register, one of our most
valued exchanges, criticizcs an editorial re-
Gently in the HERALD relative to the York
town centennial celebration, The Register
is pleasant in all ii says and so good-nOtured
that we cannot refrain from replying. All
history is more or less bluudcr. PERHAPS
the Register never thought of that fact be-
fore this cnunciation We take for instance.
the Biographies of Napoleon Bona
partc, and they are numerous,
one by Abbott, one by Headly, one by
Sir Walter Scott, one ty Frcnchman who
had been his secretary and friend-not Las
Casas-that was severe upon him--and we
see that no two of them agree in very many
essential points. So is il in the history of
the United States, and we have read them
all, and we have read the biographies by
Jared Sparks, tho great biographer and
the life of Washington by more than one
book-makcr, and in all these works we find
conflicts of statements and n
lumbling of facts that leaves
the reader to draw his own conclusions
after having read closely all of them, and
the intelligent and thoughtful reader simply
accepts that as being best which most con-
forms to common-Sense, and which seems
to have the greatest weight of evidence in
its behalf The Register says, Lafayette
was not even third in command" Who
knows? The American and the English
accounts of the battle, and we have them
before us, give him the second rank in the
American army at that battle, and to La.
iaycttc in all the American histories is
given most honor for the result of the
Sicgc. The Register again says "Rocham-
beau and.Dc Grasse did not hold positions in
the American army" Count Rochambeau,
a lieutenant general.in the French army was
in command of the French troops sent by
France to assist her ally, the United States,
and while in America aiding the Americans
was subordinate to George Washington,
commander-in-chiefo of the American forces.
He did not fight independently of the
American forces, but in conjunction there.
with, and under orders from Wash.
ington, therefore practically and
virtually he was an officer in
the American army. Count DeGras was
in command of the French war vessels, the
French fleet sent by France to assist the
states, and was under the command OF
Washington when he was cooperating with
the land forces at Yorktown, Just rs any
American men.oi-war were under the com.
mand of Washington. The army and navy
are one in fact, though technically they are
different branches of the service. We thipl;
the Register bubbles and makes a distinc.
ton without difference. The Register
again says; Lafayette did not belong Ia
the French army and of course had nothing
whatever to do with the 1000 French troop,
who participated in the siege. lie be.
longcd to the American army and
held his commission from congress, "
The HERALD never said that Lafayette be-
longed TO the French army, but did say hc
commanded the 1000 French troops tina,
went to make up the 10000 under Wash.
ngton when he captured Yorktown, and
the HSRALp says so again, and has the au.
thority before II now to prove what 1t SAYS
Again the Register says that when the
second parallel was opened that Voc
mcuil, not Lafayette led tho
French detachment, II may b,
true that Veomenil was in immediate com.
mand Of the French detachment, but La
fayctte was In command Of both IN,
French and American detachments and 4
was to his gallantry and generalshp tina
the capture of the two redoubts pouring