Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-06-22
GENERAL JOE JOHNSTON
DISCUSSES DAVIS NEW BOOK.
The Confederate Chieftain Puts lhe
Ex-Presidene ON Record as a
Man whO Allowed Private Plque
10 Influence Official ActIon-The
Campaign Around Atlanta.
Washington Cor Philadelphia Press, 10th.

10 Influence Official Actaon-The
Campaign Around Atlanta.
Washington Cor Philadelphia Press, 10th.
General Joe Johnston sat this afternoon in
his cosy house in this city, on Connecticut ave-
nue., near L street, seemingly enjoying life in
his quiet. dignified way. and in good health and
spirits. He did not seem in the least disturbed
at jeff Davis attacks upon him infhiS book or
in recent newspaper interviews. From mill
tary standpoint Gen. Johnston sacrificed more
for the ConfederacT than any other officer Of
the United States army who went into the
rebellion. He was q Brigadier General and
the Quartermaster General of the United
States army, and the fact that he occupied
that position was, and is, the cause of much OF
Mr.. Davis malignant hostility to him. Ia 1850,
when the then Quartermaster General died
General Scott wrote Mr.. Buchanan a note say
ing that he might like to make use of his knowl-
edge OF the officers Of the army ia the selec-
ton or Quartermaster General He sub
mitted five names to him. including Colonel
Albert Sydney Johnston, Colonel Robert E.
Lee, Colonel G. S. Smith, Philadelphia; !;
Colonel Joseph e. Johns ON, and one other
whose name l do not now recall. The Cabi-
net selected Joseph e. Johnston Mr.. Davis,
who was then Chairman Of the Senate Com
mittee on Military Affairs, had a hallucination
that on account of his position at the head of
that committee he should regulate the military
appointments In the army. He wanted the
Quartermaster Generalship for bis favorite
officer Albert Sydney Johnston, and when Mr.
Buchanan's administration selected Joseph E.
Johnston instead he was greatly affronted, and
never fOrgave General Johnston for having
secured the place. The animosity thus held
by Mr.. Davis was noticeable in every act Of his
affecting General Johnston while the Com
federacy lasted.
GENERAL JOHNSTON AT HOME.
When 1 met General Johnston to-day he
was tastefully dressed in suit of black, and
looked every inch q soldier. None of his pic
lures have seen do him justice, for he has a
strikingly kind yet firm expression, and his
face is frfnged with gray beard neatly
trimmed, instead of moustache and goatee,
as represented in the portraits. He has a
pleasant way in conversation, yet talks with
care, and what he SAYS is to the point. l re-
cited to him the story in relation to the Quar-,
termaster Generalship, which l had heard
from distinguished Southerner some months
ago. He corrobol ated the essential points /
have given l found in the course of CONVEX
sation that he had not yet read Mr.. Davis
book. but had seen extracts from it, which
satisfied him of its general tenor so far as it
dealt with his acts.
THE trouble with Mr.. Davis, said General
Johnston, lis that since the war he has lived in
practical seclusion, surrounded by a few peo-
pie, whose efforts have been directed solely to
making him think he is a great man. They
have succeeded, and he imagines that he shapes
public opinion on any subject he chooses to de
clare himself upon. In his own mind his de
cision and utterance settles any question of
fact or co lecture with which he deals In his
own estimation all men are made or destroyed
as he wills"
>
II see Mr.. Davis labors In his book to show
that he took conspicuous part in the first
battle of Bull RUM
so have understood" replied the great
soldier; the facts are that Mr.. Davis did not
arrive upon the field of battle during that en-
gagement. / remember distinctly that / was
sitting on my horse looking in the direction of
the retreatiDg enemy, intent upon his move
ments and gratified at the result of the day s
fight, when | felt horses head against my
knee. turned, and as did so Mr.. Davis
face was pushed close to my ear and in almost
awhiSper he said, How has the battle gomez
The enemy are beaten replied, but it hardly
needed my statement to show him that, be-
cause ne enemy was in sight, and not only my
self, but the half dozen officers about me, gave
no expression of anxiety. but rather one of
pleasure. We felt much in the condition of a
man whose feet had been for six hours in a
steel trap and were suddenly loosed. :"
Mr.. Davis conveys the impression in his
book that you should have gone into Washing
ton"
$50 have heard; but many of Mr.. Davis
statements, / find are tissue of inconsisten.
cies and contradictions. In the first place. if
Mr. Davis took a conspicuous part in the bat
tie OF Bull Run, he was the COMMANDMENT.
Chief of the army as President of the Con-
federacy, and should have taken the RESPONSE
bility of ordering the advance upon Washing
ton. Mr.. Davis knew, ft he knew anything
about the situation, that after that battle
ended in our success, the army was in no CON
dition for an advance movement. The men
were naturally demoralized; they thought
the war was ended, and that the permanent
success of their cause was assured.
With that spirit-and those men had borne
he brunt of the first battle of simply
the war-the talk OF capturing Washington was
ridiculous Besides, Mr.. Davis seems TO forget
the mile of watercourse to have been crossed
to reach the capital and the force to be de-
stroved before even the Potomac was reached.
My judgment is that the thought of marching
upon Washington; after the victory at uanas-
sas, was an after thought. However, / assume
the responsibility, whatever there is, because
at Bull Run was in command of the army
and exercised my best judgment as to what
should be done, and as Mr.. Davis, over his own
signature, says that was the ranking officer
at that time, 1t also disposes of the story that l
had yielded the command to Gen. Beauregard
and that he fought the battle"
Did you ever have any personal controver-
sy with Mr.. Davis which would account for the
animosity which he has ever evinced toward
your
COULD NOT KEEP A SECRET.
''None in the world. / sometimes ran against
Mr.. Davis ideas in my plans and operations
For instance, while in the campaign at Manas-
sas. after the battle of Bull Run, he had a very
peculiar arrangement for furnishing supplies
to the army. had very competent com
miSSary officer, Colonel Lee, who thoroughly
understood his business, but he was obliged to
apply to The general depot at Richmond, and
If the supplies We're there he would get them;
il not, he would be instructed to buy the sun
plies where we were, which was not always
easy to do, and in the delay the men oft
times got hungry. / had some CORE
spondence with Mr. Davis on the subject, but
he adhered to his original plan, and finally
asked Colonel Lee to furnish me q detailed
statement of the supplies on hand and their
cost, which he did. and In my next letter to
Mr. Davis transmitted it with my deductions
The very next day Colonel Lee was removed
and believe was never again employ ed in the
service during the war. This was Mr. Davis
method Of Furnishing me for my suggestions in
reference to the care of my own troops. He
hardly cared to remove me, but Lee had to go
to crafty his spite
II notice, however, that he says that when
Sherman was making his march to the sea the
Confederacy was in its death agonies, and yet
understand one Of his charges against me is
that did not prolong the war by retFeating
and manOauvring after he himself acknowI-
edges that the cause was in its death agony
The point he makes about Stonewall Jackson's
foot cavalry was very trite saying ia 1851
but the condition Of that superb body Of men
were w e6d badly 'fasae shattered " even 1en'' t dh~.
Jackson died. His ealli~1 me OeiG1e tbe
Fa6ius OF the civil wa thus contrasting me- me-
WIN tne r".mous Roman General who won his
lcrories by avoiding battles is amusing He
forgets that Grant, with no la ger fierce than
to mine further in menth than General Sher-
man pushed me In two months and half of
continued fighting. The difference between
Grant and Sherman was that Sherman seemed
to avoid fighting as much as possible, so as to
save his men, white Grant forced the fighting
from the time he struck Lee.
sHERM4N's SUPERB ARMY.
I'm many respects General Sherman had the
strongest army. Il was made up mostly of
men raised in the West and used all their lives
to hrearmS-men who were self-reliant and
would fight withodt officers almost. The best
soldiers do not come from the populous CEN
tres The man who has always relied upon
himself is fuller of resource than any other
and safest in an emergency. This bold self
reliant force OF Sherman's was Offered by
men of the same mettle, and. believe, it is
generally conceded that. taking it as a whole
Shermans army was officered all through with
stronger men than Grants It was a superb
army for the service it undertook" /"
Mr.. Davis charges that when you took com.
mand Of the army of Tennessee he urged upon
you an aggressive campaign, but that he ut
terly opposed the plan OF an invasion Of Ten
neSsee.p
"Ths history of that matter is peculiar one
General Bragg was one of Mr. Davis pets. and
he had had command in the West of q superb
body of troops for a long time without doing
much more with them than to stand and than
retreat when the enemy gave bait o Look af
the march through Kentucky where Bragg
nearly reached .s.e banks of the Ohio river and
was WITHIN glqsh0t Of Louisville and Lexing-
ton. He then retreated through tho Curaber-
land mountains to KNOXVILLE and thence to
Murfrees9oro, where tnas terrific battle was
fought and his troops beaten. Then Chatta-
noaga and then the undecisive battle of Chica-
mauga, which regard as the bloodiest battle
OF tho war, and thence to Dalton, covering
series of disasters under one leadership rarely
known in the history of war.
While this army was in Dalton received
an order from Mr.. Davis to report inme0fat
at Dalton and relieve General Bragg Of the
command; that would find Instructions await
ing me theEs, When arrived found instruc-