The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-06-23
JEFFERSON DAVIS, BOOK.
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80
fnens.D
Advance Bheets of Jefferson Davis
forthcoming book, entitled "The Rise
and Fall rf sthe Confederate Govern
ment," haze beep furnished TO the press,
They show thas Mr. Davis is aggressive
In the assertion OF the righteonsness Of
the principles Tor which the Southern
4 people fought. Utterly regardless OF the
arbitremeRt made by the sword at Ap-
pomsttox, or Of the march of events
since them no defends accession, not only
as q right, but Is the cornerstone of the
oniy possible constitutional Union. He
gives some interesting facts concerning
intended offering the preu,ierahip of the
Cabinet 10 Mr. r. w. BarnWell. OF South
Carolisa, but the delegation of that State
having recommended BIZ. Memmingsr to
be eecEetary of the treasury, he was forced
70 soyego hia first choice. Having thus
disciaimed the responsibility of placing
the premiership in the hands of Mr.
Iootnbs, who afterwards boasted that he
carried the State department in his
. coat.tail pockets" Mr. Davie goes furth.
/ or and says: "Mr. Toombs was offered
Z the place, for which Others believed him
8 TO be we'll qualified It had been the
intention of the President to make Mr..
Toombs secretary of the treasury on &C.
count of his knowledge on subjects of
finance" The Cabinet otherwise was
made up from Mr. Davis personal kuowl-
edge of the men selected.
THE BATTLES OF THE wAR.
In describing the great battles of the
war Mr. Davis writes graphically. He
Is forced, OF course, to be brief as he
has such an enormous area to cover;
and yet never lets the opportunity pass
OF paying sribute to some fallen Con-
federate or denounce the course of the
Federals. In beginning his history of
the actual war he says: 1--WE now enter
upon those terrible scenes of wrong and
blood in which the government Of the
United Sta.ee, driven to desperation by
our successful resistance, broke through
eyery restraintAof the Constitution. of
national law, ;of justice and OF humani.
. ty."
THE BATTLE Or MAEAc3As,
it appears from Mr.. Davis account. vas
understood to be a. crushing defeat be.
fore the field was cleared. AS the Pres.
ldent and his party neared the battle
they met fugisives who announced that
the Confederate army was beaten. 1t
was not until Gen, Johnston was reached
that it .was ascertained there had been q
victory. Of the retreat of the enemy he
says:
"Our cavalry, though there was pres.
ent but the equadron previously men
toned, and from q statement of the
commander of which I will mako ex-
tracts, dashed boldly forward to the
charge. The demonstration was fol.
lowed by the immediate retreat of what
was, believe, the last, thereabout, of
the enemy's forces maintaining their
organization and showing a disposition
to dispute the possession of the field of
battle. In riding over the ground 1t
seemed quite possible to mark the line
OF @ fugitive's flight. Here was q mus.
get, there cartridge box, there C blau.
ket Or oyerceat, hayersack. &C., as If
the runner had stripped himself as he
went Of all iDpediments to speed.
,"As we approached toward the left of
our line the signs of an utter rout of the
enemy woFo unmistakabIe, and justified
the conclusion that the watchword of
'On to RichmondP ! had been changed to
OF for Washington +"
He notes the discovery of o large
number of handcAfE Eon the deserted
field, ogerswhich he disconrses bitterly.
The author: iuaiats end fairly demon.
strates that he appreciated the ;mpor.
tanceof immediate and vigorous pursuit
of tho enemy saying 49,
then suggested that he should be
ordered in pursuit; pause ensued, until
Col. Jordan asked me if would dictate
tho order. / at once dictated an order
for immediate pursuit, Some conversa.
tion followed, the result of which was q
modification Of the order by myself, 30
that, instead of immediate pursuit, 1t
should be commenced at early dawn.
Col. Jordan spoke across the table to me,
saying, IF you will send the order as
you frat dictated il, the enemy won't
step till he gets into the Potomac I
believe remember the words very near
~, and am quite sure that do remember
them substantially." @
The blame of the failure To pursue he
places very clearly on Gen. Joseph E.
Johnston. Of the possibilities of o vig-
orous pursuit he says:
This view Of the matter rests on the
suppnsition that the Notifications and
garrisons described did actnally exist, of
which there seemed then to be no doubt.
IT the arep6rts which hs.ve since reached
us be true, that those were at that time
neither Notifications nor troops stationed
on the south bank of the Potomac; that
all the enemy's forces fed to the north
side of the river and even beyond !; that
tho panic of the routed army infected
the whole population of Washington
City, and that 10 preparation was made
or even contemplated for the destruction
of the bridge across the Potomac; then
it may have been as many have asserted,
that our army, following close upon the
flying enemy, could have entered and
taken possession of the United States
capital These reports, however, present
8 g condition of affairs altogether q. vari.
auce with the information upon which.
we bad to act, Thus it was, aud, SO far
as Enazv, fnr The ressoa atara stated
than an advance to the south bank OF
the. Potomac was not contemplated as
tho immediate sequence Of the victory
at Manassas. What discoveries would
have been made AID what results would
have enaIed from the establishments, of
our guns upon the south bank of the
river to open fire upon the capital, are
speculative questions upon wis:1.h: .s
would be, useless to enter.n
TIE TROUBLE WITH 10. 5oHNsToN.
It sppears from beginning 20 end OF
the book that Gen. Johnston and Mr..
Davis never agreed on policy after the
frst battle OF Manassas. Showing by
testimony that Johnston was 60 blama
Tor not prrsning the enemy from the