The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-10-29
SIR GARNET woLsELEY ON OUR
CIVIL WAR.


| We have Just perused Sir Garnet Wolse
| ley's Bidckoood paper written after visit to Gen.
Lees army near Winchester after the battle OF An
tietam. Like good many other foolish things said
and written by Engllshmen during our great Rebel
lion, the author would undoubtedly bo glad to have
this article forgotten 1t opens with long and tedl
GUS description Of the state OF feeling among the
cesslon planters In southern Maryland, that being
the route wolseey's party took TO the blockade
and recites much that is absurly untrue about their
! alleged oppression aud persecution by the yam
KEGS" Tho British lieutenant colonel Is perfectly
s6re that the Lincoln mercenaries" =" will be
whipped and frequently aluies to the Southern Re-
| public as firmly established, even discussing the
terms Of separation. In Richmond he is shown some
captured battle-nagS about which he writes;
Regarding. as we are always taught to do, tho
standard of our corps with something little short of
| religions ysperatlon, and being educated to con-
slider Its loss as the greatest sur which cond be cast
upon the honor OF those to whose charge It is com.
mtted, tho absence Of all true military spirit which
must have existed IN an army who had lost In action
| the pile of national flags now saw around me, at
| OF proper feeling. nut my uoNt Impulse was 30
smile At the utor folly they exhibited In rushing into
great war ot conquest with tho ayowcd object Of
bringing Into subccton those every way superior to
themselves In all qualities essential 20 good generals
ship and the formation OF soldier-lke character.
our British admiror seems to have forgotten that
piles OF standards of his own nation had long before
Mountain, Saratoga, and Yorktown, OF COURSE It Is
great disgrace but tho best regiment may In hard
| fighting lose It's colors
All through Col. wolseieys Article we see the milf
tary charlatan, the cuufter not striving to write
truthful observations and udlcous criticisms, the
Chesuey brothers did, but to write what would graf
ify British prejudloes aud his own advance
| lnent Thus he slurs us:
| Up to 1861 the history OF the United states was
only that OF the rebellion OF our North American
| colonies.
II this war has no other result therefore, II Will at
least afford American historians something 10 write
aoout aud save them from the puerilty OF detailing
| skirmi5hes In the baCkwoods the highlands OF
| Mexico as II they were so many battles OF Waterloo
or Soterno.
Yet the Spanish Americans our troops defeated In
Mexico were vastly more formidable foes than the
wretched Egyptians. Again he says:
From the position Of our derenseess POSSESSIONS In
North America 1t surely will be our true policy for
the future to be on the best terms with the southern
Republic.
II had at any time entertained mlsglvlngs as to
the ability OF the Souherners to defend their country
and liberties against Northern invasion they at
once aud forever dspelled when the material OF
which the Confederate armies are composed. Any
one who goes amongst those men in their biyouacs
their generals laugh at the idea OF Mr. Lincoln's s
mefcenNies suhjugating the South.
After some remarks about the seven days battles,
| Col Woseley says OF Mcclellan;
1t was solely owing to the non execution OF GEN
l q
Every one In the south viii tell YOU that McClel-
lh army was saved, hrsh by Ten. Lees orders not
To.t ,nr Is envu, az s , M any, H. Seevs, , py nS Eu
| Landing.
| Col l.. Y. Washington, In the Louisvi Courier
Journal. has published account of his own rec
election of Wolseley, whom he met In Richmond,
and quotes part Of what the BldckoOOd article says
| Lee including the following:
ne talked most freely anont tIe battle OF Antietam
nr uuh
But Col Washington omits to quote A sentence
,,mos, iwnsI,otaI, sIor,,n,, rho ,,ar, ,,,o, go.
"''s '''o ''o'o' "'''" say 81
From what subsequently learned from others, |
than ai,out sixty-Hye or seventy thonsaud man In
Maryland, and that, owing to the hurried matches
| Lee and jackson had made before the battle nearly
one half of their men were scattered over The
In their rear nnable IN ret nm I'm tIme rom sore f,s
) Occasloned by want of shoes or boots.
This admission that Lees army really consisted Of
about seventy thousand men is at least curious
we do not doubt that Lee was wba, n, said
r,osa ,rno 80, T., ,,o -, .,,
lhose wno server III '"e union Army AZ tue time
know that there was much sickness and struggling
on our slde and Il is well known that Mcclellan in
sisted after the b,ttle that he cou NOT move ha.ans
-, - - -. -, ,
somhs vi ms 'Ioops "e'e without SHOES vi the eghy
or ninety thousand men on our rolls as present for
duty not more than two thirds were in tho ranks At
Aniiatam And the wnv orr army ,y,s FOUGHT II,
-, In ,',, W. "'' ious"u III
bers engaged at any one time. Gen. WOlseley says
further:
But there was another matter reqardlnp which the
l Confederate commander at fault In his cacula-
tlohs. me ulsoteahiLed mop under Gen ropes
u,n nrn,,s ,rnons ,nr i,, ~ 5s 49,, ~ M Nv
soldiers had rallied under Mcclellan with rapidIty
which filled him with amazement, and not only offered
IoimnaOle front, uut a'tuay feassuihed the onen-
ruv rtrn ~, tho potn,nac aft, tI "mo $1,000 I Tie
| Manassas do moi believe that any one Womb hays
II thought 1t possible that such disorganized rabbe
c9ua nave been placed IN iine OF battle SO soon But
h,nter an tnat ncc,s,an i Th ats v ., ,'y vi, GU
lngton was saved to the Union by the reappointment
| of Gen. Mcclellan as commander In chief of the
hays forhi tha u ia,ti m "r ,eu1ra general VINO could
seems to he Inherent In human nature generally II Is
true but for such armies those In America an idol
s Is lhuispehsaos; 10 man has yet shown himself
I ~ " faii d ht ses tho no ,s 80 ruey nane
= | by the press-a Napoleon without glory and a
I Fablus without success. When the news of
2 Lee having crossed the Potomac reached Mr.. Lin
eynactaJ At tba,r ,SIts' and n,,tnom ~ smL st, Te
tbTonged the streets OF Alexandria and stroIIeJ nt
e | pleasure along the heights opposite washington.
= lhe soluleis were Gaming tor Seh. hcCIellnn
70 cnnmau theh' anu, hcapape Us tney were OF de-
| tcnl'ns uieti lonlIe' I'on hostie ihEa,0n, they
were power u, cnDsn 10 nave cIosseu lhto asnihg'
so anu t ue we .acton whlch slls there
u, tp l'""'1 VI so'et ethtnohI' W ha'o Procihiheh
d openly talked Of and many of the best Informed mer
now believe that 1t would hayo actually been carried
tnto ekecu'loh had no. ar; lhcon called back tht
The amn,r.,s |aIitai Wv ''0'' ''"'e' !" u'''H'o
y ,.-.-.,,--,
tm' 'u' i'i''s 'e0o,o'y VI "h"t'ns "''"ts mus
I w. " 'VIn' ,.ai ""uu, anu no' "
S . vouh,ee,s' whose lntei'gence tausht them tina
| IL a