New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-16

GREAT EEBELLION. lsG3'G5. ~ g oEGE H.
Gon2N late S9'G and ri Z &
NOlun fccrs, ctc etc. Svo. PIP 4J' bOSt'h' 1on'c9
| l. OsgOOG q Co. Ioo-
There are few men great enough to publish their
diaries without damage and General Gordon is not
one OF them. The reading OF this handsome Vol1he
shows Us a mind ana character SO utterly at ease
with itself that it is altogether probable the writer
will never be conscious OF tho figure he cuts in it
but he will probably be the only one Who Will Tiso
| from the peIusal with any feeling save that oil
renret II i filled from cover TO cover with mall
cious and unchartabie judgments of other oncers'
| IL may almost be said that General Gordon rccos-
Mics no merit III any soldiers except two himself ana
General Mcclellan md after the latter warrior l''u
retired to his dgniNed retreat on Orange Mouh''"'
! the former appeared to live for no other purpose
than to glorify his name and abuse his SUCCESSORS.
The greater part Of the present volume IS devoted
TO the rev sed and rclurblshed obsei Natohs-ah
moro OF less yenomous-which he seems to nave
been in the habit of making in his notebooks day
by day at the expense OF the generals VINO mao inc
| misfortune to rank him.
About third of the book is occupied with Gen
cral Gillmorc--a robust man, with good reputa-
ton in his profession, one of whom the "oru
knows something and of whom most soldiers think
well But he was a younger man than General
Gordon, and held higher rank, and he therefore
figures in these pages as n sorry lmbeclc. BANKS
and Butler being Massachusetts mcD may be LETT 10
their stern compariot to lie dealt with as he will
the outside public will probably not interfere III
| discussion so strictly domestic. But those VINO |
| woud like to see some shrcds OF character saved
among the heroes of our pantheon would do well To
! avoid th,s devastating book. Mr.. Stanton. OF
course is savaCey beratedonc of his worst chimes
PAGE GOl is n telegram to General Dix, in which he
| lao hos on defeat
lorsviile What would General Gordon have done
| uuicr the circumstances HE seems to think Mr.
Stanton should have run bowling down lennSyl-
vania-ave. rcnding his garments, casting sackcloth
on his head, and shouting Voc! General heyes
receives severe castigation, on page ~;
General Miles tails under heavy condemnation, ON
page I2j Indeed, the charge made against Miles Is
OF SO serious nature it shows HIM at once 80 destl-
tute OF sodicrly capacity and humane instincts,
that we must give it entire, 50 that the Army may
know what a monster it harbors. General Gordon,
| referring TO Moss "resentful and remorsecSs
treatment Of Jefferson Davis while prisoner Mt
FORTRESS Monroe winds up with this terrible accu-
sation: On the 9th OF June, while he Mr. Davis
was still confined i'll The fort, and the guarding
sentinel, kept slcepIcss watch encountered Gen
eral Miles prancing gayly by the grated windows
and barred door, of his prisoners cell, by the Sen
tinels beyond the moat and on the parapet trying
tie UCttlc OF "A sllllltu i"io'' We i'P' NioiN -
some mistake about this. 1t was clearly General
Milcs's duty, rs a soldier and a man OF feeling,
never to take ride while the rebel chief was in Jail
at least not to do it without asking the eX-Prcai
dent to get up behind.
Next TO Gilmore. however General Gordon most
enjoys himself with Iiallcck. Here is a passage
from among many others Ike it, which may show
how the author used to diarize about bis COM
| mandcrs:
General IIallccll was Commander-in-Chie of the
Armies OF the United states In person he was short
and stout hi, head was large, ms eye bright ms
! eXrrcs-ion sharp and searching; his manners grui
| and harsh There are some things not written |
about a Commandcr-ln-Chici which men learn liom
n Glance at ms face his residence his aids. his
| roundnes and his lackcys. Nothing was SAD, ana
| yet the very building which held GeneTal Hatch |
seemed constantly TO- yocltiate noiu ths Uol
| he walked to and fro guard the communicable |
| Chicfw The lackcy's look sand open the door |
to admit you 20 the Commander-ln-Chlcf' The |
| AIDS i'm the adjoining rooms impressed one in the |
same way; their pens spoke aloud IN the solemn
silence WItc the worus, the very words, OF the |
COMMUNICATING" The appearance OF the chie1 |
| of staff of the Commander-in-Chiei was impOs- |
ing. Il am that great chief TO that great com |
! mandcr" he seemed 10 say to the visitor SIT |
with him; know his plans; you don.t-they are |
mighty | can talk with him; you can't. Great Is |
Hallrck great is his chief of stan great his AIDS
his house IN, pens his ackeys! Hail ALL all haV |
1t would be hard TO find paragraph where
malice and puerility evenly mingled.
General Gordon is fond OF drawing portraits |
Here is one OF another general whom he does not |
like:
Carl Schurz who commanded a division in the |
Eleventh Corps called me while Howard was |
present and characterized the failure TO attack lat
NIiliamsport after Gettysburg the mistake OF
the war. A. ! was TO enter upon the coming cam |
paign with Carl Schulz ana AZ was attracted by |
his We-known reputation as an orator at the |
West closely Scrutlnlzcd his person for an impress
sion. lie is tall over ak feet high, stOops little !
has sandy HAIR. an lnqulung look and a restless |
and nervous manner. lie Is TetIcent III speech ana
always the watch for an advantage; has his |
own plans, and Will defeat yours II they interfere
with ms. lie Is TOO, u pOlllcau; ever ready ana |
willing 10 increase the influences through which |
he moves and has his being. As clear and tcrse |
writer he has few superlOrs lie has the art OF put
ting things suongly as Howard found out after |
Chan cellOrsvillc when Schurz wrote HIM letter oil
such singular bitterness that SAID Howard, 81 |
Thought | should never survive IL. but have" IL |
WAS To make Howard the scapcgoat of the |
Eleventh Corps that SchurZ wrote that letter; and |
il had an effect in producing trouble with the Ger
man clement which only Towards later successes
IN the fled allayed.
OF course 50 true a wOrshpper of Mcclellan could |
not think well of Lincoln. but he confines himself !
generally in speaking of the President, TO express
sions of mid and patr0nizng contempt. lie does
not hesitate, however, {" repeat one or two indie
cent things said by others in regard to Lincoln.
For instance he says he one day in Grants
quarters while the General was reading his mail.
"Onc was from the Presldent-ULclc Abe as
Grant called him. After reading II he said, That's
kind OF Uncle Abe he says he won't 10 SO any
more good boy" The story is inherently lmprob-
abe but if it is true why should General Gordon
publish so insolent an expression In another
place page 325 he prints an insinuation ut second
hand that Lincoln was carrying on II clandestlno
trade i'm cotton through an old friend or partner"
To show how much puTcr heart beat under the |
buttons of our author, he tells a few pages fur
Their Oh that planter tried to bride him with some