The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-02-23
New Publications.
GEN. BnAunreARD's WAR RECORD.


The military Operations of Gen. Beaure.
gard" by Judge Alfred Roman, formerly OF his
staff. is valuable and interesting contribution
to the history of the rebellion. The prospectus
says sit is in substance Gen. Beauregard's own
account of the part he played in the war"
|, Gen. Beauregard is descended from the
French nobility. He manifested in early life a
passion for the military art; was graduated at
West Point with high honors, was assigned to
the Engineer Corps of the army When Louis
lana seeded he resigned, and shortly after was
selected by JEFF. Davis to command the forces
investing Fort Sumter. It was good choice;
Beauregard was an able engineer and had the
happy faculty of securing the confidence and
obedience of the fiery spirits composing the
rebel army. The special genius and thorough
military training of the man shone out in this
first important act Of the war. He knew what
to do and he did it.
After his success in reducing Fort Sumter he
was given the command of the army around
Manassas. Here we see an example Of his
special qualification for discplining hastily
gathered mob. He had an exact kuo Wedge of
all their requirements, and, despite the natural
poverty of his section he put his army In better
fighting trim than any other of the Southern
commanders could have done at that time.
He was untiring in his efforts to obtain every
thing needful for his men, and to have them
all that they should be. We see In this q
marked similarity between him and our own
Gen. Mcclellan, whom he also resembles in
other respects. As result of this, and of a
way he had of freely giving his advice upon
military operations not properly his own, he
soon came in conflict with the Richmond an-
thorities, who would neither accede to his de-
mands nor follow his advice.
His methods of request and suggestion were
always polite, and as We read his book we can
not help sympathizing with him and his
views The first important controversy of this
kind was with Commissary General Northrup,
. Earm friend Of President Davis, W no wanted
to feed-or rather to starve-the troops in
WY Beauregard could not tolerate. Eyentu-
ally Mr.. Davis was drawn into the controysr-
sizes; and he appears, according to Judge Ro-
man, to have been personal enemy of the
the General One great value of the book lies
In these exposures of the faults of Mr.. Davis.
We have glimpses OF the secret ser vice of
the rebel army, and wish we could have more.
1t was an easy thing for Besuregard to learn
about the Northern army, as there were friends
or spies everywhere.
The battle of Bull Run Is well described, as
well as all the work Of concentration before
hand. The part taken by Gen. Jo Johnston
is clearly defined, but credit for planning the
defenceo or, Ia other words, credit or the victo-
ry, is claimed for Gen. Beauregard. He GER
tainly was Eat home" on that field, and line
on page 50 shows his Aste for defensive war
fare. He writes "If could only get the enc
my to attack me'--a desire never expressed, il
we remember rightly by Lee or Jackson.
The concluding pages about Bull Ran are
not carefully written. We can pardon the
General for stating in his official report that
"the Federal army could not have been less
than $4,000 men," and (page 113) that it was
defeated and routed by less than $4,000 Con-
federates;" but if he still believes this after
twenty years, it would be wise, in our way of
thinking, to state how he knows it rather than
TO publish such guess work as was hardly cred
liable in 1851. The Union general, B lrnard,
says that the Union force was 28,O0O men, 49,
600 only OF whom crossed Bull Run and took
part In the fight. Criticism upon BArnard
would have been more proper thing, in our
view, than the statement actually made. The
failure 10 follow up his victory is explained by