National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-04-28
TIE REBELLION WAR.
Prof Goodwin Smiths Observations In
the Camps OF the Union Armies.

my mind to the days which, as visitor to the
United States, i spent in Gen. Grants camp,
almost within sight of Richmond, toward the
close Of his last campaign. Con. Butler was
my host. He was then busy in digging his
canal ut Dutch Gap. l have not followed,
with unvarying sympathy the generals sub
sequont career as politician, but have very
pleasant recollection of him as n kind and
jovial host, q lively teller Of good stories,
and o chief whose roughness of manner
evidently did not prevent him from
being extremely popular with his aids and
all about him. His character had suffered
much from an erroneous version Of his New
Orleans proclamation. His style on that, as
on other occasions, had lacked refinement,
but his action was in substance right, and
probably avorted bloodshed. am, Of course,
not going to offer an opinion on military
operations, or to debate the question whether
Grant might not have got to the point at
which l found him and Lee intrenched
In face Of each other, and apparently at
deadlock, without series of murdorous bat
ties. But | wrote to my friends in England
at tho time that all the stories current rs to
the composition Of the federal army, which
represented it as mercenary rabble
of foreigners, vagabonds, and Indians,
picked up as food for powder might
be at once dismissed as fables;
that, so far as civilians eye could judge, the
material of tho army was very good; that
there was every appearance OF strict dis
cipline, and the field works, which were
immense in extent, seemed by their finish to
bespeak caro- and zeal in their contraction.
One man Of Indian blood l saw, but no was
IN officer in uniform and with the usual
side arms. No doubt there were many sub
stitutcs. But what regular army was ever
composed Of disinterestod volunteers? Gen.
Grant was not with tho army at tho time.
L. a. ,Gn.. .Nskh
the president, probably about Sherman's de-
cisiyo move. But visited his tent and af-
terward saw the general himself and | can
corroborate what Col. Denison has said as to
the simplicity of his habits and his freedom
from military ostentation. 1t was also uni
versally felt that he was thoroughly truo to
his colleagues and loyal to the common cause.
had come TO America to sec tho character
of great nation undergoing the test Of civil
war, which Itake, with the possible exception
of p.plague, to be the severest test to which
national character can be subjected. Every
body knows what civil war was in Franco in
the time of tho Armagnacs and Burgundians,
in that Of the league and again in that of the
revolution. In the present case, SO lar as
could sec, the test was we'll borne. There was
q remarkable ABSENCE for the most part of
bloodthirsty and truculent language, even on
the part of those who had lost sons and rela-
tives in the war; no thirst for vengeance was
expressed; tho general sentiment seemed to he
determination to maintain the union and
make the southerners submit to the law; ii
they would submit to the law, 1t appeared that
the door of reconciliation was open. About
slavery less was said, in the west ut all events
than about the union and the laws. The
west, however, heartily went with tho east
in its determination to restore the union. the
loss of which meant, among other things, the
loss of control over the Mississippi. In Eng
land the belief propagated by the friends OF the
south was that the west was being reluctantly
dragged on by the east. l reported at once
to my friends in England that the reverse Of
this was the fact, and that rs the combined
resources of east and west were overwhelm-
ingly superior to those of the south the result
of the struggle was sure. large number OF
farmers must certainly have gone as volunteers
to the war from Illinois, where women and
boys were doing the work Of men with the
aid of improved machinery, the invention o.
which was stimulated by tho scarcity o.
hands.
The treatment of prisoners by tho north
so far as had the opportunity of observing
it, was in keeping with the general tone
Through the kindness of DIR. Duggan, the
Catholic bishop of Chicago, whose &C
quaintance had made and whose hospitality
/ had tested l was enabled to go over thu
large prison camp at Chicago. The prisoners
of course, looked listless and unhappy, o.
me to be suffering no other hardship, and thu
food was certainly good. Presenting mysel
at the prison hospital for convalescents a
Baltimore l was refused admittance on the
ground of recent attempts to escape. Blu
it happened to be Thanksgiving day. anc
rs l stood in the entrance hall
could look into the dining room whore / saw
the table spread with roast turkey and all thu
good things of the season. Afterward | called
on the communication. Warren--who wa
so good as to take me down at once to the hos
pital and to permit me to look over it.
looked over 1t, / believe, thoroughly, ant
came away convinced that its inmates wert
being treated with all possible humanity ant
kindness 1t was said in England that con
federate prisoners were dying in heaps-o
maltreatment-in the northern prisons.
can oppose to such statements the evidence o
my own senses with regard to the two PRISON.
which | saw.
Tho military hospitals of the northerner
seemed to me admirably arranged, anC
evinced in every detail the tenderest care fol
the wounded. But their contents after thu
battles on the Rappahannock were u sigh
which would have cured lingo of his Low,
of war. had no love of war To be cured of
but came away hating it more than ever
Yet it is at its best when mon are fighting il
such cause.
Nowhere were party passions more ferccly
excited than at Baltimore, in which freedom
aud slavery confronted each other, and which
had been threatened by Lee, whose suppe
had actually once been prepared for him by
his partisans in the city and had suffered from
the incursions of his raiders. While | wa
there lady, who, being passionately devoted
to the southern cause, had repeatedly helG
correspondence with the enemy, was brough
before council of war and sentenced to tern
of imprisonment. This fate she had evidentl,
courted. Yet the strongest sympathy wa
evnced for her by Baltimoreaus of tho op
posite party, including Mr.. Kennedy, of lit
erary fame, and his wife, whose happy CUES
] was; and learned afterward that by thci
intercessions at Washington her release ha(
been obtained. This incident and tho clone
ment OF another lady of strong southern
sentiments with the trumpeter of Yanke,
regiment convinced me that the breach be
tween north and south, though wide, was no
irreparable and that the union might be per
fectly restored.
The conviction was also produced by Beeinl
tho manner in which the armies observed
toward each other the amenities of war. As
rode with general officer about the northern
lines confederate riiiemen were seen near q
hand in the bush, but they did not fire. anC
the party seemed to feel assured of their for
bearance, nor was there any danger, except a
certain points, in getting on the parapet ant
looking down into the confederate lines. Blu
i have reached the proper limit Of any con
tribution to weekly joarnal.
Mexico.
Mexico consists Of twenty-seven states on
federal district, and one territory. There are
saVen cities of nver 40 ono noDulation The