National Republican., 1885-07-06
BEAUREGARD AND EWELL.
AN X.C0NFEDERATE's SKETCH OF TWO
REBEL LEADERS.

Teoullarities of the Southern Service
as Seen by Non-Commiss.onod Of
flcer-A Generals Politcnoss TO Pri-
vates-west Point Training Among
Volunteers.
II may Judge from the tone Of the talk
Of my confederate comradesin this city, the
few remarks ! made about Gen. Joe John
ston in the last Saturdays issue Of THE RE-
PUBLICAN, anent his unpopularity with the
rank and file Of the army Of northern Vir-
ginia, were calculated to stir up hornets
nest, as IL were, but the burden
Of their belabonngs Of my little sketch was
said they, even II IL were true, you had no
business to publish It. In other words, as
the lawyers say, these critics of mine en-
tered plea Of confession and avoidance
II is useless for any admirer Of Gen. John
ston to claim that in 1861 and 1862 the
army he commanded was enthusiastically
devoted TO him, and he staid with us too
short q time, perhaps, to be understood,
and for him to get the idea into his brain
that American volunteers within a brief
space could be nodded into more obedient
and efficient soldiers than lot of hirelings
MS regulars, with five years drilling and
rope's-end discipline.
ALL THE WEST POINT MARTINETs
discovered this fact before many campaigns
had been fought.
have been asked also to narrate some of
| the anecdotes of Stonewall jackson to
which referred In my last don't want
| to tell tales twice, but will correct one
anecdotc Of jackson which Is going the
rounds Of the press with persistent pertin
| acity, and which has no foundation In fact.
Some newspaper man published In north
western newspaper a cock and bull story to
| the effect that jackson, In q council Of war
| called after the fighting had ceased at
Fredericksburg (Burnside's battle) had
fallen asleep, and after all the other gen.
erals opinions had been given, he was
awakened and his advice solicited, lie ad-
vised an immediate advance upon Burn
sides forces. II was also said that when
Gen. Lee objected TO the confusion inevita-
bly, consequent on a night attack, that
jackson replied that he only wanted his
own corps to execute the enterprise viz, to
drive Burnside's army into the Rappahan-
mock or to capture them. In order to make
distinction between his own men and the
enemy $50 the story goes) jackson proposed
that his men should pull their
WHITE SHIRTS OVER THEIR PANTALooNs,
as q sign of rallying. Good Lord At that
time there was not white shirt In the rank
|
or blue woolen shirts.
But the lie to such newspaper slush Of the
kind above mentioned is to be found In the
fact that according to Count IIeros Won
Borcke, Gen. j. L. b. Stuart's chief of staff
DIETER known In the army Of northern Vir-
ginia as the "Bg Dutehmann), the in
fantry and artillery of both jackson and
Stuart were in battle array and actually ad-
vancing from the right wing Of the army to
attack the federal left wing when sudden
orders were given for the whole command
to halt. The truth was that Jackson had
proposed this night movement and Gen
Lee had consented to 1t, but at the last
moment he peremptorly gave orders to the
contrary. Won Borcke tells us also that
Stuart's men had got so near the pontoon
bridge, while the retreating troops were
crossing, that they could have guided {
battery of artillery to point where they
could have destroyed 1t. So much for the
popular anecdote floating around.
GEN. q. T. BEAUREGARD
was perhaps the foremost military person
age at the beginning of the civil war. II
was the commander-inc-hief of the confed
eracy when its headquarters were estab
: lished at Montgomery, Ala. and Ii
was commander-iu-chief of the insurgen
forces who fired on the flag at Sumter be
fore the border states had seeded. He wa
the first commander after the state Of Vii
ginia had seeded that the volunteers hat
anything to do with in that especial spiri
u which creates a head-and the fame of tina
name "Bcauregardn was q focus iron
= which radated at that time, | mean tn
s earliest days Of the war, the bright beam
: that shone all over the confederacy upo
s the name of Beauregard. His name wa
9 upon every lip, and even his name wa
Q upon the lips of those at least who had CON
I mercial relations with the United States.
], only state these matters, which are we
n known, in order to give definite idea o
e the mental state of the volun
q teers called out and rendezyoused a
a Manassas Junction, when Beauregar'
!; was recalled from South Carolin
y and placed in command of the army of TIL
r Potomac las It was then called.) / saw lit
d tie of him before the first battle of Manai
It sas. After that, although was only non
y commissioned officer, had frequent oppol
1 tunity to see and converse with him. l
T. the first place he never refused an admit
g tance to his headquarters of a private sol
4 dier. In spite of his military training Q
that most aristocratic Of all schools on tn
= earth, and in spite of the fact that he ha
been for years having at his call and bee
every man under him without question
=. he was the politest general in the confet
crate army to his subordinates. (All thes
old army men had "to come down to Lin
ericlS," so to speak, thereafter, in the int
commissioned oflicers.) don't know ho'
1t was in the north, but know that If a
officer In the army of northern Virgini
dared to insult a private, outside of I'll
line of his duty as an officer, he wouldn
have remained an officer long. He woul
have been challenged and the army sent
y, ment would have compelled him to accep
No private ever met Gen. Beauregard an
N lifted his hat to him that he did not Ii
" his cap in return. He was the very quin
~ essence ofpoliteness. Irecollect that In IL
~ winter quarters Of Centerville in 1861 ] ha
- applied for Il pass to go to my home
Fairfax Court House, beyond the outsit
confederate picket, to Gen. Joseph
Johnston, and he refused me in such
manner as almost crushed me. When
went back to my regiment told my colon
y what had happened and he said "Johnstc
- has no sympathy, go to Bcauregard."
went to Gen. Beauregard's headquarte
and after explaining certain family matter
he gave me the pass to go beyond the on
side cavalry pickets, and the only cautic
he gave me was ''Don't take any of the wi
dow panes Of abandoned houses to fix U
81 your winter quarters" and you may be SUI
/ didn't.
Now at that time Gen. Beauregard WI
, accustomed to sign his general orders g
Il q. Il. Beauregard'-PierreG Gustave Tontal
Beauregard-and in accordance with Il
field to give nick-names to favored office
We dubbed the general "Pretty Good Theo
istn Beauregard, In other words we hi
had enough Of simple theorizlng in battl
and we wanted somebody who would fig
from the knife to the handle, and ON pure
practical principles. AS is well know
II JEFF. Davis relieved Gen. Beauregard fro