National Republican., 1885-01-17


havo nearly subsidized, as far, at least, as
tho soldiery engaged on both sides are
concerned IL is proper that all soldiers
should add their mite of recollection of
the contest TO the general mass Of mato-
rial which Is gradually being accumu-
lated for tho critical analysis Of tho his
torian of tho future. don't think that
either federals or confoderates need be
ashamed to have tho whole truth as to
tho four yoars Of blood and agony pub
lished TO the world for tho benefit Of pos
terity. No truo and unbiased history Of
the contest can be written now, IL Is GER
tain. Any ono may realize this at
glance by turning over the pages of his
tories written from federal and from
confederate standpoint and comparing
their conflicting statements.
During tho winter before tho collapse
of tho coufedoracy tho writer was very
frequently in Richmond and Petersburg,
having been one Of the officers Of the
guards of the trains running between the
two cities, and was thus in a position to
hear all the rumors current, and to note
ut first hand the prevailing public scnti-
ment. think that aftor the removal Of
ern army, tho abortive attempt of his sue
cessor, Gen. Hood, to raise tho siege of
Atlanta, and tho success Of Con. Sher-
mans march to the sea, the feeling among
tho people of tho south at large, and Of
the soldiers as well, was
ONE OF UTTER DEsPoNDENcY.
Indeed, civilian passengers on the trains,
even though tho writ of habeas corpus
was suspended, and President Davis
could with wave of his hand
cause the arrest and imprisonment
of any person whom he might deem
to be disatlected, just as Secretary Seward
on the other side claimed ho could do
"by the tinkling of this little bell" did
not hesitate to d-n tho confederate
authorities, and to attribute TO their gross
mismanagement the untoward condition
of affairs. 1t was perhaps my duty to
have checked these discussions as having
a bad effect on soldier passengers, but tho
truth Is tho charges chimed in with my
own belief. And hore l may state that
ns far as can remember President Davis
was not popular man in the army of
Northern Virginia. As far rs my knowl-
edge goes he never visited the camps or
reviewed tho troops, and except for some
high sounding we'll worded proclamations
they might be said to have no acquaint-
.ance with him. The disailectiOn which
existed among tho mass of the people in
the later stages of the war over the rigid,
/ might say ruthless, execution of the con-
script act, the arbitrary collection of tax
in kind by insolent tax gatherers, who
very often made their own sweet will tho
measure of law and Justice in making
seizures of property, and, more than all,
the suspension Of habeas corpus by the
mt hn
demand of Mr.. Davis himself, was natur-
ally reflected in tho camps. Whether
from an honest conviction that the possi-
BILE success of the cause depended on all
the reins of power being held in O firm
grip by the central authority, or whether
an overweening vanity that induced tho
belief that his supereminent ability was
all-suflicient to guide the ship of state
into a fair haven, it is pretty suro that
Mr.. Davis, during the last year of the
war or whereabouts, was virtually
THE DICTATOR OF THE CoNFEDERACY.
The confederate congress met but to
register mis- edicts, and all show Of oppo-
sition was severely sat down upon.
1t will be recollected how quickly Con-
gresham Henry s. Footo was
arrested and hustled out of the
confoderacy when he attempted, in
his caustic style, to criticise some of the
messages of Mr.. Davis. Though Mr..
Davis virtually assumed autocratical
powers, ho did so under the plea Of urgent
military necessity, and the people aud
the armies quietly submitted. Had Mr.
Davis assumed for moment to be acting
otherwise than as constitutional presi'
dent he would have been thrust from
office in less than twenty-four hours by
the troops. The files Of the Richmond
Examiner, then edited by John M. Daniel
for this period would make mighty inter
,esting reading If they wore accessible. HC
sometimes handled the confederate au
thorities without gloves, as it were.
But when the fortunes Of the confed
eracy seemed TO gravitate toward the low
est ebb the troops began to agitate arount
the camp fires the proposition to set vi
Gen. Lee as supreme dictator. All conf
denoo in the government at Richmond
had been lost. 1t is doubtful if Con. Let
would have accepted the position, even a
the unanimous demand of tho army; bu
the ominous muttering from the from
struck upon the auricular tympanum o
the government, and, as q sop to Cerberua
so to speak, they hastened to appoin
Gen. Lee COMMUNICATIVE chief of oil th
confederate armies. An act which nigh
have been of benefit ut an earlier stage o
the contest came too late. 1t was n mer
barren ideality." Gen. Lee as general
issimo of the forces had neither time no
opportunity to exercise tho function
proper to the Office. The confederacy wa
ALREADY IN THE DEATH THRoEs.
In previons letter in THE REPU BIZ
CAN | have spoken of the appalling nun
ber of desertions that occurred durinl
the winter Of 1S64'65 from Gen. Lee
slender ranks. These desertions wer
not owing entirely to privations and iacl
of rations. Many of the troops believed
it was useless to fight longer, and that t,
continue to battle longer against tn,
overpowering numbers and resources o
the north was simply to invite further
needless sacrifice of life and property
Now, don't mean to say that the bull
of the army felt this way. Their conduc
in subsequent fights proved the contrary
but the feeling existed among consdera
BILE numbers. There was another matter
which contributed in great measure I,
the dissatisfaction Of tho men unde
arms. The conscripts sent in to fiji nj
the skeleton regiments were no
Of the class that sprung I,
arms enthusiastically ut the out
sot of the war. These mel
were, as rule. poor and ignorant
Ut buSh 10 nuu Decu hhulhllk lOI ychfS II
swamps and mountain Businesses to avoi,
being compelled to bear rifle in front o
the enemy. The better classes, If | ma,
80 style them, were but slimly represente,
In the conscript levios. IL had come t
such pass that rich OF influential mel
would make almost any sacrifice or pa,
any amount to keep their sons, arrived a
military age, out Of the service. Civil OF
fees, which made the incumbent oxemp
from conscrption, were the eagerl,
sought prizes, and the scramble for then
was disgusting. Any bomb-proof positio
was bonanza worth fighting for---suc
as conscript officers, conscript cam
guards, suffers to posts. tax gatherers, ,
ID genus Omne. Why, in almost ever
county of Virginia, for instance, ther
were judges of circuit and county court
who never had any cases to tr
and who perhaps never mounte
tho bench there were clerks of court an