The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-21
JEFF DAVIS AND HIS ARMY.
Light in Which the WOuld-Be Dictator
Was Regarded by the Rank and File.
His UnpOpularity and Whence 1t ArOse-Des-
potism in RichmOnd-The Move to Make
Lee the Head Of the Confederacy.
T. J. Murray. in National Republican.

L. j. Murray, In National Republican.
At this late date, when the bitterness and
heart burnings ongendered by the civil war may
reasonably be supposed to have nearly subsidized,
as far, at least, as the soldiery engaged on both
sides are concerned, it is proper that all soldiers
should add their mite of recollection of the con-
test to the general mass of material which is
gradually being accumulated for the critical
analysis of the historian of the future. l don't
think that either federals or confederates need
be ashamed to have the whole truth as to the
four years of blood and agony published to the
world for the benefit of posterity. No true and
unbiased history of the contest can be written
now it is certain. Any one may realize this at
glance by turning over the pages of histories
written from a federal and from confederate
standpoint, and comparing their conflicting
statements
During the winter before the collapse Of the
Confederacy the 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 posi-
ton to hear all the rumors current and to note
at first hand the prevailing public sentiment.
think that after the removal OF General Joseph
E. Johnston from the western army, the abortive
attempt of his successor, General Hood to raise
the siege of Atlanta, and the success of General
| Shermans march to the sea, the feeling among
the people of the South at large, and of the sol
| diers as we'll, was one Of utter dependency.
| Indeed, civilian passengers on the trains, even
though the writ of habeas corpus was suspended,
and President Davis could with wave of his
hand cause the arrest and imprisonment of any
| VIII ho mic 70 ho Iicafr
| Just as Secretary Seward on the other side
claimed he could do "by the tinkling of this lit
| tie bell did not hesitate to damn the Confeder-
ate authorities, and to attribute to their
| gross mismanagement the untoward con-
dition of affairs. 1t was perhaps my duty to
have checked these discussions as having bad
effect on soldier passengers, but the truth is the
| charges chimed in with my own belief. And
here may state that as far as I can remember,
| PRESIDENT Davis was not popular man In the
| army of Northern Virginia AS far as my
knowledge goes, he never visited the camps or
| reviewed the troops and except for some high
sounding well-worded procamations they might
| be SAID to have no acquaintance with him. The
| dlsaffecton which existed among the mass of
| the people in the later stages Of the war over
| the rigid, might say ruthless, execution of the
conscript act, the arbitrary collection of tax in
| kind by insolent tax gatherers, who very often
made their own sweet will the measure of law
and justice in making seizures of property, and,
more than all, the suspension of habeas corpus
by the confederate Congress at the peremptory
demand of Mr. Davis himself, was naturally
reflected in the camps Whether from an honest
conviction that the possible success of the cause
depended on all the reins of power being held in
a firm grip by the central authority, whether
an overweening vanity that induced the belief
that his supereminent ability was all-suficient
to guide the ship of state into fair haven it is
pretty sure that Mr. Davis, during the last year
of the thereabouts was virtually the
dictator of the confederacy
The Confederate congress met but to register
his edcts, and all show of opposition was severe
| ly sat down upon. 1t will be recolleeted how
quickly Congressman Henry S. Foote was ar
rested and hustled out of the confederacy when
he attempted, in his caustic style, to criticise
some of the messages of Mr.. Davis. Though
Mr.. Davis virtually assumed autOcratcal powers,
he did so under the plea of urgent military ne
cessity, and the people and the armies quietly
submitted. Had Mr. Davis assumed for mo-
ment to be acting otherwise than as constitu-
tional President, 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 interesting reading if they
were accessible. He sometimes handled the
Confederate authorities without gloves as it
were
But when the fortunes of the Confederacy
seemed to gravitate toward the lowest ebb the
troops began to agtate around the camp-fires
the proposition to set up Gen. Lee as supreme
dictator. All confidence in the government at
Richmond had been lost. 1t IS doubtful if Gen.
Lee would have accepted the position, even at
the unanimous demand of the army; but the ON
inous muttering from the front struck upon the
auricuar tympanum of the government, and. as
a sop to Cerberus, so to speak, they FASTENED to
appoint Gen. Lee commander in chief of all the
Confederate armies An act which might have
been of benefit at an earlier stage of the contest
came too late. 1t was a mere barren ideality."
Gen. Lee as generalissimo of the forces had
neither time nor opportunity to exercise the func
IL ~
already in the death throes In previous let
ter have spoken of the appalling number of
assertions that occurred during the winter of
1864 l65 from Gen. Lees slender ranks. These
assertions were not owing entirely to privations
and lack of ratons. Many of the troops believed
that it was useless to fight longer and that to
continue to battle longer against the overpower-
ing numbers and resources of the North was
simply to invite further needless sacrifice of
life and property Now. / don't mean to say
that the bulk of the army felt this way. Their
conduct in subsequent fights proved the con-
trary, but the feeling existed among considera-
BILE numbers. There was another matter
which contributed in great measure to the dis
satisfaction of the men under arms The con-
scripts sent in to fill up the skeleton regiments
were not of the class that sprang to arms enthu-
siastically at the outset of the war. These men
were. as rule, poor and ignorant, or such as
had been skulking for years in swamps, and
mountain Businesses to avoid being compelled
to bear rifle in front of the enemy. The
better classes, if I may so style them, were
but slimly represented in the conscrpt levie5
It had come to such pass that rich or intellect
ual men would make almost any sacrifice or pay
| any amount to keep their sons, arrived at mill
tary age, out of the service. Civil offices, which
made the incumbent exempt from conscription
were the eagerly sought prizes, and the scramble
for them was disgusting. Any bomb proof posi-
tion bonanza worth fighting for-such as
conscript officers, conscriptcamp guards, suffers
to posts, tax gatherers, ct id genus omne Why
there were judges of circuit and county
courts who never had any cases to
try, and who perhaps mounted
the BENCH there were clerks of court and as
sistant clerks, who never had occasion to record
a transfer of property; there were sheriffs and
deputy sheriffs and constables and so on, who
had no duties to perform from one years end to
the other-all clnging desperately to their Of