The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-02-12
ARP'S ANNALS.
Articles ON the Lato War

RQytGWlQE AILClCS Ol tho A@utC "hAs
"Men of Massachusetts, you have con.
quered everything else, now learn to
conquer your prejudices." Daniel Web.
ster said that or words TO that effect, and
if he was alive to day he could say it to
all of. us, for we are the slaves of preju-
dice. l was thinking about this while
reading the last number of The Century.
In the December number General Lew
Wallace wrote an account OF the battle
Of Shiloh, and thought it was very fair
and considerate, considering that he was
a Federal General. believed him to
be sincere. And now comes General
Grant in the last number and says that
I Lew Wallace did not obey orders and
bungled up things terribly. General
Grant starts out by abusing General
Halleck, his superior officer, and digs
him under the short ribs severely. The
biggest thing in his long article is Gen.
Grant, and he takes up a good deal of
space in telling about his horse falling
down and hurting his ankle, and about
his standing by tree all night in the
rain. Well, that was bad-yery bad
and we are sorry he had it to do, but it
was twenty. three years ago, and we are
all we'll of it now. He says that the
Confederates had over 10000 men the
first day, and he had only 25,00O in line;
but he never had any doubt about whip.
ping the fight. He says further that
Lew Wallace came up after the first
DAYS fight with 5000 men. and Bell
came next morning with 10000 more,
and this made total of $4,000 for the
second day. He says he did not need
Bells force, but was glad to see them and
they did all that there was for them to DO.
Well. now let us look at VIM. Preston
Johnston's account in the same number:
He says that Grant had an army OF
$4,000 men in camp, nearly $4,000 OF
whom we're electives. Bell was near at,
hand with $1,000 more, and Mitchell
not far distant with $4,000. In all Grant
had los, 900 effective men, and opposed
to him we're less than 10000 effective
Confederates. =.
So it seems that Grant was TO have
easily whipped the 1000 Confederates
with his 10000 Federals without any help
from Bell.
And on the other side it seems that
Grant had. 100000 men pitted against
10000. Everybody is at liberty | sup
pose to believe either one or the other;
but 1 reckon most people will do like the
juries do when the lawyers get them all
befoddled-just split the difference and
find verdict.
Beauregard and his friend Jordan
make up pretty good story for their
side, and VIM. Preston Johnston handles
them without gloves and. makes up a
better one for General Albert Sidney
Johnston, aud so it goes, and nobody
knows just how it was exactly, and never
will know reckon. don't believe sny
of these writers can tell it just as it was,
for they are all just human, and haze
prejudices, and it is impossible for them
to see it from the same standpoint. And
we their readers will believe or not be-
lieve according to our prejudices, for we
can't help it, We inherit love of "our
side" just like we inherit our politics or
our religion. 1t is trait in human ma.
ture that contributes to our good and
makes US tappier, but like all other good
things it can be INDUCED in to extremes,
and then it makes us selfish and conceited
and uncharitable.
know that the truth of history ought
to be vindicatsd, if it can be, but / don't
see that all this wrangle about the battle
of Shiloh is doing any good. It's pretty
we'll settled that we got badly whipped
somehow or somehow else, and the Ills"
aud the "peradventures'; are too uncer.
tain to make up history. They remind
me of an article | read about General
Jackson at New Orleans. The writer
said that "Old Hickory" WAS the second
saviour of the world, for if he hadent
commanded at New Orleans and killed
old Packenham, old Packenham would
have whipped that fighs and then gone
back to England and taken charge OF the
English army, for he ranked Wellington,
and Napoleon would have whipped him
ut Waterloo, for Packenham was a poor
General, and then the French would
have whipped England aud all the rest
of mankind, and the whole world would
by this time be under the French empire
and be eating frogs or catching them for
ailiving. n
One thing is certain, though, the rebels
did some good fighting on several occa-
sions, for General Grant says 80 and sew.
eral other Federal Generals have said so.
l believe they do give us credit for getting
up little stampede; at Bull Run, and
now there seems to be a fuss about that,
for General Patterson's son has taken
ofTense and comes to the front to defend
his father, who is dead. That brings in
some more "ifs," !" for they say that if
General Patterson had joined Mcdowell
in time the rebels would not have whipp.
ed the fight at Bull Run, and SO it goes.
There is just about as much jealousy
among military commanders as among
doctors in one.horse town, and it. is of
worse kind, for doctor can die out Of
it aud get rid cf it, but a general can't.
They will rake hin, up and slander nim
after be has been dead and buried for
twenty years. I confess to prejudices,
and can't help feeling burning indig-
nation when l hear the patriotism, the
genius or the generalship of Albert Sid
ney Johnston questioned by anybody,
especially by those who envied him. !
love to love the memsry of the man, and
l don't like anybody who seeks to disturb
my faith. Faith is the comfort of man.
Faith in those we have been taught to
admire-faith in friends, faith in religion.
/ would not try to shake the faith of
Baptist in immersion, nor an Episcopa-
liam in the apostolical succession, nor a
Jew in the Talmud. Let them have
their faith and let me have mine. But !
would try to enligbten the beclouded
minds Of those who worship fire and the
sun and all sorts of idols and have no
intelligent conception of God and his
goodness, The Jew is as much Chris
tian as the Gentle, for he believes in a
Savior-the Savior who sitteth at the
right hand of God, and the only differ.
ence is that he does not believe He has
yet come, but that He will come. We
should be thankful every day that reli
gious intolerance has passed away, and