Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-08-16
GENERAL JOS. T.. JOHNSTON.
EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL OF VIRGINIA.
ALEXANDRIA, Aug. 13. 1856.

ALEXANDRIA, aug. 10. 1ooo.
To the editor Of the Alexandria Gazette:
Dear Sir: In an editorial in your issue of
the I'd inst, you say that Gen. ]. E. John.
ston had demoralized the army in Georgia
by his so.called Fabian policy closing more
men in every retreat by desertion than be
would have lost 10 so many pitched battles"
AS an active participant throughout the en-
tire campaign of the army of Tennessee in
Georgia, the writer must confess to great
surprise upon reading this statement. From
the result of observation on his own part.
having been at the time in direct contact
with the men of his own, as we'll as with
those of other commands, he has no hes!ta-
ton in saying that the morale of that army,
when Gen. Johnston was removed, was in.
tact
In addition to this, he begs leave to refer
you to the published letters to Gen John
stop, of two Of his three corps commanders,
viz: 1t. Gen. w. J. Hardee and 1t. Gen.
A. P. Stewart. The former writes that in
his opinion 1.-THE organization, morale, and
effectiveness of that army, excellent at the
opening of the campaign, had not been i'm
paired at its close &C." The latter general
writes, II cannot imagine it possible for an
army to entertain more personal affection
for commander, or to place more implicit
reliance on one, than that army did for you.
I believe the last man of them would have
willingly died at your bidding &C., :
"They would have engaged the evening I'm
der your command on the day you left it,
with as much cheerfulness and confidence,
as on the day the campaign opened" These
letters are to be found on PIP. 500, 3GG and
3611 of "Johnston's Narrative" and as they
were both written in 1865, three years after
the close of the war. interested motives
cannot he ascribed to the writer's.
That Johnston lost more men in "every
retreat by desertion than he would have lost
in 80 many pitched battles" s what the
writer now learns for the first time. Just
here he would quote from the report of Hon.
i. T. Wigfall, in the Confederate States
Senate, March Is 1865, an extract touching
this question of desertion from the army in
Georgia. "We have then loss by deser.
ton, struggling and prisoners of only two
thousand five hundred from tho digging
and retresling' policy"
As bearing upon the charge of demoraliza
ton and desertion from Johnston's army, in
Georgia, it may be we'll TO state what has
been said by Col. T. G. Baylor, u. S. A.,
Sherman's Chief OF Ordnance in 1864. This
gentleman told the writer in the summer of
1865 that the federal army picked up neither
straggler nor wheel during our retrogade
movement and that Johnston obstinately
contested every foot of ground. Such testi-
mony coming from we'll informed, accom-.
plished officer, and former foe, together
with what has already been given in this
article, will, the writer trusts, remove from
your mind an erroneous impression which
you have probably received from source
adverse to Gen. Johnston and one which
does great injustice to the faithful, gallant
army of Tennessee and it's efficient COM
mander. Very truly yours,
L. HoxToN,
Late Lieut.. Colonel Artillery, c. S. A.