Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-10-12
SECTIONAL FoOL1sHNEss.

A very singular question OF prejudice
is just now disturbing the war veterans Of
Newark, New Jersey, being the question
OF admitting into their public schools,
a school compendium OF the history OF
the civil war, in which, in order to give
the scholar an idea OF the war and its
conduct, the author has given pictures
and short sketches OF both Union and
Confederate officers OF the armies and
navies, and some chapters giving the his
tory of the causes of the war, and its
effects on the country. New Jersey,
through her brave troops, did as much
for the Union rs any State in it, but it
looks, in the light OF this squabble, as if
the men who followed and deified Phil
Kearney through the hell-on-earth OF the
peninsular campaign, have now sue
cumbed to old age, and become garrulous
without cause therefor. The New
York Sun puts the case in the following
fashion:
There is an unfortunate opening sentence
in the account of the civil war:
"Rumors of plan to assassinate Lincoln
impelled him to come to Washington in dis
guise. He was inaugurated March 4th, 1861,
surrounded by troops under General Scott"
The lad who reads this will hardly get a
correct idea of Mr.. Lincon's famous inau-
gural journey to Washington. He left his
home on the 18th of February, 1861, great
concourse of his neighbors and friends ac-
companying him. At scores of places on the
railroad route eastward he greeted the peo-
pie. AtIndianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus,
Pittsburg, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, New
York, Philadelphia, Trenton and Harrisburg
he made addresses and was received with re-
markable public demonstrations. In some
places ordinary business was practically
suspended during his visit. 1t is true that
from Harrisburg he proceeded by a change
of plan to Washington several hours in ad
vance of the time appointed, with great pre-
cautions not to disclose this change of plan,
which was wholly due to news of a plot of
assassination in Baltimore, but it would
puzzle this author, were he living, to say
whether Mr.. Lincoln was disguised as Il
policeman or as farm .er or a laborer, or to
show that he was in any disguise at all. Still
the thoroughly respectful and appreciative
description of the President shows that no
slur was intended by the statement in the
text, apparently founded on a newspaper
yarn of the period.
In the group of portraits of military lead
ers we find Grant and Lee in the centre, the
formor the more prominent, with Sheridan
and Jackson in the upper corners, and Sher-
man ana Johnston in the lower. In the
group of naval commanders Farragut is in
the centre, with Buchanan under him, and
Semmes, Foote, Mitchell and Porter in the
corners. The four personal battle pictures
are Stonewall Jackson at Bull Run, Grant
writing to Sheridan on the road to the Will
derness, Sheridan's ride from Winchester,
and the death of j. l.. b. Stuart. The
sketches of the careers and military traits
of Lee and Grant in foot notes are alike ap-
preciative. " Lee was handsome in face
and figure, graceful rider, grave and silent
in deportment-justt the bearing to captivate
asoldier; while his deep piety, truth, sin
cerity and honesty won the hearts of all. d"
In Grant there was an inhexible resolution,
fertility of resource, power of handling great
masses of men, unrutfled calmness, quick
decision, prompt action, and sublime faith
in ultimate success There is noticepb
statement in the text that in the surrender
at Appomattox only 5000 men were left of
Lees army; but note that "the Federal
authorities state that ~ ,5l6 officers and men
were parOled at AppomattoX," gives the
student choice of other figures.
This little book is intended to give the
youth OF New Jersey an idea OF what the
soldiers OF the war had to contend with,
and it strikes the DEMOCRAT as eminently
proper TO describe the leaders on the