The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-03-28
ANOTHER REBEL YELL.

been promptly echoed by the irrepressible
Bradley T. johnson, late Hangman-Gen-
eraI for the Army of Northern Virginia. At
the Reunion and banquet of the Baltimore
Light Artillery, c. S. A., at Baltimore last
Monday evening, Johnson made the speech
of the occasion, in the course of which he
said:
l agree with Gen. Rosser, who appeared among
recently that a Southern is better any day
than Northern man. He was better the field
of battle, and is so TO this day. We whipped our
opponents when met equal grounds, and
we whipped them when they outnumbered US two
10 one.
The concise, effective answer to this stuff
is that it is grossly untrue. There is moth
ing in the history of the war to support it.
Nobody denies that the rebel was superb
soldier. Nobody denies the dash and obsti-
macy with which he fought on many fields.
But to say that he was better soldier than
his Union opponent is to give the lie direct
to history History shows to the contrary
that, man for man, the Union soldier was
the better. In fair, open field, with no
advantages on either side, 1,000 Union sol
diers would drive 1000 rebels off the ground
every time. They did it scores of times.
The most significant fact in the history of
the war is that in no instance did the rebels
take from us single fort breastwork or
other stronghold that we attempted to hold,
while, on the other hand, we took from
them hundreds which they did their best to
hold. This is the best test of the compare
tive soldiership of the two armies that can
be made. The rebels usually had the i'm
mense advantage of standing on the de-
fensive, behind carefully works,
of their own choosing In such cases one
man in position is as good as three at least
in the assault. It was very rare that the
rebels yentured TO make such assaults upon
us as we constantly made upon them, and
when they did they were invariably beaten.
They talk necessarily about Picketts charge
at Gettysburg, but that was more than
matched by a score of splendid assaults
made upon much stronger positions held by
them. 1t was not equal in determination and
soldiership to Grants attack on Fort Donel-
son, where with $4,000 men he shut up
81 900 rebels inside of their Notifications,
and, with his force increased to $4,000,
wrested their stronghold from them and
captured $4,000 prisoners within three days
after sitting down before them. 1t was not
equal to Hancock's and Meade's attacks at
Fredericksburg, the Army of the Cumber-
lands grand rush up the slope of Mission
Ridge, to Hancoek's crushing blow at Spott-
sylvania, or to Baird's magnificent bayonet
charge at JOnesbOro, which made glorious
termination to the Atlanta campaign.
Whenever the rebels attempted the same
thing, defeat was inyariable. Two thousand
| Union soldiers in Allatoona Pass drove back
charge after charge of five times their num-
Der of resolute rebels, intent upon capturing
the immense store of supplies there. At
Franklin, parts of two small corps, standing
in open country, behind very light works
beat back the entire mass of Hoods veteran
army, inficting larger proportional loss
upon them than we suffered in any assault
made upon rebel lines.
Bradley Johnson's vaporings will not
change the facts of history. The impartial
critic, carefully weighing all the circum,
stances and conditions, will not have any
difficulty in arriving at the decision that
well as the rebels fought, the Union soldiers
fought still better, and that, man for man
the Northern soldiers were more intelligent
more resolute more skillful in the art o
war, and more determined in pursuit of vic
tory than their Southern adversaries.
AS for johnson himself, he did most o
his fighting in the bomb-proof position o
Provost Marshal General, where ne was ter
rible as an executioner of spies, of soldier
trying to escape from the loathsome tyrann,
of the JEFF Davis conspiracy, and of peace
full citizens suspected of the crime of 'dis
loyalty" to that sum of all denominations
the Southern Confederacy.
!
WORK OF THE PENSION OFFICE.
During the week ending March %, 1885