The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-23
GENERAL JOE JOnNsToN.

The death OF General Joseph E. Johnston
reduces the number of surviving Generals
Of the war to about seven. On the Confed-
crate side Generals Besuregard and Long
street still live; on tie Union side the
reaper has not yet smitten Generals Butler,
Banks, Rosecranz, Schurz or Gilmore. The
sickle cannot long be delayed. The three
tiTst-named are respectively 76, "A and 10
yea rs of age; and the last-name,i, who was
regarded as a boy when his genius caused
him to be intTusted with the bombardment
Of Forts Pulaski and Sumter, is a veteran of
&C. Thirty years lave elapsed since the
war broke out; at the start few officers
under 50 or 40 were placed in command OF
army corps; such men must be Go or 40 II
they still survive. joe Johnston himself
had served as a Colonel in the army in the
war with Mexico and was 81 when he died
on Saturday.
He was one Of the Confederate Generals
who won the respect of Northern men. 1t
is unlikely that any generation OF Northern
people will ever get over the dislike which
is now felt for JEFF Davis, Beauregard or
Semmes; DOR does the North seem to be
increasing its regard for Lee or Stcnewall
jackson. But The TWO JOhnstOns-Albert
and JOSeph-haye had and have admirers at
tie North as well as the South, Both were
manly men, and possessed an exhaustive
knowledge of their profession. When Mr..
Lincoln sent Colonel Sumner to san Fran
cisco to supersede Albert Sidney Johnston,
and the rmiSSaTy confessed that fears had
been entertained at Washington lest the
General commanding this station should IA
vor The project to throw California into the
seceSsionist camp the soldier Indignantly
replied: "4jr. Lincoln should have known
NE better than to suspect NE OF treachery.
l am q Soulherner ana MY sympathies are
with the South; but SO long as l hold this
station for the United States | will hold it
against all corners, wherever they hail
from"
Joe Johnston was Of equally high mettle.
He obeyed tie call Of his State. as it was
the fashion of that day to do. But he re-
signed from the army with the profound re-
greet of those among his brother cfficeIs who
took more correct view Of duty. Indeed.
his sense Of honor has never been ques-
toned. HIS ability as a soldier has been
denied, among others by so high an author
ity as Jefferson Davis, and the retreat from
Atlanta has been quoted IN proof of his in
feriority 10 Sherman. But the military his
torian, on an impartial review OF the facts,
will have to conclude that nc blame can
fairly attach to him fer want of skill or en-
terprise. II e had no choice but to act as he
did.
He had not men nor guns enough to en-
gage Sherman in the open. Defeat would
have been the inevitable result. His only
chance was to supplement his fighting
strength by advantages of position, and
Sherman refused to lie: him avail himself of
these advantages, and taDLed him out OF
one intlenchment after another. Steady re-
treat was a forced conclusion from the ma
ture Of the case. True, the result was a
demonstration that the Confedetacy was
shell, and that lis collapse was a matter of
time; but that was not Johnston's fault.
JEFF Davis, surveying the situation with
shallow perception, insisted that Johnston
should fight. and, when lie refused, replaced
him by Hood. That hair-brained officer
obeyed orders. and the result was the ami
hilation of one of the best armies Of the
Confederacy at the outposts of Nashville.
Hoods fate abundantly demonstrated the
wisdom of Johnston.
General Johnston's own book added little
to his fame. The leaders of a lost cause
usually indulge in mutual recrimination.
The rebel Generals were no exception to the
rule. 1t is safe to say that in the next GEN.
fury no one viii read the memoirs Of jeff
Davis, or Beauregard. or Johnston, or their
comrades. The history of the Civil War
remains to be written. What has been pub
lished thus far will serve as materials for
the writer. Some day We may have a his
tory that shall take rank with Lord Ma
hons History of the Succession" or Napier's
Peninsula War;" or Kinglake's Cri-
mean War" but up TO the present time the
topic is virgin, like the Franco-German
War of 1870