The National tribune., 1891-05-28
a "NOBLE LORDS" PREJUDICE AND
IGNORANCE

a "NoBLE LORDS" PREJUDICE AND
IGNORANCE.
Gen. Lord Wolseley'smuch-adyert arti-
cles on Gen. sherman which are now run
ming in several papers, do not add anything
to his literary fame and are positively in
furious to bis reputation for common knowl-
edge. His literary style is very inferior,
aud he has taken little trouble 10 find out
the real facts he writes about In fact, the
articles are made up Of disiointed extracts
from Gen. Sherman's Memoirs between
which the noble lord " sandwiches express
sions Of his own prcjudices. His aristo-
cratic snCbbishness is shown by his speak
ing of the rebels as the "gentlCmca and
people OF the South" as If the slave owners
were superior caste to the common people.
His most earnest desire apparently Is TO
pound the politicians" who are guilty OF
assuming that they probably knew some
thing about the common sense Of war,
though they may not have spent their lives
in the Regular Army. If Wolseley knew
anything Of lis subject, he would know
that the ablest General produced by our
struggle was the leading politician of his
day-Abraham Lincoln-whose wonderful
common sense was better than all the rules
laid down in musty books The more the
history Of tie war is studied the more clearly
viii il be seen that the man who was most
often right and most seldom wrong in purely
military matters was President Lincoln. il
all his clear, well-digcsted plans could have
been carried out by competent officers, We
should have had a great many more yicto-
rics and much fewer defeats. Wolseley
works for an il is worth the old stuff about
tie " On 10 Richmond cry. The truth is
now clear 10 every fiir-mindcd student that
The On TO Richmond policy was the cor
rect one The only trouble was that the
slow-coaehcs and routinsts Of the Regular
Army, who were in charge, would not enter
upon il early enough, or pursue it with suli-
cient ability and vigor Even rs it was, il
the battle OF Bull Run had been fought only
two days before il was, or if the execution
Of the plan by The brigade and division
commanders had bsen equal to its concep-
ton and TO the fighting Of the raw volun-
tccrs Of their commands, tie battle would
have been a great victory, and the rebellion
would have been crushed then and there
A few hours study Of all the facts of In,
battle would have shown Wolseley this very
clearly; but lie is so eager 20 exalt the Regu
Jar Army, cxtol the gentlemen and peopl,
o! the South, "denounce Northern politicians
and decry the Ignorant, unframed yolun
teers," that be utterly ignores the truth
/ lie does this again when lie in effect lament.
that his fayorites did not follow up theii
/ first successes at Shiloh and utterly destroy
the Army Of the Tennessee. We think that
all impartial students now concede that tai.
was impossible. The terrible attacl; Of tE'
rebels had spent it, entire force by the tim,
that Johnston fell in endeayoring TO pusl
forward rebel brigade which had beer
punished so fearfuliy that all the fight va!
taken out Of it. il is true that the Army o
the Tennessee was awfully cut mp by
O'Clock Sunday afternoon, but the evidenc'
is conclusive that the rebel army bad SUI
fered still more, and lis aggressiveness wa
lost, while the remnant Of the Army Of tn,
Tennessee stood in grim defiance on tn
banks Of the river, and repulscd the las
attack made upon it before the leading di
vision Of Bucll's army bad crossed 10 IT
assistance. We have always believed it Ger
tain thai, even if the Army Of the Ohio har
not come mp, the Army Of the Tennessee
would with the assistance OF Lew Wallace
fresh division, have pushed the rebel arm.
from the Geld.