Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-07-30
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
QUEER THINGS IN WAR.
The Terrible Consequences of some stupi



Mistakes.
No participant in the first battle of
Bull Run was able to tell how the MEM
morable panic started. 1t should never
have been. There wasn't the slightest
reason for a panic. Although the federal
troops were outnumbered when the con-
federate reinforcements came from the
valley, they could have fallen back in
good order and formed new line to the
rear
Burnside should never have attacked
fredericksburg. Every soldier of promi-
nence in Europe and America have so
declared. There weren't an even hum
dred private soldiers in his command
who believed an attack would be sue
cessful
Gen. Hooker went down into the
Wilderness to take Lee in the rear.
Before he was ready Stonewall jackson
was almost in his rear. Word was sent
to Hooker early in the day that jackson
was passing along his flank. He pre-
ferred to believe that the willy confed-
crate was in full fight toward Rich
mond. Had he notput his own opinion
against facts as stated by prisoners
captured he might have bagged Jack
son and Lee right there and then.
All military students believe that Lee
made n mistake in ordering the memor-
able charge at Gettysburg instead of
flank movement, while Beauregard
rested an hour too soon to complete the
disaster at Shiloh.
When one knows how thin Lees
right was at Antietam, some of the
batteries having no support whatever,
he can reason that had Burnside
charged at the hour ordered by Nc
Clellan the result of that battle would
have been far different.
Thousands lay in camp at Shiloh for
days without protecting their front in
the slightest A great army marched
over the country to attack, but there
was not even cavalryman out to see
and hear and bring the news. The bio
graphers have furnished plausible eX-
cuses and the historians have sought to
cover up mistakes, but one needn't to
have fought in the ranks to realize
that it was a war in which many queer,
strange things came to the surface.
They used to be called blunders, but
that term is too harsh for these piping
days of peace. There are old histories
which tell of Gen. Butler being "bot-
tied up" at Bermuda Hundred. The
new ones refer to his position there as
an error of judgment.
One of the stupendously queer things
of war was Banks great move on Texas,
and the queerest thing about it all was
the fight at Sabine Pass. To reach Sa-
bine City fort at Sabine Pass had to
be captured. The federal force COM
prised four gunboats and about four
thousand infantry. 1t could plainly be
seen that the fort was small affair,
and it was just as plain that infantry
could be landed below it to make an as
sault Prisoners captured in that
neighborhood gave the strength of the
defenders at less than three hundred
men, although there was another force
manning three or four river steamers
above. Half regiment of infantry
could have carried the fort by dash,
but not a man was landed. 1t was de-
cided to let the gunboats go up and
knock the fort to pieces before any men
were put ashore.
1t will hardly be accredited, but it is
d fact surrounded by hundred proofs,
that there were less than fifty confed-
crates in the fort. They did not expect
victory, but were determined not to
leave without fight. There were
twenty-seven guns on the three gun
boats which finally moved up to the at
tack, while the fort mounted only
seven. At the very first discharge of
the latter two of the gunboats We're
disabled by shots penetrating their
boilers. The third fred half dozen
shots and then got around and drew
out of the fight as soon as she could
pull out of the mud. The fourth took
no part. Seventeen minutes after the
first gun was fired the confederates had
possession of two of the gunboats, and
the other two, together with transports
carrying four thousand men, were in
full retreat down the river.
1t was the quickest, queerest victory
of the war. In the fort not man was
scratched, while the federals lost over
two hundred in killed and prisoners
and two crafts armed with fifteen rified
guns. Each one of the defenders was
subsequently presented with a medal by
the confederate president, and was af-
terward known as s. "Davis guard" l
have seen half dozen of these medals
here and there, and perhaps one or two
can be found here in New York. M
Quad in N. Y. World.
BADGES OF THE ARMY CORPS.