Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-03-11
eEAURsGARO AND DAVIS.
"
aciaiions After ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Rejected Plans East and West.
Communicated In he New York Tlmee !

In m approciative notice dprOp0s OF the
military career and death of General
| BeauTccard In tho New York Times. there
~ o statement which. | trust. | may he
permitted to correct in yOur columns. !
refer 20 the allegation that the dead soldier
had IN life always cherished n resentment
against Mr. Davis for having relieved him
If the chief command on the field of
battle at Manassas in 1901 by sending
,hlther q senior officer, General Joseph f.
Johnston" n statement that is erroneous.
In point Of fact. General Beauregard was
not believed of but exercised the com
I mand of the Confederate forces and chief
conduct Of the battle on their side until
,be Federal army was in full retreat. This
! he did with the full assent of General John
ston at the time. But even bad this not
been so General Johnston, with such forces
~ he had brought from tho Shenandoah
Valley. was present at that buttie solely
through the urgent repeated solicitation
Os General Beaurecard himself. who not
only had %strenuOusly urged upon MIR.
Davis the junction Of Johnston's army
with his Owl IN tho quarter of Manassas:
but had also frequently besought II OF
Johnston otter Mr.. Davis had authorized
the step and when that officer hesitateu
and questioned his own ability TO get
away from the Shenandoah Valley with
his adversary there at that critical Omen
Tins / assert from direct personal know,
ledge. as | wrote the dispatch to General
/ Johnston that finally led him to essay the
mOvomcnt-a fact that has o been OF
record. or during the lifetime OF al tne
parties. Therefore. General Beaurccaru
could not rightly entertain. Inuch less
cherish. resentment against MI. DAVIS
for an incident that was Gssuredly OF his
own direct persistent procurement.
o REsPONsmLR.
49,. 4I,4 Eanarol Rfaf-
rerord never regarded Mr.. DAVIS "a IN any
wav r-c-pous,ble for the failure 10 press
the advantages Of the victory at Manassas.
A. tho kdiutaut-GcncTal OF the COnfede-
rote forces IN that battle | was present at
tbe conference of Mr.. Davis WITH his two
generals IN General Bearregard's quarters
the night after the conflict. as may be seen
noted IN Nj. Davis's own meInoiTS CNoiuIno
l., PIP. 3j3-Gj5).
on the morning after the battle Mr..
DAVIS manifested hls own high estimate OF
the actual embarrassing OF B~eauregard IN
he campaign and battle ut Manassas by
handing 20 him tho next morning at the
breakfast-table. with all the ease ana
grGclousness of manner of which tho Con
fcdolate President was a perfect master,
nm auunlutment rs q full general. More
over. such had been the unbroken
friendly relations betwoeen Mr.. Davis and
/ General Beauregard subsequently that
when about The end of September, 1851,
Mr.. Davis visited the Confederate army at
Fairfax Courthouse Gt the solicitation
both of General Johnston and General
Beauregari he elected TO TOO the guest OF
General BeaureCard during bis stay OF
/ several days rather than OF the com
mauder IN chief. General Johnston, with
whom during his stay with the army his
relations were visibiy altogether Ofhcial,
while with General B%eauregard his assO-
/ cation was extremely cordial.
Uuhapplv, however, later on or toward
the close of the iear 1861. there was an
/ estrangcmtut between the two nen. the
| causes Of winch. following theT close
| friendship. were something very dluerent
/ from that of the presence or part played
bv General Johnston on the held al MA
ua~sas.
Nr. Davis. as General BeaureGard knew.
| had eOutht - induce General Johnston
after ;hat battle to take a command else,
whore or one west Of the Blue Ridge and
| thus leave Boauregard III cnlei commend
OF the forces confronting Mcclellan, but
/ Johnston waived the tender. as may be
seen III one OF his " publications III the
+ Century NIg0z,He.
Invlcw OF the New York T,DfS'S friendly
appreciaticn Of General beauregards hleh
| sOlGicrly qualities, | trust ! may be ac-
/ corded the space 70 record my f'stlnouY
a his chief of staff. IN constant close per-
sonal association with him, IN regard 10
his exceptional capacity for the business
/ O! war 20 "a much greater degree than mas
been made apparent through the super.
fcial historic and studies of tie war Oh
secession that have rs yet appeared.
UxExrcUTrD OPERATIONS.
Apart from executed operations, such ns
Bull Run. shiloh, and Drury's Blum, and
+ At. ,r.1rr,rrars -fQrav Df the dPfpnrN OF
the position Of Petersburg, there are ex,
tant at least three plans OF uneXecuted
oDoratiOne that were o~ppCrtunelN submit
ted bv hIm for the consideration Of the
proper Confederate authorities At eXigeht
periods OF the war, and each one OF "hlch;
/ dare to saw, were within the compass OF
Confederate resources at the time plans
that were as pregnant as practical for the
CoufederaIeS.
one of these mastery conceptions In
volyed not only the easy destruction OF
the army of Rosecrans, IN Middle Iennes-
see. within SIX weeks ut most after the de
feat of Hooker at thancellorsyllle, hut the
subsequent immediate asstmblage. ot q
ACCOMPLISHMENTS force upon the mInc
date rear OF General Grants army, then
besleCing Nlcksburg. That these opera.
tions were within the available reach oi
the Confederate authorities = a matter
easily demonstrated 10 the satisfaction OF
qualified Judges OF the art Of war;.
At tho time the Confederate authorities
we're adventurlng the wrong-headed cam
pairn OF Gettysburg, aud, IN fact, were
weeping everything before them, General
Bgauregard expressed TO ne his CONVICTION
that the operation was one so vltally false
IN conception that 1t could hardly Iall 81
most disastrous conclusion, such as really
came to pass, or one that actually sealed
inc fate of the Confeieracv, coupled as Il
wos in date with the capture of NlcksburC,
that otherwise might have been readily
averted.
Itis proper FOR me TO add. in conclusion,
that the Gettysburg campaign did IL nc
wise proceed from the mead Of General
lee. bat, on the contrary, was actually
ad%venturcd AZ a Wild cast OF the net ioI
@f0rtuneU made against the judgment oil
HAT eminent soldier. THOMAS JoEDAE.