Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-10-08
GREAT COMMANDERS,
HUGhEs's BIOGRAPHY OF GENERAL
JOSEPH {. JOHNSTON.
who Fought Manassas what the wsst-
ern Campaigns Proscd-Other
New Books.
GENERAL JOHNSTON. By Robert NJ.
Hughes, New YORK; ID. Appleton Il Co.
illustrated with portrait and map. Sii
LII, Drtcn I'll n

pages cloth. Price. Sl.5O.
This is one Of the Appleton Great
Commander series. Early in 1891 Gen
eral Joseph Z. Johnston was informed by
General James Grant Wilson. editor of the
series. that be would be included in 1t,
and he requested the Confederate leader
TO select the person whom he would prefer
as his biographer. General Johnstons
choice feel upon Mr.. Hughes. but his
death within a fortnight thereafter pre-
vented any conference as to the details OF
the work. A year previous. however. Mr..
Hughes had. at the instance OF General
Johnston, undertaken a more elaborate
biography of him, and the present volume
supercedes the one originally designed.
The limited space to which Mr.. Hughes
has been confined by the rule of unifor-
mity of the series demanded great powers
OF condensation. but he has proved equal
to the task. lie has gwen US book that
will not only be read with interest, but
will stimulate o desire 70 enter upon
study OF the authorities which are the
groundwork of his production. The
main sources of his information as TO the
part General Johnston bore IN the great
civil conflict are the official war records
now being published by the government,
through "Webbs Peninsula" Swinton's
Arrrv of the Potomac" McClellaI's Own
Story" and other works Of northern in
spiration, and General Johnston's private
papers have been used. Assistance has also
been rendered the author by many friends
of General Johnston on the southern side
Mr. Hughes's task has been performed
in workmanlike manner as 10 consecu-
tiveness and literary style. The opening
chapter which treats of the lineage. parent
age and youth of his subject is a pleasant
introduction to the whole. and the chap
ters devoted to Early Military Life" and
the period From Mexico to the Civil
War" while short are full of historical in
formation.
Coming to the resignation of General
Johnston from the old army. Mr.. Hughes
makes prominent the facts that General
Johnston did not believe the war
would be short one: did not underrate
the prowess OF the enemy. and was per-
sonally opposed TO secession; also that
his resignation from the old army marked
great personal sacrifice. seeing that he
was the officer of the highest rank who
threw up his commission. and that his
position as Quartermaster-General, taken
in connection with the advanced age of
General Scott. must soon have made him
the senior officer OF the service.
Tho p,poiUrc of (,aparal Johnston
from Manassas TO the end are reviewed
rapidly. but with clearncss which evil
dences a study of their details.
Referring 10 the question who deserved
the credit for the result at First Manassas,
Mr.. Hughes says IAN analysis of the
Confederate casualties shows that John
ston's army lost Is per cent. of those
actually engaged, while Beauregard's
army lost per cent. This fact tells which
general fought the battle. With Johnston
still at Winchester. and Beauregard
ranged as he was on tho 18th, before he
knew positively that Johnston was feast.
ble-and as his f rec continued to be
ranged on the 2lst-having his strongest
brigades' on the right, facing tords. across
which 20 foe was destined to advance
having nothing but den-brigado to
guard the line actually selected 10y his
adversary, where would ho and his Mmy
have been on the night of the 2lst! In
other words what would have been tht
story Of Manassas, without Bee, Barlow
and jackson TO lllumlne its pages lt ls q
historical fact that all OfJohnston's troops
who reached Manassas, except one rcgI
ment. took part III the battle. and 1t /
equally true that less than one-half n
Beauregards were in position 10 be aValla
ble."
In respect of the criticism that General
Johnston WAS not adapted To offensive
operations, and was dlsinclned by nature
to every aggressive movement. the author
says he never had the opportunities that
came in the way of others. He c.tos fact.
and figures TO support his contention and
claims that critics who assert that this
acknowledged great Confederate strateglsi
was great only whom on the defensive, ere
unfamiliar with the Seven Pines. Nicks
burg, Atlanta. and BentOnville. The Con
federate administration. Nr. Hughes
SAYS, never placed General Johns on
in charge of an army ready drilled and
flushed with success. On the contrary, II
was his lot to be consigned to commands
b Which had been demOrallZed and dsor-
ganized by the incapacity of others, he
argues to the conclusion that had John
ston been kept IN command OF the Army
of the West that army would have scored
for the South in the Mississippi Valley VIC
tories no less brilliant than those OF Fred
ericKsburg and Charlottesville, and that
Missionary Ridge and other disasters
would have told different tales. In this
connection the author comments: That
general IS the greatest who, careless OF his
own blood. spares the lives of his men
who, despising the eclat of a bloody field
fights only when he has au object tor battle
and reasonable chances for victory. Mea-
sured by the meagre resources available.
By the indifference of his government. by
the character of the armies intrusted 10
HIM, Joseph f.. Johnston will be treated
in history as equally great in the defence
and the aggressive-as much entitled to
be called the sword of the COnfoderacy as
its shield. Invariably brought forward
only in crises when all seemed lost, only
when the fears OF the Executive stifled for
time its prejudices, he never declined
the leadership of forlorn hope; aud IL Is
unjust to ignore the difficulties which he
never shrank from facing and 10 join IN
the parrot cry of the uninformed that he
was only great in defence. The southern
Belissrlus always the victim OF court dis
favor. vet always indispensable, his self
abnegatlon deserves falrer treatment
Mr. Hughes dwells at some length upon
the confidence the men who served under
Johnston had in him. and narrates num-
ber of incidents of the Generals personal
gallantry and courage. However, III speak
ing of his seizing the colors OF regiment
at Manassas he falls INTO an error. lie
says no poet has handed down the Incl
dent in burning words like similar Incl
dent in the life of Lee" when the fact Is
the incident is embalmed in the poem
Manassas. If not in other poems OF the war.
In its completeness the work Is an ap-
preciative tribute to General Johnston as
man, a patriot, and q soldier, and all OF
the authors contentious are well tortined.
As 10 the unfortunate differences between
Mr.. Davis and General Johnston. he holds
with the conclusion that the Confederate
Presidents course at the beginning OF the
war was dictated more BY desire to ad-
vance General Albert Sidney Johnston
than to slight General Joseph Z. John
ston. The reader lays down the book
with the feeling that the time devoted TO
ITS perusal has been we'll spent, ana with
the hope that Mr.. Hughes will carry out
his intention of preparing fuller blogra-
ply of the great commander.
For sale by West. Johnston n Co.
THE PRINCES OF PEELE. By William
Westall. New York: Lowell. Coryell d
Co.; 347 pages. Paper. 50 cents.
Leonard Prince, solicitor, and Dorothy,