The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-07-13

VI tlldt Sidlu dIHI1 ttidt "Cut uoNl 10
the Wilderness could have been given
to Lee, the flag of the Union would
have floaled over the Confederate cap
itol long before it did"
The Montreal Telegraph said: " Pos
terity will rank General Lee above
Wellington or Napoleon, before SAKE
or Turenne, above Frederick or Ma RI
borough, before Alexander or Caesar.
He is the greatest general of this or
any other age"
The London Times, in an able re-
view of Col. Chesney's book, after an
extended notice of General Grant,
concludes as follows: "This deter
mined soldier (GranD is not, however
and Col. Chesney agrees with our
judgment-to be compared with his
greatest opponent in the highest attain
ment of the military art; and as Han
nibal towers above Scipio, notwith-
standing Zama, so does the figure of
Lee eclipse that Of Grant, though he
succumbed to the Northern chief"
quote from high Northern source
an extract as follows: "The Army of
the Potomac was better than its COM
manders. 1t marched and fought for
four years, hardly ever animated by
victory. 1t showed, in all it achieved
and endured, that it was an admirable
instrument for the hand that knew
how to WELD it, but it never had the
good fortune to be commanded by a
soldier worthy Of it. While Lee led
his iIlsupplied army from victory to
victory, year after year, defeating with
terrible losses the wonderfully organ
lied, perfectly equipped, lavishly sup
piled, constantly reinforced Army of
the Potomac"
| conclude this article with some
extracts from the war articles written
for the North american Re0iew by
General Viscount Wellesley, of the
English army. "Few of the Northern
generals who knew all the circum-
stances would have liked 10 put the
question of the greatness of the two
leaders (Lee and Grant, to the vote of
the army. The Confederate soldiers
acknowledged Grants doggedness,
and they had begun to realize at the
end of the (Cold Harbor) campaign
that if the North would allow its SOL
diers to be exposed to such frightful
butchery, the North at that price
might triumph; but not for a moment
did they lose confidence in their own
great leader" * * x
General Longstrect may possess,
and he certainly does possess, some
very brilliant qualities, but that of ap-
precia ing The military genius Of his
grea, commander can not be reckoned
among them" x x x
."Longstreet mercilessly criticised
General Lees Charlottesville cam
paign, in which Lee outgeneraled
Hooker, and, with only 10000 men,
overwhelmed the Union army of 3o,-
900 men, and not only stopped the
invasion of the South, but opened the
way to the invasion of Pennsylvania,
| Longstreet criticized this campaign
yet it was Lees conduct of this very
campaign that caused Stonewall Jack.
son to declare, Lee is phenomenon
l would follow him blindfold x
al do not know how it will strike
others, but to me there is something
unspeakably pathetic about the picture
of Lee, that man of marvellous modesty
and marvellous genius, who, by hi:
skill and daring, was then exciting the
admiration OF the world, thus criticised
by his carpng lieutenant Uong
street.) x x
"Gen. Lee was the most remarkable
man the civil war produced, and
can not admit that Gen. Grant pos
sessed at all the same genius for com
mand"
The conclusion from the authorize.
reviewed in the present and preceding
paper, is that:
Longs,reet lost the battle of Get
tysburg by not obeying the order o
Gen. Lee, upon whom he endeavors to
fix the responsibility of that loss.
The policy and plan of that battle
both of which have been criticized b,
Longstreet, have been endorsed by the
greatest warriors of the world
Longstreet'a attempt to distinguish
Lees science and art of BATTLE" say
ing he was perfect in the one and
defective in the other, is without
foundation, since the ablest militar,
critics OF this and other countries have
long since pronounced him perfect ir
both and lastly, Longstreet's audacit,
in comparing Grant with Lee in any
respeC; as 4 soldier, is 50 unsupported
by the military, scientific, artistic
expert opinion of the world, that we
are forced To suspect his motive, or tt
believe he was IN one of his baC
moods" that Gen. Woolesey speaks Of
at the time he made the comparison
Longstreet was great in battle. The
South will cherish the memory Of hi:
brilliant battles and splendid heroism
but she demands that he shall keep hi
hands off OF her IDOL, the embodiment
of chivalry and the very incarnation
Of the spirit Of war-the beloved anC
incompatible Lee.
Respectfully submitted,
w. r. HENRY.