The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-20

take q hand in Offering him advice and
showing him his errors. General Rob
ert z. Lee had, and deserved to have,
the confidence of his army, and Of the
people behind the army, to q very exc
ceptional degree; but even he had
much to bear in the way of ignorant
and unfriendly comment. Such trials
bring out the nobility of a noble ma
ture, and so it was with General Lee.
writer in the Southern Bivouac
says that his quarters were within fifty
yards of Lees tent In the autumn Of
1861, while Lees army and the army
of Rosecrans lay facing each other.
Lees force was only few thousand
less than Rosecran's, and the COnfed-
crates were eager for fight. Most Of
them had never seen anything more
alarming than q skirmish, and were
still full of the notion that one south
erner was match for five Yankees.
Lee did not fight. His army sat
there in the mud, and grumbled
about the inactivity of their general.
A considerable part of the southern
press began to denounce the policy
which they could not understand.
Lee was pronounced failure, and
when Rosecrans retrsated In SIX inches
of snow and an unknown depth of mud,
a universal howl was raised by the
military editors" At that time the
writer IN the Bivouac used to pass and
repass Lees quarters to see what effect
the public cutlery would have upon
him; but there was no change in his
countenance, though he would sit by
the hour on log near his tent reading
the newspapers.
Afterward Lee was ordered to the
seacosst of South Carolina, and there
the Bivouac contributor first made his
personal acquaintance. I never heard
from him" he declairs, AN unkind
criticism on the Confederate Govern
ment. on the plan of it's campaigns, on
its officers or on the enemy"
Once he heard Lee asked why he
did not fight Rosecrans, as his army
had wished him to do. He answered
that the battle would have been with
out results, as he should have been
entirely unable to follow up a victory.
But" said his questiOner, your
reputation was suffering, the press was
denouncing you, your state was losing
confidence in you, and the army need-
ed victory to give it enthusiasm"
A sad smile lit up Lees fine face,
and his reply was worthy Of Spartan
better yet, of a Christian
"I could not afford to sacrifice the
lives of five or six hundred of my peO-
pie to silence public clamor-"
A soldier may be perfectly delighted
to wade, metaphorically speaking,
through seas of blood for his country,
but seas of mud are much more trying
to his feelings. It was related at a re-
cent meeting of army veterans that,
during the civil war, a Union general,
while riding along a bv-rOad, came up
with a small, struggling body of his
own cavalry, who we're wading through
at least foot of soft, sticky mud.
As the general approached, the
troopers were drawn up somewhat
quickly to salute him; and in the
midst of the houndering movement
one of the men was thrown violently
from his horse and into the midst of
the black and sticky mass.
The soldier crawled to his feet, q
sorry spectacle, his face smeared to
the complexion of negro. Then, IL
stead of making any effort to mount or
recover his horse, he went to the fence
by the side of the road and perched /
upon it, his back to the troop.
The general, smothering a laugh. |
rode up to him.
whats the matter, my man? Are |
you hurt ?" the general asked, kindly. |
Nav" replied the man, turning /
around his grimy face, II amt hurt /
none; but if ever love q country agin
xan can kick mel"