The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-02-07

4
MONTE VISTA. Colo, Jan. 2 1895.
To Joe Hooker Post. No. 16, Department o
Colorado aud Wyoming:
Your committee appointed in accordance
with instructions in Circular No. 2 from De
partment Headquarters, dated Oct. 10, 1894. tc
examine the school history in use in the public
schools of Monte Vista, beg leave to submit the
following report of their work:
| Pursuant to instructions your committee
waited on Prof. Spencer, Mt the Monte Vista
High School. He afforded every facility posi-
bic and furnished copy Of the text book now
in use in that institution. 1t is entitled |"
Brief History Of the United States" published
by A. S. Barnes & Co., New York, Chicago and
| Cincinnati
The work is so manifestly unfair and preiu-
diced IN its tone IN regard to the war of the
rebellion that we deem it proper TO review some
OF its salient features in this respect.
In this work the measures and grievances
which led to the Revolution in 1776 and the war
of 16l2-14 are clearly set forth and the justice
| of the American cause forciby and periodically
| stated but in treating OF tho war Of the rebel
| lion there is not one word OF condem nation of
the treason of the leaders, tho baselessuess of
| the cause, or the barbaric methods frequently
! practiced by the leaders and partissns of the
so-called Confederacy. Every affair which can
| be tortured into an act of glory a victory for
! the Con nfederaies is graphically described, even
| to the verge of falsehood by inference if not by
| direct statement. To mako this clear to our
| comrades we find it necessary to quote extracts
| from this work and comment on them as
| quoted:
| isGa-The National nrn,y now numbered 100000;
| the Confederate $50 900.
ls63-Tbe Federal army was about 700 coo strong;
the Confederate not more than half that number.
| tpp 22S-2441
The inference to be drawn from this by the
1 fall L. n 4
| was worth two Union soldiers. There is moth
| ing to show that one WAS conducting defens-
i've war in his own territory. with no lines of
communication TO guard and choice of any
objective point at which to strike, making the
relative forces practically equal, with the doubt
in favor of the Coufederates
On page 220 the rout of the Union army at
Bull Run is forcibiy described There is no
| mention of so much disorder among the Con-
| federates as to render pursuit impossible. But
to indicate the prejudice of the work it is
proper to say that the orderly retreat from the
battle Of Wilson's Creek short time afterward
is not mentioned and in speaking Of the bat
tie of Shiloh, which occurred the next Spring,
the author does not seem to have forgotten
favorable point for the Confederates:
Beauregard. obsiinRtely resisting was driven
from the field. He sreireaied. however. in good
order, and, unmoiested returned to Corintb. (p.
226)
The appearance of Beauregard's troops near
Shiloh Church late ia the afternoon of the second
day of the battle did not look very orderly, aud
the arms and wreckage left on the road to Cor
ipth led the casual observer to think that some
tody was in n hurry TO get away. The lack of
pursuit must be attributed to other causes than
the shattered condition of the Union army or
the good orderly of the Con feierates.
This work frequently states the relative
numbers Of the forces oflthe contending armies
I'll
numbers are against the South. An instance
of this is Lees rstinvasion of Maryland. In
speaking of tho battle of Antietam, this histo-
rian says:
The Union army was over 900 strong, and the
Confederate but half that number. (p. 2i2)
The records give the actual forces en-
gagged AS 81. 600 Union and $4,000 Confederate
The fact that Mcclellan had SO, 600 men under
his command does not justify the historian in
stating that they were engaged, or even on the
field. As the Confederates were on the de-
fensve and in strong position, it is safe to
say the forces engaged were nearly even in the
battle OF Antetam. But to show the pervad-
ing sentiment of this work it is well in this
con nection to insert portion of the foot-note
which the author adds in regard to this cam
paign:
During this invasion the Confederate soldiers
endured every privation; half were in rags.
and thousands barefooied marked their path with
crimson: Yet. shoeless. hatless. and ragged. they
marched and fought with heroism like that OF
Revolutionary times. ip 2a2)
Another case of the misstatement of numbers
is in regard to Bragg's invasion of Kentucky.
The history" says:
Now commenced a race to reach the Ohio River
Buell. came out one day ahead. He was heavily
reinforced to the number of 100 600 men. Bragg
then fell back. Buell. slowly following. Al Perry
vile {0ct 81 Bragg fercely turned upon Buell. and
desperate battle was fought. la the darkness,
however, Bragg escaped. though his wagon train
extended 40 miles. (p. 22S)
The fact that only third of Buelis army
WAS engaged is not alluded to- Half the army
and Buell. himself did not know that hattie
was being fought until it was over. In sum-
ming up the important events of the year, this
history gives Bragg's raid as one of the Con-
federate successes. while the fact that it
was a fat failure in tho object it started for,
and only resulted in plundering people who
were mostly in sympathy with the South.
The book has many passages of unaduterated
bosh and the following, which refers to the
movements in East Tennessee before and after
the battle of Missionary Ridge, Nov. 23-4, 1863,
is a sample:
Move ADnfnst RnoIUiue. e.-Iongstreets men were
In "A deplorsbc statc-hupgry. ragged, aud tentess,
hut under this inde efa igsbie leader they shut up
Burnsidc's force in the works at Knoxville. Mean
while Grant in the moment of his splendid triumph
at Chattanooga ordered Sherman's torn. bleeding,
BuTnsides relief (p. 250)
Now, it may be noted in this connection that
Longstreets Corps arrived in tho neighborhood
OF the field Of Cbickamauga about the 10th Of
September. and when passing through Atlanta
shortly before that time 1t was mentioned as
the finest equipped and clothed body of men
ever seen there. How they should become so
ragged in such short time is mystery. As
to the statement about hunger, Longstreet said
he found plenty of provisions and forage in the
country. The pitiful whine about no tents will
provoke smile on this face Of the veterans !
The historian might have added that neither
army used tents in those campaigns. The rot
troops is unworthy the name Of history. His
forces had fought hard at Missionary Ridge
but those who started for Knoxville were not
torn. bleeding. or barefoot. The men who were |
not in good condition were not allowed to 20, |
and they were very few All who needed new |
shoes had received them at Bridgeport and |
Stevenson only few days before. Ii is we'll |
known fact that improvident men would fail |
to draw shoes when they had an opportunity, |
and these would generally have poor footwear
alter a day or two Oh the road. but the state
ment that any considerable number were bare
foot is false. Had Longstreet waited day or
two the bleed rart would have come off all
right. The march to Knoxville, aud thence
into the western part of North Carolina and
back to Stevenson was an exceptionally hard
one on account of bad roads, cold weather, no
tents, few blankets, and short ratiOns-much of
the time no rations at ail-but the men pre-
served their good temper, and there was no
Struggling and very little sickness during the
entire month they were gone.