New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-28

| Continental Congress respecting the officers and
soldiers OF the army are given In full. Some OF
these show clearly that the Congress already
| looked upon the United States as nat.on-for
| example. the resolution Of october q, $780, In
which half-pay for life promised upon the
| reduction OF the army This might well have
been couched In the form Of recommendation
| to the States, as was the resolution or Novem-
Der "a. ITS. relating to supernumerary ofcers
| The Continental Congress overestinated its
powers in a physical sense. but there were sew
| eral acts Of 1850 TO show what II considered lts
legal powers to be- This Of course is question
apart from those connected with the claims OF
descendants Of officers entitled to half-pay 1t
affords a glimpse Of the growth Of natonalism
when the country was on the eve OF anarchy
| In the form OF confederation
General Boynton has compiled not merely a
guide book but a compact history OF the military
operations commemoraed In the Chckamauga
National Park Chickamauga the most
stubbornIy fought and the bloodest battle OF the
war outranking Getty sburg In the percentage OF
| dead and wounded. In fact. 1t has hardly 'ts
| rival In all history Both the armies engaged
emerged from the two days conflict with loss
of nearly every other man. II cannot be fairly
said that either side won a victory. The Con-
federate forces held the fcld but Mt the same
time the battle contributed tn the final SUCCESS
of the Union forces In the campaign. The battle
Of Chattanooga II characterized by General
| Doynton as "the grandest spectacular engage
ment Of the war" Twenty-nine out Of the
thirty. three ptates east Of the Rocky Mountains
were represented, The battles Of the campaign
were fought IN region IN then almost un'
known partly In the primevai forest. ut the base
and over the summit Of picturesque mountains
! IA. h.pfn nat al
might well have marked II for park aside
from Its historic associations General boyn-
ton was himself one Of the first. II not the very
first to suggest the thought of n park The sug-
gesion was u novelty, but 1t was soon followed
by similar ones respecting the fields OF Gettys-
burg Shiloh and Antetam. The history OF the
battles Is accompanied with maps. In the park
itself the lines of battle are marked by tablets
and monuments. Guns OF the pattern used by
each battery are to be placed on the fghting po-
sition Of each organization. Spots where general
officers were killed are marked by triangular
pyramids of eight-inch shells What defensive
works there to be restored. When the
work is completed the lines Of every days bat
tie will be defined fully that the movements
Of every regiment can be followed. General
Boynton's book has many illustrations and is
itself no unworthy memorial of the campaign
which 1t describes.
| The tenth volume Of papers read before the
| Massachusetts, Historical Society contains criti-
cal studies of the military achievements of
| Beauregard. Grant, Hancock Humphreys. Nc
Clellan. Sherman. Stuart and Thomas John C.
Ropes in his estimate Of Beauregard has per-
| haps departed more widely from the common
| belief than any other essayist. He points out
| that Beaurcgards French vivacty caused him TO
he distru cd nv stoltd of Eng
| lsh descent in the Confederacy. His sugges
| tons were not adopted in spite Of the fact
| that his forecasts Of results turned out TO be
marvellousy correct in many cases. The i'm
| preston given by the paper Is that Beaure-
gard never had fair chance as commander
Colonel Theodore A. Dodge denies to Grant
| the characteristics Of military genius. giving
the credit Of his achievements TO his steadiness
Of purpose. his unflinchrg nerve and his stern
patriotism rather than to his intellect. The
paper on Hancock by General Francis A. Walker
is a eulogy rather than criticism, and the same
may be said OF General James II. Wilson's paper
on Humphreys.
Mr.. Ropes's essay on Mcclellan IL really a
study In morbid psychology. His examination
Of sherman's career is far from laudatory. He
maintains that the March to the Sea" might
easily have turned out fatal error. Mr.. Ropes
cavalry leader. who ut the fatal crisis OF Gettys-
burg completely misunderstood his duty to his
comma nder, Lee. Both sides Of the controversy
regarding Thomass represented.
the one BY eulogy from Colonel r. l.. Stone.
the other by depreciatory criticism from
Colonel r. l.. Lvernore. The closing essay,
"rhe War We See II Now" by Mr.. Ropes, Is
mainly n chapter OF errors. real or supposed.
His account Of the difference between Lincoln
and Davis I'm regard 10 the war II Interesting
The former made the mistakes ~ n civilian en-
gagged In military affairs of which he knew
little. lie pcrsstently appointed mon 10 re-
sponsblc command purely for political reasons.
and he had 10 learn the characteristics ~ the
trained army men by experience. He was In a
position to profit by his own mistakes Hut
Davis began with n feeling of liking or dislike
toward men with whom he was intimate. He
knew all the officers of the old army. and he
could not help favoring some and opposing
others lie became marplot. while Lincoln
developed n critical knowledge OF war. and his
conduct with each year became more Judcious
and capable"
General Hyde has written graphic little
book. restricting his pen to his own personal ex-
pcrcnces lie may have guided his own literary
labor by the thought which he expresses In his
preface, that he should Ike to read book
OF purely personal "reminiscences from the hand
OF officer Of the Revolutionary army The
book Is full OF anecdote. The view II gives OF
battles are those OF officer more or less taken
up with his tasks One Of his tasks. a
charge at the battle OF Antletam he mentions
with some resentment. He was then major In
command Of the 7th Maine Regiment. and his
brigader happened to have taken too much
liquor. 1t thus that he was ordered to
charge into the very centre OF the Confederate
line. lie led two hundred men to the at
tack and returned with sixty-fve men and three
officers. Nobody who witnessed the movement
expected to the regiment again Never |
theless the Vermont brigade was eager to follow. |
and General Hydes opinion now is that II the