Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-06-30
JrsTrcE TO ALL OUR ARMIES.

The criticism thrown out at the joint
meeting Saturday night of the History
committees Of tho United Confederate
Veterans and the Grand Camp OF Vir-
glnia, respectively, that the southern war
histories so far written do not do rs
full Justice TO the Army OF tho west
meaning the Confederate forces on both
sides OF the Missssippi-as they do TO the
Army of Northern Virginia, Is not without
good foundation. But this discrimination
II that term may be used, IS an inJusuee
of omission. rather than Of commission
and the explanation is not far 10 seek.
Richmond was the key to the Conieue-
racy. and the chief interest. both North
and South. centered IN the operations
upon which the fate Of the Confederate
capital Immediately depended. As con-
sequence, the movements OF the Army OF
Northern Virginia and the Army OF the
Potomac- wero followed more In detall
during the war than were the movements
of the contending armies OF the west,
and when, after the war, the work OF
historical compilation commenced, the IN
formation bearing upon the virginia CAM
paigns was In much more accessible forn'
II not much greater in volume. than that
relating TO the campaigns in the West.
That the fault in our southern war histo-
rles. referred to IN the meeting Saturday
night. is due to the conditions cited, ana
not 10 any disposition on the part OF our
southern war historians to glorify the
Army Of Northern Virginia at the expense
of the Confederate Army of the West,
will. we think, be readily recognized by
all who have read critically after the
various southern writers OF war history.
However, most encouraging progress has
been made especially during the past Few
years, in the matter of securing histories
of the war that southern fathers and
mothers should be willing to see placed
in the hands of their children. Not only
are the war histories that are being pro-
duced by our southern writers very ac-
curate, as far as they go, but the growing
determination of the South to weed out
Of her schools all unreliable and partisan
northern histories is touching the pocket
nerve of the northern publishers or
school books, and must result in the
revision Of their histories Of the wa In
the light of truth.
The production Of absolutely accurate
and unbiased history is slow and tedious
work at best. Before this contamination
is reached all history goes through three
process. The first is the discursve or
| expansive, in which generaiities play a
most important part; the second consists
of winnowing out of the first and group
ing the well-fortified facts; the third IS
the accretion upon these facts of other
facts. The history OF the civil war is
now going through the second process al
the hands of southern writers. SO far
the scope Of their work is comparatively
limited. as all must admit who concede
the Justice of the criticism relative to the
attention given the Army Of the west
But the foundation they have laid Is
solid and sure. 1t is a foundation oil
truth, and no one need fear that before
the labor Is completed the Army Of the
West will not contribute its full share
| of material 10 the Supeisb dSe~AS'
deed. without complete record OF the
superb valor displayed by our western
forces. and of their splendid achieve
ments. the odds against which they con-
tended, the privations they suffered, anc
the part they bore in prolonging the con
1ict. not only would history fail in justice
to them, but in justice to the South anc
its cause. Furthermore, full justice VII
not have been done to all engaged In th'
war on the southern side and to th'
South's cause until complete record o.
the achievements Of the Confederate nav!
shall have been written up and lncorpo
rated into a southern war history. oi
the western rivers especially the naVa
forces of the Confederacy did some o.
the most desperate and gallant hghtih'
known 10 the world. But this recognition
will also come in time. and in the process
Of accretion, and nothing is more caicu
lated to hasten it than such criticism a
was made at the Saturday nights JON
meeting Of the history committees.