The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-02-23

|
vented a much more serious disas-
ter TO the Federal army.
Gen. Lees plans for the Frazier's Farm,
or Glendale, battle were excellent bur
they were not carried out by his lieuten-
ants. Huger and Magruder were TO at
tack on the right OF Longstreet and ~ Z.
! Hill. but the former did nothing. Col.
Allan says that, after coming up win
the enemy, he devoted the remainder OF
| the day accommodating and an artillery
! duel" and so "frittered away the day.
! in ful. hearing of the battle. Magruder
/ had TO ms Ike a long detOur TO reach his
position. and spent the afternoon In
/ marching and counter-marching because
! Of Holmer's request for reinforcements.'
OF the last, says Allan. "Iie was so i'm
posed upon by POrter's demonstration
/ Il. G.. near Malvern Hill on our extreme
right that he was not only pardlyZed
for the day, but continued inactive dur
| Ing the great struggle at Malvern Hill
on the morrow" Gen. Palfrey says.
Holmes demonstration upon the left of
| our line near Malvern Hill made this
day, was two feeble TO call for descrp-
| ton" But even Homer mods" and the
| inactivity of Gen. Jackson on this day
at White Oak Swamp in rear of the
/ Federal army has often been the subject
/ OF remark. Franklin had destroyed the
bridge and posted his forces especially
| his artillery, I'm an excellent position TO
/ defend the crossing. Even Or. Dabney.
! Jackson's chief of staff. i'm his Life OF
| Jackson" quoted by Gen. Palfrey thinks
t that he came short of that efficiency in
action for which he was everywhere else
noted" and that this temporary eclipse
| Of JacksOn's genius was probably TO be
| explained by physical causes"
Col. Allan takes the view that Vigorous
| ID, fro mr.
cured crossing" He says: "Jackson's
comparative inaction was Il matter OF
surprise at the time, and has never been
| satisfactorily explained. Some have at
| tributed ii to physical exhaustion. and
| the demands Of the campaign had been
severe; but il is best 10 set it down az
one Of the few great mistakes Of his
marvellous career" 1T does seem as If
crossing might have been forced at
| Brackets Ford. as above but we lay
! their all day doing nothing and allowed
Longstreet and a. +. Hill to fight their
| battle alone.
they sustained themselves nobly, but II
! Gen. Lees plans had been carried out,
| the Federal army would have been de-
I stroyed. Malvern Hill was another one
Of the battles that ought never TO have
been fought 1t is easy 10 be wise after
| the fact: "hindsight is always better than
|
| his crabbedness, was right when he said:
Il had expressed my disapprobatlon Of
| farther pursuit of the Yankees TO the
| commanding general and 10 Major-Gen-
| eral Jackson and Longstreet, even before
| / knew the strength of their position. An
examination satisfied me. that an attack
could not but be hazardous to our arms
| As II was, the attack was made
| by detachments: there was no concen-
/ nd
| pulsed In detail. our brigade (StOnewalD
was sent in when IL was too dark TO see
| anything except by the fash of the guns
and we fired until ten O'Clock without
doing one particle Of good. If it had been
daylight, think We should all have been
Killed The enemy were going 10 retreat
anyhow and we might as well have let
| theih alone tired TO seize Westover
| heights ahead OF them, where we should
have had an advantageous position. and
thus saved our men. (See Gen. Wjnder's
| report in Moores Rebellion Record a
592) y
Gen. Winters Comments on tho
campaign, will be read with most int,r-
est by the Confederate reader. He takes
mucn more favorable view of Mcclellan
tnah Mr. Ropes does, and he gives nm
oe.il'eu praise 10 the COnfederates He
says The Army OF Northern Vireiri,
| "hlch has existed on this conts,o,.,.
suffering priyations unknown 10 ire on
| pohehts, II fought well from Tho oari.
| oni,isuiar days 10 the surrender of thai
sihall remnant at Appomattox. II eee,,oI
alMays ready active. rosolute. vitbo,,t
| uSupt II was composed of the best men
| Vi inc south, rushing to what tho, -
sldered the defence Of tbei,. oo,,, oon-
against bitter invader: and thev tooi,
the places assigned them, office or mi
Nate, ana fought until beaten nv sumo
| l0rlty OF numbers. The North eent no
SucE army 10 the field, and its patrIofiAr,
was of an easier kind; there was no
Iallying cry which drove all the best
the Hch and the educated-to Join the
| lighting armies"
We have space but for one further
| quotations AS a matter Of colnparison.
we have lately read that from William
! ana Mary college Virginia, thirty-two
| out OF thirty-iive professors and instric-
tors abandoned the college work and
joined the army in the field. Harvard
| college sent one professor from its large
| corps OF professors and instructorsi"
Even if there may be some inaccuracv
as to the numbers, for doubt If William
ana Mary had so many instructors. the
| spirit is all right and might be paralleled
from the University of Virginia and other
| Virginia colleges. and doubtless from
| those Of other Southern States, and the
argument is ali the stronger when We
include the Students; they enlisted al
most to man.
The writer had many fellow-students
from the University of Virginia as his
comrades when he enlisted as a high
private in the Rockbridge Artillery, at
tached to the "StonewalI' brigade. There
is much more Of the same sort in Gen.
! Whittier's paper, but we can only COM
mend il TO the reader and pass on. Nc
| Clellan's genius for organization is highly
praised. and Gen. Whittier thinks that
1.-The obstacles put in his way Were
greater than ever were thrown by gov
eminent upon an officer TO whom so much
had been assigned" The course Of the
| Committee on the Conduct Of the War,
and Of the Government itself, Is severely
| arranged "The Grand Duchess of Ger
olstein mildly initiated this in her famous
army. A faithful reproduction ,of the
work OF our statesmen at that time,
would have transcribed the limits of the
| creduIity afforded 10 even opera-bouHe.
! Truly this is "talkin' out In meetin
but Gen. Whittier well sustains himself.
lie hits straight from the shoulder
| regardless of where the blows fall OF
/ Gen. Banks he says: "Of the appoint
ment of the commander of the Fifth
Corps II is impossible TO speak with pa
thence. and It is unnecessary 10 speak at
all. for his incapacity and worthlessness
are admitted TO have exceeded those Of
any officer intrUsted with so important
command during the wal"
Contra Ropes, he defends Mcclellan for