Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-10

days of repose. AS soon as they We're
camped anywhere the exercise COM
menced. You see for yourself that
| there is nothing like that among Euro
pean armies.
AT Cross Keys I commanded the ad-
vance guard of the army, which ad-
vance guard during the battle became
the right wing. From 6 o'clock in the
| morning l was in contact with the
enemy. The general in chief a polti-
clan, sent me an order not to engage
the enemy. That did not prevent the
action from being engaged. At 3
O'Clock Stonewall jackson. massing his
troops, charged upon the center, broke
IT, ana the left wing gave way. The
right wing, which | commanded, still
remained.
Stonewall being compelled to make a
fank movement before my troops to
break the center, was obliged to re-
assemble his line and to pass in front of
me- | was waiting for him. From 3
O'Clock to 9 in the evening we made
nine consecutive charges upon the army
or StoneWall He had for him number
and prestige. At the ninth assault lit
tie remained of my forces-a few thou
sand exhausted men, but not a single
officer on my staff. This ninth assault
was nevertheless. the fms coronat
opus. l carried everything before me.
the headquarters. prisoners, etc, etc
IL was complete success, followed by
this phenomenon: The general-in- chief
IN full retreat at 3 O'Clock teIegraphed
to Lincoln, Battle lost" and at 8
o clock, Battle won.' Lincoln sent me
ny telegraph an order to come to the
White House, and there occurred be-
tween him and me the strangest inter-
view that one could imagine. Lincoln
did not speak word of French and
could only speak four or five words of
English. But Lincoln would not have
an Interpreter; he wanted to know his
army without having recourse to the
politicians. And there in his cabinet in
tete-a-tete he handed me Il pocket die
tionary. He took another, and for two
mortal hours We struggled together,
and at last managed to understand
each other tolerably well.
What a difference between such sim
piicity and the formality OF the Elysee.
On leaving him it was midnight Take
that to Stanton" said he.
t7tdiliOli W a. munster oI Nt1, anu the
document that l brought to him was
my appointment to the rank of full
general. Before that | was only acting
general.
The whole Yankee character is in this
episode. Good sense and colossal en-
ergy Would it he possible to charge
any Europe an troops nine times in sue
cession upon the same objective point
and make them fight from 10 o'clock in
the morning until 8 in the evening
without food and without repose? No.
sir,
But that is the way it was through
out the entire war. The war of Seces-
sion only came to close for want of
combatants. We had killed 500 900
southern men. and the North lost even
4 larger number. And yet it was the
North that triumphed.
There, 1t will be the same thing
With the Spanards. and il would be the
same thing with any other nation. even
Germany. England would he more diff
ticult on account of the similarity of the
race. The Yankees are proud patriots.
They will spend their last dollar. fight
to the bitter end, and triumph, per fas
ct nefas. Make no mistake about that
There. sir. according to my best recol-
lections is what | can tell you.