Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-25

"Is not that enough to make sain
| swear? Here is General Lee telling th'
department that his soldiers are starving
but with heroism never heard OF before
are making no complaints; that he is try
ing TO exc out their meagre ration5 by
making them gather sassafras buds anC
wild onions-grazing them along with the
cattle-and the department replies n
must not feed his men too high; they VII
get fat, sleek, and lazy What is to be
But that is not all. Commlssary-
General Northrup added In this same
communication that II q sufficiently
strong military guard IS furnished him
he thinks he can CLEAN something out OF
| the counties of Fauquier, Loudoun, Gull
! pepper. and Madison which had been the
| camping-ground Of the two armies all OF
| the war They were rich counties, and
they were near at hand, and the people
| had hidden a little from the Yankees,
and II he had soldiers enough sent with
| him, he thought he could wiring out OF
these poor desolated counties a little
more.
THE KEY IS HERE.
This correspondence furnishes the key
| 70 the incOmpetency Of the Confederate
| civil administration in all directions. In
stead of graphing with the difficulties OF
the case at their source and fountain
head, they were treated as weak men
always treat serious exigencies; weak
should have been nothing but the most
positive and energetic action. In place OF
the foTcible seizure Of such trains as
were necessary TO bring food 10 the army,
we have a medical essay upon the dan
ger OF soldiers getting fat and lazy If fed
too high, and "A suggestion that the four
counties named might be drained Of some
thing more. This correspondence fur
nishes a clue to the whole civil admins
tratiOn Of the COnfederacy.
Confederate soldiers down, until 1t be-
came pitiable In the last degree. General
Lees army became so ragged II could
scarcely be said 10 be clothed at all, and,
TO great extent, IT was without shoes.
The men received rations that were not,
actually, enough TO keep body and soul
together. but they remained patiently at
their posts. fighting odds Of two and
three TO one almost every day, but never
mUrmuring nor making n complaint.
"Of course, if there had been no way
to supply the soldiers no one could make
complaint. But there were supplies In
the country. The negro population had
remained all through the war entirely
tranquil. and it had labored on all the
time producing food, and it could have
been made 10 produce clothing from the
wool and cotton of the Confederate States.
MAJOR enters TESTIMONY.
LET me give you another illustration
OF the incOmpetency and inefiiciency OF
the civil administration Of the Confede-
racV: The late Major Lewis Ginter served
through the war as the commissary of
Thomas's Brigade, and General Lee who
knew him well. personally, had high APP
probation Of his business sagacity and
qualifications.
Supreme Court Of Appeals, and myself
were paying him a social call together in
the winter of 1867, when he told us the
following:
or February, 1865, General Lee sent for
him and said: Major, you see that this
army is perishing for want or 1000. i
want YOU 10 go TO Danville and to the
chief points in North Carolina and see
If IL is not possible TO get some supplies
for my army.
Major Ginter said he went to Dan
VILE and, to his amaZement, found
warehouse after warehouse filled with
flour, corn, bacon, &C., Tor the army.
The officer in charge there put him into
telegraphic communication with Char
lotte. Raleigh, and the other chief points
i'm North Carolina, and he found the
same state of affairs at each. Upon In
quiry why the supplies were not sent 10
the army, the officers replied that there
was a great deficiency of transportation,
and a large part Of what there was was
mOnopOiZed by suffers carrying liquors
and other luXuries to Richmond for sale.
Major Ginter said the officer in charge al
he saw with his own eyes train loaded
with suffers stores. about TO start fOr
Richmond. The officers at all the other
places reported by telegraph TO him that
the same state of affairs existed at each
and at all OF them; the officers in charge
were outraged and all told Major Ginter
that If General Lee would give them the
orders, they would disregard all other
orders, and would seize the transporta-
ton and send his army provisions.
GENERAL LEES RESTRAINT.
Major Ginter said he returned and re-
ported these facts TO General Lee, and
urged him 10 assume all the necessary
and issue the orders. But
after rejecting awhile, General Lee said.
No. l cannot override the department
1t would be an assumption OF Illegal au-
thorlty, and If the department are deter
mined TO let this army perish. II Will
have TO perish j have inquired of other |
persons who were on duty at Danvilie |
at that time. and Major enters state |
ments are fully borne out by them.
Il don't believe there ever was another |
Of an army in such circum- |
stances as General Lee was in who would |
have refrained from usurping the author |
lty he was invited 10 assume. Nothing in
his immortal career stands out so glO-
riously as this great act of self-restraint.
This whole Ginter incident is fore
shadowed in that letter from the com
nissary-g general that i have already
quoted, written almost two years before.
rhe commissary-general Informed the
government in March, 1863 that transpOr-
alton on the railroads was very den-
,ient, and that the companies would not
allow him the use OF what they had be
,ause they found the transportation OF
passengers Gore profitable. Why had
lot provision been made in those two
ears for such transportation as was ne
'essary to bring food TO the Army of
Northern Virginia. We had a plenty of
mechanics who could make cars. and the
'redegar Company could cast their
wheels. The rudest Of vehicles would
ave answered for hauling food. Why
we're they not provided? General Lees
rmy, after thrashing Grant every day
or six weeks. was finally compelled to
ay down its arms 10 him without firing
shot. almost, because his men had no
God TO keep them from starvation. and
God I'm greatest abundance was piled up
within days haul OF him.
COMPLETE INEFFICIENCY.
This Ginter matter" Mr.. Royal con-
inued. sis but an illustration of the utter
OF the whole civil administra-
ion of the Confederate Government Our
oldiers were conquered by want OF proper
upplies, and we had everything necessary
or keeping our army thoroughly supplied.
md Ii ought 10 have been kept supplied
{ whatever cost and suffering TO the rest
Il the population. The negroes remained
,eaceably at home. and constituted
WORKING force capable OF producing every
erred 10 Europe while our ports were
pen, would have constituted a gold fund |
With which we could have bought and
,uilt ships that would have kept our
,orts measurably open at least e
This must not be considered a criticism
{ President Davis only. 1t is criticism
4 the whole civil administration of the |
'onfederacy. IL includes the Confede-