El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-10-08

his training school and never make a
general, and he may be a great general
without having been a very diligent
scholar In a purely technical sense al
his training school. Longstreet was q
paymaster when the war broke out,
Hancock ranked but is In q class of 25,
and yet he was the only man of his
class that rose to military distinction.
The facts concerning Longstreet and
Hancock are worth remembering by
those who wonder why Grants should
have graduated only q in q class OF 80,
and yet Grant, like Longstreet and
Hancock, was the only really great
soldier OF his class. IL only illustrates
that in the schools of war, as the
schools OF peace, it Is the power to d.
gest and apply principles rather than
the power to memorize text books
that makes an efficient man of action.
Leadership Is gift from God, but
textbooks can make q chief of staff or
military engineer. You cannot ex-
plain Sheridan, nor Pickett, nor Stone
wall jackson, nor Hood, nor the Con-
federate cavalry leader Wheeler by
their scholastic rank at West Point.
III IT be true that 1t Is "the man be-
hind the gun" it is equally true in the
world of military action that it is the
man behind the book rather than the
book behind the man.
Longstreet, like Grant and Hancock.
distinguished himself in his first en-
gagement, which was Bull Run, July
II, 1851. He fought at williamsburg,
May D, 1862. where he commanded the
rear guard of Johnston's army: at Fair
Oaks, May 81 and June /, 1862: at
Beaver Dam and Gaines Mill, June Do
q AZ Glendale, June 30, where he was
fWWA
failure OF Stonewall jackson TO Join
him with his corps of 30, 600 men. Jack
son took the wrong road, and. instead
OF Joining Longstreet, marched to
White Oak bridge, where he lay all
day long without making any attempt
TO force the passage of the creek at
Slocum's Crossing. But for this bluu-
der, which robbed Longstreet OF 30,
600 men, who did not fire a shot beyond
skirmishing, and brief artillery iii re
At White Oak bridge. the Army OF the
Potomac would never have reached
Harrison's Landing, but would have
been cut in two at Charles City cross
roads. Porter, with his Fifth corps,
aud the Fourth corps, under Keyes,
held Ma'vern Hill, Ind would have
been able to retreat to the shelter of
our gunboats, on James river, but the
Second. Third and Sixth corps of the
army would have been cut off and
would have been forced TO choose be-
tween destruction and surrender Jack
sons blunder lost the confederacy
more that fatal day than all his pre-
Vious or subsequent services were
worth, for the practical destruction of
McClellan's army would have meant
the ial OF Washington and the re-
cognltion OF the Southern Confederscy.
NO wonder General Lougstreet in his
very able and accurate book. ''From
Manassas TO Appomattox, thinks that
"Stonewall" jackson was a greatly
overrated general. Longstreet won
the second battle of Bull Run, August
30, 1862. by the skinful disposition of
his artillery, which enfilsded the ranks
OF our gallant army and completely
crushed Its advancing columns. Long
street repulsed Burnside's right wing
with awful slaughter at FredericlIs,
burg, December IL, 1852: and Lees
errors at Antietsm and Get
tysburg were made against the ear
nest remembrance of Longstreet, who
pointed out that the confederacy conId
not afford to win barren, yet bloody |
battles.
Longstreet was easily Lees ablest |
lieutenant and his most trusted mill |
tary friend, not excepting jackson,