New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-29

special pleader at the expense OF the Critic Most
military experts will. for example. hardly accept
the statement that Jackson during the two years
he held command never committed a single er-
ror." though they will doubtless grant that he
committed few of which his antagonists had the
wit to take the advantage. On the other hand MS
opinions and judgments are always supported
by arguments. which. even when not convincing
are uniformly marked by lucidity ana force'
even the statement Just quoted. sweeping though
it is, is no unconsidered outburst OF enthusiasm
but expresses a conviction that Is eiaoora'eiS
and brilliantly defended throughout the book.
In the concluding chapter he sums up MS Vie"'
OF Jackson's military genius. and his conclusion
is, in brief. that he possessed all the quai,n.
,,ons Of a great military leader-skill and bold
ness in strategy ability as tacucian' pronip'-
ness and rapidity in action, intuitive perception
of the purposes and character OF his antasohis'''
and the power to secure the complete confidence
ora rsrsoral devotion of his soldiers. To the
objection that. with the exception Of the reia-
,,ve,v urionortant campaign in the Shenandoah
Valley. Jackson never held a really independent
command that his work and successes were
those of a lieutenant. and that therefore he was
,ncanab,e Of the broadest generalship, he forci-
bly replies that lack of opportunity does not
Jackson actually accomplished there Is. in fact,
annie evidence Of his capacity for the highest
command. As he we'll says. the fact that jack
son knew so well how to obey and execute is
moor reason for denying him the power to COM
mand and plan. His quiet demeanor concealed
a vivid Imagination, fertile brain and an ex-
.raordinary capacity for far-reachlng combina-
tons" In comparing him with other generals
nd he n. Lieutenant
Colonel Henderson seems inclined to give him
the arst place. with any Of his contempt
raries. not even excepting Lee he compares more
than favorablv II Jackson had been In
charge of the operations. the disastrous battle
Of Malvern Hill would never have been fought;
Pone would have been cut off from the Kappa
hammock: Mcclellan would have found the whole
Confederate Army arrayed against him at south
Mountain. or would have been attacked near
Frederick and Burnside would have been en-
countered on the North Anna where defeat
would probably have proved his ruin" Again;
"Jackson's temper more akin to Grants
than Lees Jackson, however. had the
finer intellect The Federal COMMANDMENTS
Chief was unquestionably a great soldier, great
er than those who overlook his difficulties in the
"a campaign are disposed to admit AS
s,ratee,st he ranks high But Grant was no
master of strstegem Nevertheless, to
mt Jackson above Grant is to place him high
on the list of ilustrious captains" 1t Is In Wei
lington that he finds his greatest number of
points OF similarity to his hero. though. as he
Justly remarks 1.-The parallel cannot be pushed
beyond certain well-defined limits" How far
this very high estimate Of what Jackson might
have done will be supported by the verdict OF
n is inn 70
torically certain that his death in no small meas
ure paralyzed the defence of the Confederacy.
Until jackson fell the army of Northern Vir-
ginia. except where his advice was overruled.
had never missed an opening; afterward 1t
missed many" Upon this point the South. at
least. had no doubt. Its opinion was well ex-
pressed In the prayer OF a chaplain in Taylor's
brigade at the unwilling of the Jackson monu-
ment In New-Orleans: When in Thine inscruta-
BILE decree II was ordained that the Confederacy
should fail. IT became necessary for Thee to re-
move Thy servant. Stonewall jackson"
Lieutenant Colonel Hendersons low estimates
of the Union generals. from Mcdowell to Hook
or who were opposed to Jackson and Lee, is not
fatterng TO Northern pride, but II can hardly
be called unjust Providence kinder to the
South than to the North in placing at the outset
in the service of the former three of the ablest
generals-Lee, Jackson and Johnston-produced
by the Civil War. It Is. however, unjust to at
tribute. as our author does. the disadvantage or
the North in this particular to supposed theory
of Lincoln and Stanton that a large and we'll
equipped army could be led to victory by any
one. The fact was that generals capable or
wrestling victory from such men as Lee and
Jackson. when they had, as they generally ala
have the advantage of position, were not at
first 10 be had They came later and did their
work we'll To the American private. however,
both Union and Confederate. Lieutenant-Colonel
Henderson does full justice. In his apology for
the political action Of the South. he goes much
further than his Northern readers will follow
him: but on the other hand. his sympathy with
the motives and patriotism Of the North Is out
spoken He is evidently anxious TO deal fairly
with both parties to the controversy and TO be
lust to all the actors in the military drama. and
If he has not altogether succeeded he has writ
ten nothing that can properly give offence to
any one This, at least, can be said, that his
hook is one Of the most able and interesting of
the narratives of the events which 1t covers
which we possess, and that the critical COM
ments with which ii abounds judicious and
illuminating.