The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-04-28

"He believed the institution to
be a moral and political evil and
more hurtful to the white than
to the black man. He had a
strong affection for the negro,
but he deprecated any sudden or
violent interference on the part
of the State between master and
slave. Nothing would have in.
duced him to fight for the con
tinuance of slavery; indeed, he
declared that had he owned every
slave in the South, he would will
lingly give them up if by so doing
he could preserve the Union.
He was opposed to secession, and
to prevent it he would willingly
sacrifice everything except honor
and duty, which forbade him to
desert his State. When in April,
1861, she formally, and by act of
her legislature, left the Union, he
resigned his commission in the
United States army, with the in
tention of retiring into private
life. He endeavored to choose
what was right. Every personal
interest bid him throw in his lot
with the Union. His property
lay so close to Washington that
it was certain to be destroyed
and swept of every slave as be-
longing to a rebel But the die
was cast; he fOrS0ok everything
for principle and the stern duty
it entailed. Then came the final
temptation, which opened out be-
fore him a vista Of power and i'm
pOrtance greater than that which
any man since Washington had
held in America. General Longs
book proves beyond all further
doubt that he was offered the
position of commander in chief of
the Federal army. Gen. Scott,
his great friend and leader, whom
he loved and respected, then com
handing the army, used all his
influence to persuade him to throw
his lot with the North. but to no
purpose. Nothing would induce
him to have any part in the in
vaSion of his own State. much as
he abh0rred the war into which
he felt she was rushing. His
love of country, his unselfiSh
patriotism, caused him to relin-
quiSh home, fortune, a certain
future--in fact, everything--for
her sake
ORGANIZING THE ARMY.
In regard to the organization
of the Confederate forces, Gen.
WOlseley speaks as follows:
"The formation of an army
with the means at his disposal
was a colossal task. The South
was an agricultural. not a manu-
featuring country, and the re.
sources of foreign lands were de.
MED it by the blockade of its
ports maintained by the fleets OF
the United States. Gen. Lee
was a thorough business man.
quick in decision, yet methodicaI
i'll all he did. He knew what an
army should be and how it should
he organized, both in a purely
military and in an administrative
sense. In about two months he
had created an army of 10000
men, animated by lofty patriot
ism and courage that made them
unconquerable by any similarly
constituted army.
"ln another month this army al
Bull Run gained a complete vic
tory over the Northern invaders,
who were driven back across the
Potomac like herds of frightened
sheep. AS the FederalS ran they
threw away their arms and every
thlng-gunS, tents, wagons, etc.
were abandoned to their victorS
The arms, ammunition and equip
mentS then taken were real god
sends to those engaged in the or
ganizati0n of the Southern
armies. Thenceforward a battle
to the COnfederates meant a new
supply of everything an army re
qulred. | may truthfully be sale
that practically the government
at Washington had to provide
and pay for the arms and eauip
ment of its enemies as well as fol
all OF that its own enormou,
armies required. The day | pre-.
scented myself i'll Gen. Lees camp
as | stood at the door of his tent
awaiting admission, | was amaz
ed to find it stamped as belonging
to a colonel of New jersey regi
ment. | remarked this to Gen
Lee, who laughingly said: yes
think you will find that all on,
tents, guns and even the mem,
pouches are similarly marked a,
having belonged to the United
states army Sometime after
wards, when General Pope and
MS large invading army had been
sent pack across the Maryland
frontier, | overheard this CONVEX.
Satlon between two Confederate
soldiers:
'HaNe You heard the news