Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-05-25
UNITED STATES "HIST0RY"
A. The Yankee Makes and Takes

Allen, Va, entitled UNITED STATE
"HISTORY," AS THE YANKEE MAKE
AND TAKES IT.
This is the first of Col. Cusson
writings we have had the pleasure o
reading, and We do not know when W
wsre more pleased, interested and in
structed. He touches upon the effort
Of the 'Grand Army of the Republic
to so shape history as to expel all ide;
that there was any virtue IN Con
federate soldier, any justice in hl
cause, or anything but treason in hi.
motives. All Southern people are t.
be held up to scorn. and In fine tina,
portion Of the United States which
formed the Confederate States is to bt
80 pictured in history that decent
people will avoid it, which effort Col
Cussons treats in his own inimitable
style. Then Col. Cussons touches up
Prof. GOldwin Smiths history of the
United States, and the blows be deals
this designing and revengeful British
or, are glorious in the extreme. He
demonstrates to certainty that Smith
wrote his history to sell, the truth of
the book was not considered. He cites
passages from this scurilous work
which give a true index of Smith s
feelings toward the people of this coun-
try generally, and certain parts in par
ticular. South Carolina, says Smith
was headquarters for pirates and buc-
cancers. Georgia the refuge of the
drunken and lazy. Virginia, his pet
detestation, was settled by lackeys,
beggars, broken down gentlemen land
tapsters out of q job. Then things
went from bad to worse, and to a crew
of vagabonds were afterward, added
jailbirds. Convicts were off
cred their choice between Virginia
and the gallows," and some were wise
enough, Mr.. Cussons adds, to chose
the gallows. "Their very place of set
Element, says Smith, ''has long been
a desolation and only fragments of
ruin mark it's SITE"
Smith tells of Virginia's public
men. Patrick Henry, he says, was a
chief f0rmenter of the quarrel with
England, bankrupt at twenty, then
he lounged in thriftless idleness. &c.
OF Washington he says he could
scarcely be numbered among the great
captains. HE never won a battle,
and his success was due not to native
valor, but to foreign aid"
flames Madison, Smith says, was
"a we'll meaning man, but morally
weak"
Henry Clay was "a dazzling, but art
full politician, who owed his fall to a
false step in the practice of his own
art" John Randolph, he says, 'had
natural ability" but lacked good
sense" and had mo power of self con.
troll" But what is most natural of
all, and as true index to the charac-
tor of Smith, he extols Benedict Ar.
mold, whom be says twas one of the
best Of American commanders and
perhaps the most daring of them ALL"
The anglOmaniacs of New England
no doubt licked up this historical
prutresence with avidity as We learn
that the 80 called History is much sold
there and read alike in that quarter
and in England.
Smith was cunning. in writing his
book equally 80 was he a clumsy but
arrant liar. His cunning consisted in
weaving in thrusts at American gen.
orally to please his home readers, and
in belittling the South to please the
Ignorant and biRgoted yankee. His
falsehoo were of course necessary to
catch and hold that class of readers
and whilst a. we say he was clumsy,
as liar he was persistent and copious.
OF the southern lady he says "she
was the head of harem." "She might
be soft and elegant but there was an
clement in her character of different
kind which civil war disclosed.
OF the Southern soldier he says "he
was dragged to Lees army in chains. "
1.-THE shirking slave owners thurst
him under fire" He says "the north
treated captives we'll. but the South in
flieted horrible tortures on their hap
less prisoners.
On this point Col. Cussons boils
over. He calls attention to the facili-
ties the north had for taking care of
prisoners and how few were those of
the south. and yet the death rate in the
northern prisons exceeded that of the
south. He might have added that at
all times the South was ready and will
ing to exchange prisoners 80 that the
North by refusing to exchange not
only caused untold suffering and death
of Northern soldiers which the South
was unable to prevent, but killed thou
sand OF Southern soldiers in Northern
prisons by inhuman treatment, thus
making the deaths in both instances
chargeable directly to the North.
Col. Cussons further recalls that
these soldiers whom Smith says were
led in chains to Lees army, and
"thurst under fire" by the ''shirking
slave holders" could any moment of
their captivity could have themselves
by taking the oath of allegiance to the
United States. But they preferred
death.
When Smith was met by the indis-
putable facts that the death rate was
greater in Northern than Southern pri-
sons, he wrote that ''the Southern
prisoners died at the Gagged Eagle dies. "
1t was then the Southerner who painted
for liberty the other painted for food.
I0-1 0-c.on. souc. SMopv of than Il fd