The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-31
A sPOILER OF SCHOOL HISTORIES.

Gen. Henry v. Boynton, a newspaper cor
respondent with a national reputation, and
the head of the Chickamauga commission,
has been devoting considerable time to the
demolition of the school histories in general
use so far as they treat the war of the re-
bellion. General Boynton. as a member of
the School Board in Washington, was as
signed the task of examining the histories
to be used in the schools. Those who know
General Boynton. or know of him, also
know that he has the temperament OF a
belligerent, and that he is disposed to
crafty it. They also know that he is a
tireless investigator, even if he holds tena-
ciously to his own opinions, and does not
forget his antagonisms. To his credit it
Chickamauga commission he has arrived
at the conclusion that other States than
Ohio had some part in that bloody battle.
General Boynton began his attack upon
war histories with those in use i'm the COM
mon schools as textbooks, combining his
war of the rebellion. One of the school
histories which he discredited in part is
Montgomery's Leading Facts of American
History" General Boynton was not, now
ever. the first to assail that book. since the
attack was begun several years ago in this
the Republic. of which Judge Albert O..
Marsh. of Winchester, was chairman. The
errors and injustice of that work were so
vigorously shown up that the Indiana
Board of Education required of it's pub
fishers the change of several pages before a
contract was made for supplying it a sec
ond period to our schools. When General
Boynton finished his expose of its errors
the book could not be called history If
leading facts constitute it.
Since his demolition of the war period of
several school histories General Boynton
has given attention to more pretentious
works. including Prof. John Fiske's 1.-The
Mississippi Valley in the Civil War Prof.
Fiske has fairly won the reputation of be-
ing one of the most intelligent and accurate
of American historians. Indeed, Professor
Fiske, in his works, is a philosophic inves-
tigator rather than a recorder of mere
facts. 1t is probable that his history of
the civil war in the Mississippi valley is his
first effort in that line of historical work
which is devoted to the mere recital of
events. In showing up the mistakes in re-
gard to fact which Professor Fiske has
made, General Boynton does not put his
opinions or statements of occurrences
against those of the professor, but COM
pares his accounts of campaigns and bat
ties with the official war records which the
government has published in 12S volumes,
with maps, which contain, as General
Boynton says. every report. field dispatch
and telegram relating to engagements and
campaign movements" He holds that no
history of any campaign can be accurate in
which the recital of events differs essen
TALLY from the official reports and papers
contained in the official war records. The
point seems to be well taken. since the
officers who write official reports of battles
or campaigns in which they participated
must have accurate knowledge as TO posi-
tons. movemen and general results.
In his review of THE Mississippi Valley
III the ClNH war, Generdl bOynt0n takes
up statement after statement and shows
the errors of Professor Fiske. For instance.
the author says that the victory of
Thomas at Mill Spring had already led
Johnson to evacuate Bowling Green and
retire to Nashville;" but General Boynton
shows that Bowling Green was not evac-
uated until three weeks after the battle OF
Mill Spring, and was evacuated because OF
General Grants movement against Donel-
son. In his map the author fixes the battle
of Mil Spring on the south bank of Cum
berland river. when IL was ten miles north
of 1t. At Shiloh Professor Fiske has the
Confederates attack in single line, but
Boynton finds that the attack was made in
column of corps. naming their order in the
formation. The author says that the enemy
was within two or three miles Of Grants
army for a day before the battle. but Gen.
Boynton reduces the distance TO less thar
a mile. thereby making a point against his
old adversary. General Sherman. IN regard
TO Rosecrans's campaign. which eliminated
in the battle Of Chickamauga. the author
says that Crittenden's corps marched into
Chattanooga on Sept. 8 and took posses