The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-11-25

uOu Hao haoC III iio 1eCuli uliuicCcHCcS VI
the Civil War (Scribncrs.) The con,
tribution is valuable, not only be-
cause the writer has had it in his
power to furnish great deal Of first
hand testimony concerning important
events aud distinguished command
ers, but because the trustwOrlhincss
Of the narrative is guaranteed by the
admirable spirit that rcrvades it.
Gen. Gordon is one Of those brave
men who sheathcd their tongues when
they sheathed their swords. lie is,
indeed, just as firmly convinced now
as he was in 1861, that the seeding
States were constitutionally justified
in attempting to organize a separate
Confedcracy, but he holds that the
arbitrament of war has made the qucs
tion purely academic, and that, as it
is now the duty, 80, too, it should be
che happiness, Of ex -Confederatcs aud
OF their descendants to demonstrate
sheir ! oyalty to the reconsolidated
Union. AS aleo might have been ex
peeted from g fair-minded man, he
ssudiously refrains from caustic com
menrs on any Of the generals who took
beading parts in the contest on one
aide OF the other. There is not e
trace OF prejudice, much less Of ran
COZ, in the book. Even Of Gen. Long
street, whom he regards as cbargeable
20 considerable extent with the de-
feat OF Gen. Lee 8 army ct G gettysburg,
be speaks in accents Of regret rather
shen Of reproaoh. His references to
sucn northern commanders as Nc
Clellan, Hooker, Meade, Grant and
Sherman are not only impartial, but
naguanimous; they always show ap-
probation, aud are sometimes tinged
with edmiration. We know, in fno,
Of no book emanaiing from Confed-
eEate soldier that deserves moro cor
dial approval. He has carried out
she exemplary purpose with which,
&c he tells US il the initial chapter,
he undertook the composition of tais
book. "Whilo the object of these
papers is," he says, "to record my
personal "reminiscences, and to per.
petuate incidents illustrative Of the
character Of the American soldier,
whether he fought on one side or the
other, I am also moved to write by
what | conceive to be o still higher
aim; and that is to point out, if I can,
tho common ground on which all may
stand; where qualification Of one Sec
sion does not require or imply condem.
nation OF the other-the broad, high i,
sunlie middle ground where fact meets
FEST, argument confrouts argument,
and truth 10 balanced against truth" {"
WheFe 10 co be found the suulit mid.
ala gsound2 We shall find it when
We oil recognise that truth, justice
and patriotism unite in proolaiming
chat both sides fought and suffered
foF liberty, as 5equeathed by the
Rathe1s-the one side for liberty in
she union OF the States, the other for
liberty in the independence Of the
States." In one Of the Las. sentences
OF she authors final chapter, we read {:
''It will be o glorious gain for our
country when MI the children within
its borders shall learn that the four
years O. fretrioidal war between the
North and the South were waged by
neither with criminal or unworthy in-
cent. but by both to protect what they
conceived to be threatened rights aud
imperilled liberty; that the issues
which divided the sections were born
when che Republic was born, and were
forever buried in an ocean of fraternal
blood"
Gen. Gordon says that, 80 far as
his personal experience goes, it is
mistake to assume, as many northern
people have believed. that during the
shfee OF 1our months preceding The
firing on Fort Sumter southern politi.
clans we're 'dragooning the Masses.
or beguiling them into secession. The
literal truth is, he says, that the peo-
pie were leading the leaders. The
rush of volunteers was so great that
when his company, the Raccoon Roughs
"a company formed 10 the noun tain
eus region where Alabama, Georgia
and Tennessee meet-reached Mont
gomery, the provisional capital Of tie
new Confederacy, they felt themselves
favorites Of fortune when they found
themselves enrolled among the sac.
Mr. J. P. Walker, Of Ala.
bama, the first secretary Of war, was
overwhelmed By the vast aumbers