The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-05-11
Bull Run Of Manassas.

Bull Run Of Manassas.
The sham fight to be inaueurated
on the historic field Of Bull Run or
Manassas, says Mr.. Jas. r. Randoll
in the Augusta Chronicle, will no
doubt revive many recollections and
discussions of that famous contest,
along with other issues of the war
between the states. The rout Of the
Federal army was much greater than
that the japanese recently inflicted
upon the Russians. There will al
ways be dispute about the failure to
follow up the victory by the Confed-
crates. One serious mistake pointed
out by General Bauregard, who favor
enar advance, was in the Richmond
administrators failure to procure a
feet in London and an abundance Of
arms. The East India feet Of armed
steamers we're procurable for $40, 0,ooo,-
900 at great bargain, and the supply
Of small arms easily obtainable. We
had the cotton to pay for them; but
the commissions sent to England and
to Europe were either hampered at
headquarters OF wanting in sense. A
hundred thousand volunteers were
lost, initially, for want Of arms and
enthusiasm was paralyzed. Another
grievous error was in scattering our
forces. Stonewall Jackson advised
the concentration Of two mighty
armies, East and West, and letting
the rest Of the country take care OF
itself. We had to win quickly or not
at all. When it became-a war Of wait
ing or prolongation, with dissipated
strength on the coast, the cause was
lost, for the North not only had a
vast population to draw upon but the
whole Of Europe for recruiting
ground, while we were sealed up,
practically, by the Federal navy.
| London knight, in the Pilgrim, sums
up thus: .
elected president of the Confederate
States for term Of six years, and OF
the 2lst of February in the following
wear he was inaugurated. This mes
sage may hardly be called state pa
per, as it was devoted "a her to {
capitulation Of the events OF the wal
than to discussioH CT measures OF the
recommendation of policies. The
tone of the message was hopeful. f1r
notwithstanding the fall of Fort
Donelson aud Henry, and the eVacus
tion Of Bowling Green, the fortune'
Of war were decidedly with the South
However, in those catastr3phes, Whicf
Mr.. Davis passed lightly over, TIT
ablest generals in the Southern army
saw the first resu is Of the fatal polio.
Of attempting with limited resource
to defend every threatened point 1u
vast irregular frontier reaching from
the Rio Grande to the Potomac. The
300, 900 men in the Confederate army
that time could have captured Wash
instcn or localized the whole Fedora
army in it's defense, but scattered oVel
an area Of more than 1,500 miles.
strength was dissipated and at every
point they were too weak to attemr1
more than a defensive policy. Upon
this point, however, Mr.. Davis va:
inhexible, and absolutely refused tx
abandon any place however insignih
can't from a strategic point OF view
even when the soldiers holding il
might have been used most effectively
elsewhere. f"
Had Albert Sidney Johnston pos
sessed an army of 75,0oo,na Shiloh
Grant and his whole force would ha'
been captured. Colonel Claiborne
Snead is confident that had Genera
Lee listened to Stonewall Jackson ane
followed up the great victory at Fred
ericksburg, Burnside and his whole
army would have been captured or ir.
remediably routed, and there was ne
other organized force between VAST
ington, Baltimore or Philadelphia
that could have stood up against tie
Confederates for an hour. It was th
ia tai policy Of diffusion and delay tho
enabled the North to procure nearly
100000 Europe an mercenaries, 1872
900 negroes and 100000 Southern
Tories in arms. General Toomb'S re-
mark that the South wore her
self out whipping the Northern arm
ies'' had an element Of fact, and MIR
Stephens used to say that "had Stone
wal Jackson been In supreme com:
mand, in the field, and General
Toombs president Of the Confederacy,
the war would have ended, one way
CT another, in year.
OF course, there is much to be said
on the other side of the controversy
and we are not disposed to disparage
the great leaders who performed won.
derful deeds and who survive in "tte
Pantheon of Fame" Bur, to ou1
mind, the most Illuminating book on
the war is that Of General Beaure-
gard, who, despite his prejudices and
personal grievances, knew how, as a
great. strategist, to point out uner-
ringly why the Confederacy failed.
However, it is past history, and the
South is emerging from all Of her dis
asters, and, more and more, the con-
servati0e men East and West, are
agreeing that the fundamental princi-
pie Of the South, Constitutional Liber.
ty and local selt-government are still
the cornerstones Of the temple OF lib
erty, erected by the Fathers Of the
Republic. 'Tis the Cause, not the
fate of the Cause, that is glorious.
Give Him His Way.
In Albany, N. Y, there is man
who wants to die, and who could have
his wish if the lawyers would let him.
He is under sentence Of death for
murder. He says the sentence is just,
and that he is ready, willing and anxi-
GUS to pay the penalty for his crime.