New-York tribune., 1905-02-04

Dr. Rhodes begins this volume with the
count of Sherman's march 10 the sea and car
rtes bis history down through the early stages
Of reconstruction to the complete and open
rupture between Congress and President John
son. In il he displays all the qualities which
have given such noteworthy character to the
earlier volumes of his work. He is painstaking
in research. showing full acquaintance with
the sources of accurate knowledge. He has
capacity for weighing evidence and graspng
the essential truth OF contemporary impress
sions or reports of eye witnesses, while guard
ing against insufficient inductions. balancing
them with less vivid official records He has
charm and lucidity OF style and a rare gift
for quotation-not the trick of essayists who
make a pastiche of other peoples clever say
ings but the faculty OF sezing the word or
phrase from letter, speech or debate which re-
fleets the actual movement of events and makes
his reader the participant in a living scene.
Above all. he is inhexibIy judicious. without
causes TO plead friends to eulogize or enemies
TO condemn, but with sole aim. the truth
Military movements occupy a subordinate
place IN this period, Notwithstanding the fact
that Il marked the elimination of the struggle
and the surrender Of Lee and Johnston I'm
portant as We're these last campaigns. which
are carefully reviewed in outline without op-
pressive technical detail. yet the course OF the
war was already determined so that the condi-
tions of life North and South and the issues of
reconstruction crowd upon the historians at
tention.
Dr. Rhodes makes a brilliant study OF Sher-
mans erratic genius. paying full tribute to the
greatness of his inspiration and the superb
ability and self-confidence with which he exc
cuted the movement to cut the Confederacy In
two. The march TO the sea is the Southerners
bitterest memory OF the war. It's devastation
however, was a justifiabe military measure
and only as there wanton destruction or
private property not directly useful TO the
enemy or outrage and irregular foraging and
footing is there legitimate ground Tor COM
plant. Shermans orders in this respect were
in general we'll intended, but they left loop
holes for the lawless. and the bitterness which
pervaded the whole army, from headquarters
down, toward South Carolina as the author OF
the country's woes was too little restrained
Most Of the general officers sought to stop Dep
rotations. except Fitzpatrick, whose men were
MANY Of them professional ''toughs." Much OF
the degradation was committed by camp rol-
lowers often Southerners themselves ana
sherman asserted that when he detected pill
layers he punished them, but the records snow
Few PENALTIES and those Inadequate Ihe con-
clusion is difficult 20 resist that Sherman was
,,ot overanxious TO perceive the havoc wrought
bx his Yet II Is noteworthy that Win e4A
this horde of soldiers and civilian "bummers
IN their train, entering houses. destroying fur
niture. stealing plate and jewelry, there was al
rnost an entire absence of personal violence to
women II Is greatly to the credit Of American
manhood that the traditional crime Of lawless
soldiery was not characteristic Of even hlipat-
ricks sweepings from the slums.
While Sherman deliberately meant the heart
of the Confederacy TO feel the weight of war ne
was not vindictive. His scourge was an insIru-
rnent of speedy peace, and at the prospect of it
alI the generosity of his nature was at the COM
rnand of his foes. His agreement with John
ston obviously exceeded his authority IN going
beyond Grants magnanimity to Lee in purely
military affairs and attempting to deal with
civil matters. The government properly re-
pudiated It. and there is reason to believe that
Sherman. as he soberly reviewed his work, had
come more than half to expect this; but the
newspaper publications of Stanton and the con-
seouent public misrepresentation and denuncla-
ton of himself cut him to the quick. He broke
out in bitter recriminations and sought occasion
10 insult Stanton. Concedng Shermans mis-
take and the lack Of dignity with which he bore
himself after the incident. and weighing all the
defences of Stanton's conduct due to the po-
iticaI necessity OF repudiating the bargain as
emphaticaIly as possible, DR.. Rhodes declares
that Stanton's triumph was ignoble and based
on Misrepresentation and defamation. He says
OF Stanton: Since the Presidents assassination
and the threats against his own life he had been
in q state Of excitement which was intensified by
his lack OF physical courage" Accustomed to
act impulsively On insufficient knowledge, he
lost his head. He regarded the general as a
public enemy. and not content with rectifying
his mistake he made II his business TO expose
him in the light Of an enemy without scrupulous
regard for truth. In this and some other re-
spects Dr. Rhodes presents Stanton in un-
favorable light, which he himself says is
gracious task "for an assessment of his char
acter, balancing the good against the Ill, shows
that he deserved well Of his country" He sac
rihced himself 70 il. He was a great min-
.ster Of indomitable spirit, overpowering energy
end infexble honesty His usefulness as an aid
TO Lincoln is beyond appraisal. but he was mar
row minded, combative and lacking in magma
nimity-
The early half of the was on both sides
time Of devotion and plain living. Simplicity
was the fashion. By the beginning of 1868
business improved the North, and while in
the South The average lot was increa sing pow
erty, a class Of blockade runners and spectators
had come into sudden fortune In both sections
a taste for luxury and display appeared which
seems utterly incongruous with the vast drains
in blood and treasure then going on. Moral
lists decried the prevailing levity. but the
precedenteo demand for goods created a new
class Of rich people utterly distinct from the old
time conservative wealthy families and they
gave the country it's first noteworthy experience
OF what has been seen since at the height Of
every successive period of commercial expan-
sion. The automobile was not then invented,
but the nouveau richie of the day had his own
peculiar excesses, and the importations of silks