The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-13
REVIEWS OF BOOKS

tions, this latter feature of the work
being very full and very fine
In treating of the close of the war,
page 46a, il is stated that General Lee
had but $4,000 troops in front of
Petersburg and Richmond; but, on
page AL it says: General Lee sent
Pickett's and Bushrod Johnson e. di-
visions. Wise IS and Ransom s. hrigades,
Huger's battalion of infantry, and
Fitzhugh Lees division. in all about
$4,000 men, to encounter the enemy
off to the right when Sheridan was op-
Grating And on page 4T2, "When
General Lee found that his right,
wrenched violently from his center,
had been thus turned almost without
battle, making what he counted as
the bulk of his army of little use, he
was bitterly grievcd, and for the only
time recorded spoke in terms of re
proof. If it is true that the bulk of
his army was left after sending 1000
men off to the right to oppose Sheridan,
surely he must have had more than
SO, 900 men, or the remnant of $4,000
left could hardly be spoken of as the
bulk y of his army.
Again, in speaking OF the burning of
Columbia, South Carolina, it is clearly
stated that General Sherman g army
burned that city. This is made in spite
of General Sherman e specific showing
10 the contrary in reply to a similar
charge made by General Wade Hamp-
ton of South Carolina, when that con-
troversy was under National discus
sion. 1t is stated, however, in the ac-
count of the evacuation of Richmond
and before the Federal soldiers aP'
peared in tho city, that "mad confu-
sion and horrors indescribable pre-
vailed throughout the city. There was
little sleep-only disorder, pillage, wild
cries of distress, the yells Of drunken
men. The rams in the river were
blown up, the bridges were destroyed
as soon as the troops had passed over
them, and warehouses were burned. the
flames of the latter spreading TO adloin-
ing structures and resulting in con-
fagration beyond control, In ths
burning the business section OF the
city, the flames were subdued by the
efforts of the Federal troops. pages
474-5.) Now. this is precisely what
occurred in Columbia. The Confederates
in evacuatiug that city burned the
warehouses, and the flames spread 10
the city generally, and the Federal
troops prevented the further spread
ing of the flames and further destruc
ton it was a favorlte occupation of
the Southern writers for many years
TO picture Sherman as n sort of demon,
delighting in hell fire and destruction;
and so they charged him and his
troops with the destruction OF Colum
bia. But with regard TO Richmond 1t
was clear case that no incendiarism
or destruction could be charged upon
the Federal troops. because they did
not enter the city until the destruction
had been practically completed. Any
one reading the accounts in this book,
the one of the destruction Of Columbia
aud the other Of the destruction of
Richmond must necessarily. it seems 10
Columbia as i'm Richmond, II was the
Confederates themselves. as General
Sherman charged, who set FIRE TO the
city and the Federal troops who
stopped the flames there also, as he
contcnded
II is interesting and valuable to have
this Southern view put on record Az
the same time it is dcplorabe that
such sentiment, such bias, and such
provincialism should survive in literary
annals at this remote time. The vol
ume is archaic. crude. and rdIculously
curiosity than real history. The pub
fishers doubtless desired to round out
their history with volume from the
Southern standpoint, and they got more
than they bargained for.
In all the accessories of type, paper.
print, illustrations, research for orig
inal data. presentation OF portraits,
etc. the volume is an admirable one,
and reflects much credit upon the en-
partisan; it must be read more as
terprising publishers.