The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-08

| heroes Of the conflict. In view OF ths1o
facts IL 10 interesting to learn the tmpreS1iOR
made by him on the author OF these recoss
l~ections. 1T was" We read, my hrss
meeting with Fremont. l saw before mo
A man OF middle stature, elegant butlms
muscular and elastic, dark hair n beard
slightly atreaked with gray. a broad fore
head, a keen eye, fine, regular features.
IL has been said that there was much Of
the charIatan in him, but Mr.. Schurz says
/, that his appearance when he mot him In
WestVirginia betrayed nothing OF the kind.
There was an air Of refinement in his bear
ing. His manner seemed perfectly natural.
sasy and unaffected. without any attempts
atpOsing. His conversation. carried ma
low, gentle tone Of voice. had a suggestion
OF rsticence and reserve in it, but not enough
! TO cause a suspicion Of ~insincerity. The
whole personality appeared rather attraO-
tive yet one did not feel quite sure
1 y.
! In Frenlont's place the President ap-
, pointed Gen. Franz Sigel az the mmand
' OF the FIRST Army Corps Of the Army OF
Virginia, the corps TO which Gen. Schurz'S
brigade was attached. The a-utobiOgrapher
points out that SigeI brought with him
from the West a splendid military repu-
tation. Not only had he fought bravely
for liberty in Germany and conducted
! there the last operations of the revolution
ary army in 1899. but he had been OF
the foremost 10 organize and lead the forcs
OF armed men, mostly Germans. who seemed
I suddenly to spring out Of the pavements
OF st. Louis. and whose prompt action
saved tina city and the State Of Missouri
| 20 the Union. On various fields. especially
! at Pea Ridge, he had distinguished himself
by personal gallsntry as well as by skiltuA
leadership. Looking back, however. Mr.
Schurz vas convinced that as regards
his personal interests and his usefulness
SiRel made a great mistake in leaving the
West. The very prestige he had won
there exposed him TO peculiar troubles
and dangers in the East. We are reminded
that there is nc less professional jealousy
among military men than there is among
musicians or actors. Mr.. SchurZ, indeed.
cheerHulIy admits that while the civil war
developed not q few volunteer officers
Of great merit. the class OF professional
soldiers who had graduated at our great
military schoo furnished by far the largest
number, and the most efficient. OF the
superior commanders in the field. So
1 700 WIFI NOb NOuNcuCTdlc hEHys
Now, a. IL happened, in the West thero
were comparatively few West Pointers to
take the larger commands. Tho volunteer
element was overwhelmingly predominant,
and the relations between the two classes
OF officers naturally assumed a more demo-
cratic character. At the East, on the
other hand, the number Of West Pointers
in the Union army was much larger, and
their esprit de corps moro pronounced
and exclusive. They would tolerate, in
deed, with good grace the appointment to
high grades or the promotion OF civilian
volunteers who were men of local impor-
lance, or who had distinguished themselves
on this side Of the Ohio River. But when q
volunteer General, and a foreigner too.
was transferred from the West to the East
as a man OF superior qualities and military
competency who might perhaps teach
them something IL went much against their
grain, and that man was often looked upon
as q p~retentious intruder, and obliged TO en-
counter very watchful and sometimes
ever rancorous criticism" Mr.. Schurs
seems TO think that Sigel was q victim Of
this state of things. .
Az Gen. Schurz took part in the second
battle OF Bull Run. and indeed covered
with his command the retreat from the
battlefield OF the larger part Of the Union
army. IL 10 interesting to leRrn that he con-
aiders that Gen. Fitz-JOhn Porter was made
q s~capegoat. and he records with s~atisEac-
ton that after thirty years the proceedings
OF the court-martia by which Porter was
Cashiered were reviewed and the verdict
was reversed. The corps to which Schurzin
brigade was attached was stationed in
Washington at the time when the battle OF
Antietam was fought. Our author there
fore does not speak with the authority OF an
eyewitness when he expresses the opinion
that Mcclellan might " made that battls
"A victory OF immense consequence had hs
not with his usual indecision and procrasti-
nation let slip the moment when he could
easily rave beaten the divided enemy in
detail. As II was. Gen. Lee came near being
justified in calling Antietam a drawn
battle" The selection OF Burnside "a
succeed Mcclellan in the command OF che
Army OF the potomac the author Of These
recollections does not hesitate to pronounce
mot a happy one" He points out that the
following campaign, which ended at Freder-
~icksburg. was a series Of blunders, mishaps,
i'll conceived OF i'll executed plans, cuI-
minating in a horrible b~utchery. which cost
thousands of lives.
Htb greatly 10 DC uoptOreu LnaL the auChOf
Of these recollections did not live to conn-
plete tho useful task which he had set him.
self. Unhappily the narrative stops short,
az We have said. in May. 1893. We should
ave particularly liked to see Mr.. Schurz's
comments OF the battle Of Gettysburg and
on the later events Of the war: on his az
perience in the United States Senate; on the
revolt Of the Liberal Republicans against
Grant in 1872; about the drawn battle Of
1879 whose outcome was the Electoral
Commission; about the third term move
ment in favor Of Grant four years later.
and about the campaign Of 1895 for sound
money, in which Mr.. SEIZURE took part. We
may well be grateful. however. for what
has been given us Seldom in our tins
has any collection Of "reminiscences con-
tributed more material Of value TO Amer
lean history. M. W. II.