The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1908-10-15
CONFEDERATE WAR HISTORY.

General Kirby Smith, is the
title of an interesting volume by
Arthur Howard Noll, recently is
sued from the University Press,
at Sewanee, Tenn. The author
states that the purpose of the
work is to set forth the life of Gen.
Smith more as a man than as a
military leader, and his life is
sketched from the beginning of
his career in our war with Next
co to his taking command of the
Trans Mississippi Department,
and the final surrender. His
headquarters were at Shreveport,
and as he was personally known
to many in this; State and in Tex
as, the book will be specially in
teresting to these older residents,
and also to the newer generation
because of its historic value.
General Kirby Smith has been
written in history as the 'Blucher
of the Confederacy," for he saved
the day at Manassas as Butcher
did at Waterloo: Mcdowell had
thrown the right wing of the Fed
eral army around the Confeder-
ate left, under General Beaure-
gard, and attacked him, turned
his position and, after six hours
fighting the Confederate line
was shattered and retreating.
At this moment Gen. Smith, with
his brigade, was en- route to the
junction. Hearing the firing, he
stopped the train, double-quicked
to the field, the wavering column
rallied, defeat was turned into
victory. and the entire Federal
army made the fastest and most
disorderly retreat recorded in his
tory. General Smith fell woun-
ded while leading his brigade.
While in command of the De-
partment of East Tennessee, he
made a diversion into Kentucky
with the view of ''annexing" that
State to the Confederacy. He
arrived at Harrodsburg with about
$4,000 men and found Bragg,
with 30, 300 men, retreating. The
Confedarates now numbered 3d.
900 whi,e the Federals were only
10000. Gen. Smith endeavored
to awaken Gen. Bragg to the i'm
portanee of Selling Kentucky, and
entreated him to fight, especially
as the victory would surely be
ours. Bragg promised to give
battle the next morning, and the
dispositions were made. But, to
the surprise and disgust of Gen.
Smith, and of the other command
ers, and the entire army, Bragg
countermanded the order, and,
stranger still, ordered a retreat.
"This,' writes the author, "was
the first time in the history of the
Confederaey when an army of
veterans retreated before smaller
force mostly made up of new re-
cruits.' By this inexplicable
conduct, on the part of Bragg,
Kentucky was lost to the Confed-
eracy.
Gen. Smith asked to be trans
ferred from Bragg's command,
and he was given the Trans
Mississippi Department, taking
command in March, 1863. Cut
Off from the East this Department
was virtually Confederacy with
in itself, and the powers of Gen.
Smith were almost unlimited. He
has been charged, by malicious
persons, with specializing in cot
ton. No eliminating evidence
was ever found, and, further
more, Federal officials investi-
gated the charges thoroughly,
and with the same result. Had
it been possible for them to black
EN- the character of a Confeder-
ate officer they would have done
SO. In addition, General Smith
was poor when the war ended,
and he so remained until his death
more than quarter of a century
later.
There has been great GUAM
tity of ink spilled in attempting
to settle the responsibility for the