The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-17


numbers Of others escaped TO Next
co. TO Cuba and to Central America
rather than become prisoners.
To say that there was no patriotisrn
In General Lees action is flying In
the face Of truth. It was the very SUI
periative OF seif-abnegation, self-sacri-
nee and personal immoiation. There
was not a soldier In the army Of the
! Potomac" says The Columbia State.
'who wished TO surrender: In spite Of
their hardships they were still fun OF
1 fight. as was demonstrated up to the
last day Of the lighting. Only Gener-
al Lees wish and determination caused
them to lay down their arms and re-
turn to the pursuits Of peace. A
word from Lee would have been sur
ficient to turn them loose. a horde
| Of skiilful and dangerous raiders. who
might have kept the country in blood
and disorder for many years. But Gen
| eraI Lee did not speak that word.
Southern victory--end the North In
| 1855 was not far from being tired Of
the struggle, and foreign countries
were not far from interposing-would
have meant great deal to General
Lee. Southern victory would have rails
ed him to any height Of power he
desired. But he put aside this ambt
tion. and he told HIS men to 90 home
and to try to repair the ravages Of four
/ years of tremendous war. And his
men obeyed. as they had always done.
/ and turned their backs upon the hope
for which they had on many battle
/ field risked their lives. A cheaper lead
er of revolt, would not have exercised
| this degree of patriotism which the
Springfield Republican calls nothing
better than good seAse.' But II Is re-
freshinR to know that The Republicans
near neighbor Is ready and willing to
offer the truth that once must OF ne
cessity have come from the South"
1t is not always safe TO speculate
on what might have been. but we have
1
we may fairly assume would have been
the inevitable result IL General Lee had
rssoiveds to continue the fight to the
bitter end. II he. with all his devoted
men, had fallen back and joined Cen
erai johnson their united army. COM
posed of such men ana under such
leaders. would have been invincibls for
! a time. Perhaps that army would have
been compelled to surrender In the
end. but II would have been at the
cost Of many thousands of lives added
to the enormous tax the war had AL
ready wrung from the South. Though
It would have been victory for the
Union and the Union armies 1t would
have been bought at q cost that HUI
mainly shudders to contemplate.
But let us briefly consider what we
may look on as the inevitable result IL
the Confederate forces had divided into
small bands and continued the strug-
gle. We may say guerrilla bands"
IL we like, for the name would have
made no difference in the results. The
nghting would in ali probability have
extended over most of the Southern
/ the outcome We know something OF
the 4excesses and atrocities perpetrated
by some Of the Federal soldiers and
army followers in Virginia, the Caro-
1
these were as nothing compared to
what might have been expected II the
Union army had been divided also into |
small commands engaged In hunting |
and suppressins small bands of Con-
federates all over the South. In our !
judgment neither life nor property |
would have been safe under such con-
ditions, and the people of the South
would have been called on to face such !
trials and sufferings as no civilized
people have been forced to endure, and |
1t might have lasted for years. Who
can say what would have been the end, |
or when that end would have come?
To say that there was no patriotism
in General Lees action is not only a |
cruel Islander on one of the best and
greatest men in ali respects that this
country has ever produced, but it is a
denial OF the truths Of history. 1t was
height OF patriotism which we re-
greet that some of the Northern people |
are vet unable to understand or APP
preciata-
S~e~@
/