Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-01-02
Lee 4 MASTER OF
MILITARY SCIENCE
Msot Great Soldiers inherited Their
Arnies--Lee Created his-ht0h
Tribue to Geruis.
by Associated rress).


RICHMOND, VA, Jan. Tributes
to the genius CT General Robert +.
Lee for his mastery conduct against
heavy odds Of the Wilderness ana
spottsylvania Courthouse campaign
marked the c.osing night Of the Amer
lean Historical. Asst citation Election
OF officers and the transaction OF
other business In the afternoon lett
the night to q general discussion OF
this historic series Ct bat .es. when
was opened by General Edward +.
| Alexander. OF the Confederate state"
Army. q brigadler.sener raj In Long
! streets Division. ard an engineer OF
! distinction. who spoke on Grants
conduct Of the Wilderness campaign
being followed by Colonel William
r.. Livermore. Uni6d States Army.
/ retired president OF the Masssch =
sets Military Historical Society. who
smoke on Lees conduct OF the sam
campaign. Major Eben Swift. OF tn"
general staff OF the Uniea States
. Army closed with brilliant tribute
! to the military genius Of Lee. whom
he compared favorably with Ma
poleon. as one who had faced greater
odds and remained on the field Win
his army, where Napoleon went down
I to crushing defeat. No genius. ne
said, had arisen to initiate the DARING
tactics Of Lee. the campaigns OF Won
Meltke and Marshal Oyama being
more OF the heavy hammer type. made
famous t.v Grants conduc, Of the bat
ties IN question.
Troops Flrin7 on Each Other.
General Alexander. while fully re-
coeniziny the tenacitv and persistence
with which Grant rushed his way ~,
to Virginia. even though at loss OF
re placed by some at figure large,
than Lees entire army, cri'lcizea
his organization having under m
two Independent armies, with COM
manders working without harmony.
On the Confederate side the speaker
criticized Early and Ewel for inc
ton and lack OF initiative waiting
for orders until too late to reap the
full benefit OF the manceuvre. TAX
ing into ns'deration the underbrnsh
and heavily wooded country. Grants
army, he thought, exceeded the max
imum force that may be judicionsiv
employed in any one battle. shcw,nc
that en- his right In the heaviest
davis fighting, there were unused
troops. unable TO be Of assistanc" ~
a critical time General AleXfnder
charged that on the second morning
Of the battle G-iffin's ana Cutters
bvicades OF artillery were firing into
each other for several honrs by sem"
blunder. perhaps not properly Charge
able to the commandcr-in-chtC
1.-THE record Of both these hrigades
have been lost. so II Is not possible
OF cot but our men were instructed
to hold their Are until certain OF 90
ing execution. There was firing fcT
several horrs, IS though heavy ba'-
tie was going on. vet We had no part
in It, nor do any reports mention
It,"
Nv Successor TO Lee.
Colonel Jivermore. in his careful
aralvsis CT the relative strength OF
the opposing forces and his tribute
to the genius and skill Of Lee. brought
reneated anp!ause from the house n"
address going to show that the Con
federate forces faced the Fedora
army In tire proportion OF sixty TO
100: vet Lee kept his army on the
field. infiicting en- the enemy loss
greater than his own entire force
i kee ping 20 the Confederac~ the great
OF rart cf the State. and protect'n"
Richmond through Ave continuon
campaign Of almost daily fghtinr
the Wilderness campaign alone. ac-
cording 20 the speaker. emitting lie"
to a high place In the list CT the
worlds commanders
Major Swift, who made the clos
ing Address. told Of the wonderful
improvement ts in modern artillery.
| making more deadly and effective N"
use Of field pieces at much greater
distances than in the War between
the States. Comparing the Spot syl-
| ven'a campaign TO the recent Russo
Japanese engagements at Mukdsn and
Lilo Yang. he drew conclusions as 70
modern conditions Of warfare. or
Lee he said that all great soldiers
| before him had inherited srmies. Lee
created his. The camnaiGn. he said.
! would stand as a model OF the use OF
natural features to cQua'ize superior
numbers, a campaign which deparfeN
from established rules throwing the
brilliance Of genius against a com
mander who was the embodiment OF
force in war.
Grant has been criticized for was
ing men in useless atta"k. hut the
! warriors Of the last forty-four years
, have not changed his tactics. Lees
art seems to have died with him. He
taught no pupil. and has inspired no
Il su~cesaoy"