The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-12-09

pear for the hrst time a number Of
Jefferson Davis letters which are pre-.
scented by Dunbar Rowland, in whose
hands all the Davis papers have been
placed.
As one turns the pages of the letter.
book of the President Of the .Confed.
eracy letter to William NJ. Brooks,
president of the Alabama Convention
Of 1861, is found which gives a clear
insight into the policies of the Con-
federate government in the beginning
of 1862, and sets forth some of the
criticisms directed against them in
the State of Alabama.
Richmond, Va, March 18th, 1862.
l"Hon. w. NJ Brooks,
Marion, Ala:
my Dear Sir,--If under other cir
cumstances l might be unwilling 70
hear criticism of acts, the condition
of the country now too fully engrosses
all my thoughts and feelings to permit
such selfish impotence, and l have
read yours of the 25th inst, anxious
| to gather from it information, and
thankful for your friendly remem-
/ brance and the confidence your frank
/ ness eVinces. acknowledge the error
/ Of my attempt to defend all OF the
/ frontier, seaboard, and inland; but
will say in justification that if we had
! received the arms and munitions
which we had good reason to expect,
that the attempt would have been sue
cessful and the battle-fields would
have been on the enemy's soil You
seem to have fallen into the not I'M
common mistake of supposing that
have chosen to carry on the war upon
a purely defensive system. The ad-
vantage of selecting the time and
place Of attack was too apparent to
have been overlooked, but the means
might have been wanting. Without
military stores, without the work
shops to create them, without the pow
er to import them, necessity, not
choice, has compelled us to occupy
strong positions and everywhere tC
confront the enemy without reserves
The country has supposed our armies
more numerous then they were and
, our munitions of war more extensive
than they have been. / have borne
. -, oil 10 IA,
. by an extract statement of facts would
have exposed our weakness to the
enemy. History, when the case is
fully understood, will do justice to the
men who have most suffered from
hasty judgment and unjust censure
Military critics will not say to me as
you do, Your experiment is a failure
but rather wonder at the dspropor
ton between the means and the re
suits. You inform me that the high
est and most reputable authors say
that | have not had a cabinet coun
Gil for more than four months. l read
} your letter to a member and eX-mem
, Der of my cabinet today; they were
, surprised at the extravaganza of the
falsehood, and did not believe that 81
much as week had at any time oc
Cured without a cabinet consultation
| would like to know who the authors
of such stories are. Your own esti
mate of me, | hope, assured you tina
| would not, as stated, treat tn,
Secretary of War as a mere clerk
and if you know Mr.. Benjamin, 20,
must realize the impOssibility of hi
submitting to degradation at tn
hands of any one. The opposition her
complain that / cling too closely t.
my cabinet, not, as in your section
that they are disregarded; and tn
> only contempt of the sentiments o
: Congress which is here alleged agains
me $50 far as ! have heard) is tina
y their wish for the removal of two o
S been yielded to- Perhaps there Nigh
S be added dissatisfaction on the part q
I a few at the promotion or appointment
} of military officers without consultin
g the members of Congress in relation t
e them. Against the unfounded stor
that | keep the generals of the arm
n in leading-strings may be set the fir,
r quent complaint that | do not arraig
s them for what is regarded their fai
L ures or misdeeds, and do not respon
/, to the popular clamor by displacin
I, commanders upon irresponsible stat,
Y ments. You cite the cases of Gel
II erals Johnston and Beauregard; bl
you have the story nomine mutatt
h and though General Johnston was o
1t Tended because of his relative rank b
IS certainly never thought of resignine
,e and General Beauregard, in porto
le of his report, which | understand tn
c. Congress refused to publish, made
N statement for which | asked his a
Of thority but it is surely a Islander c
H. him to say that he ever considerC