The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-16
THE REAL CAUSE OF THE
CONFEDERACY's FALL.

CONFEDERACY's FALL.
Southern soldiers and s.atesmen of
the Civil War period knew that thu
Federal blockade of Southern ports.
or rather the recognition OF this block
ade by European powers. made II i'm
possible for General Lee to lead his
armies TO ultimate success against the
overwhelming forces sent to crush
him by the United States. Even .he
generation that has grown up in the
south since the war knows this. in
spite OF the absurdly inadequate and
inaccurate histories the children in
our schools have been permitted to
study during the past half-century.
But 1t seems that outside of the South
this fact is not generally known, and
the prevalence of the idea that the
Union army overwhelmed and con-
quered the South on something like a
fair field has aroused Rear Admiral
French f. Chadwick. u. S. n. retired.
TO the point of discussing the block
ade and claiming for the navy a full
OF the Confederacy.
In the current issue of the Review
of Reviews. Rear-Admiral Chadwick
has an interesting article. which is
given as an Introductory chapter to
the Photographic History Of the Civil
War" and OF which the editor of the
periodical says: 1T presents in a strlk-
ing way a Federal naval officers view
OF the real causes of the fall of the
Confederacy in 1865
The true story of the effect of the
blockade is told by the admiral in this
paragraph:
1t has been. as rule. taken for
granted that the South was worsted
in n fair fight in the field This Is
so in moderate degree only; for the
fight was not wholly fair one Diff
ference of forces in the field may be
set aside. as the fight heing on the
ground of the weaker. an, dispropor-
tion in numbers was largely annulled
But the army of the North was lavish
ly equipped; there was no want of
arms, food. raiment. ammunition, or
medical care. Everything an army
could have the Federal forces had to
OVERLOOKING. On the other hand. the
southern army was starved of all NO
cessities. not to speak OF the Injuries
which the Astounding North poured
forth for its men in the field The
South was in want of many OF these
necessities even In the beginning of
the war: toward the end it was in
want of all. IT was because of this
want that ii had to yield. General
Joseph E. Johnston. writing General
Beauregard in 1868. said truly: I'VE,
without the means of purchasing sup
plies OF any kind. or procuring or
.zYN,t Tot. -
war only as robbers or gucrillas." The
Southern army finally melted away
and gave UP the fight because IT had
arrived at the limit of human endur-
ance through suffering which came Of
the absolute want brought by the
blockade
This is the truth And 1t is only
natural that Admiral Chadwick,
naval officer. should feel that to the
navy belongs full credit for the seal
ing UP OF Southern ports and the re-
sultant starving out of Southern
armies However. an investigation OF
the matter in all of its phases. We
believe. will disclose the fact that the
diplomatic forces of the United States
played an even greater part in tho
boiling up OF the South than the
naval forces The existence Of a navy
made possible the declaration of
blockade. and ii is undeniablv true
that the United States Navy. what
there was of II, was remarkably and
successfully active. But the activities
of the diplomatic corps did what the
navy, even though its strength had
been twice what II actually was. could
rot have done: IT secured continued
recognition for n declared "blockade"
OF some 2.500 miles Of coast Including
some ports that were seldom II ever
visited by Federal ships of war
When the United states government
declared blockade of Confederate
ports from the Chesapeake to the Rio
Grande. the President of tn, Confed-
eracy and his Cabinet were not in
clined to take the announcement Sc
riously The Confederates had been
recognized as helligsrents by the great
European powers and the statesmen
of all countries knew that under tho
provisions Of the treaty OF Paris. sign
ed In 1856 by several F,uropean ma
tions. including the five great powers,
set forth that. blockade TO no bind
ing must he effective In other words
a declared blockade OF port could not
be recognized unless that port actually
was biockaded; n port could not
| called blockaded merely because tho
presence OF the enemy's cruisers alonw
the coast caused entry into tho port
to he accompanied by an element OF
danger. This was the International
law OF the period And during the first
two years of the war, at least no
real blockade existed Where vessels