The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-28

| advancement, the chief command of
the Union armies. with a great fleet at
his back to keep open his lines OF
communication, hold tho world for his
South until starvation forced capitula-
ton" When tho War Between the
! Suites was over Grant had boon lifted
| from poverty and obscurity to tho pros
idency." while LOGS choice ito follow
| his State and obey her sacred laws had
reduced him from station and nfnueuce
to poverty and toll. His beautiful
:. into cemetery. It's priceless treas
ures, endeared by association with
Washington. had been seized and scat
tered. a trial for treason impendcd.
Leo had been indicted with Mr.. Davis
by mixed grand jury OF negroes and
whites. selected for the purpose. and
. the furious pack were yet trying TO
hunt him down. Yet there was no re-
pining. no questioning. When the sky
was darkoncd he had simply lighted
the candles and gone on with his
work.
Equally illuminating are chapters
dealing with the situation when Lee
took command of the armies OF the
confederacy shortly before tho battles
around Richmond were fought. those
dwelling on the campai gns at AntietaIn.
Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor
and In the trenches at Petersburg.
Chapters that will arouse discussion
among readers of Mr.. Pages book are
those In which comparison is made be-
tween Grant and Lee as captains con-
fronting each other In tho great cam
psisn of 1864, and in which the re-
treat TO AppoInattoN is described
Mr.. Page has been most sincere and
straightforward in his chapter. Cen
eral Lee and the Confederate Govern
mcnt" He proves that Lee unlike
other great generals of history, who
were given "A free hand by their gov
ernmonts, was continually hnmpcrcd by
interference nnd by failure to receive
prompt. practical and sufficient sup
port He traces unusual conditions to
the fact that the Confederate govern
ment was based on the principle of
civil supreme power over military ana
on the dogma Of constitutional rights.
That the Confederate government held
false theories regarding king Cot
ton" and finance and permitted Lees
army TO starve and dwindlc, while they
debated until the oxigency OF the mo-
mcnt had passed and a demand
had arisen. That when the Confederate
Congress, In 1869. created Lee com
manderin- chief, MIR. Davis vetoed the
bill MS unconstitutional and assigned
General Lee Ito duty at the seat of
government and under the direction
of the President" That the persist
cnt policy OF the government TO at
tempt to hold oil of the South. In
stead oil adopting Lees idea of con-
centrating It's armies and dealing the
enemy rushing blow, was the cause,
perhaps. of the greatest of all disasters.
That Mr.. Davis was so jealous Of his
constitutional rights he insisted on
them In the face of Lees solemn state
ment that his army was being under
mined by the pernicious habit of setting
aside the findings Of courts martial and
tho pardoning of deserters, on the
ground that If sentences are reviewed
and RENTED, that Is not a proper sub.
Jcct for the criticism of military
commander That General Lee was
not put in command of ali the armies
Of tho Confederacy until February 8.
lS65. when It wa. too late for any
exercise Of power to have changed the
issue. That General Lee repeatedly
urged on the Secretary of War and 9TH
er officials the necessity of the Army OF
Northern Virginia being better sup
piled with food. Thut when In his re-
treat from Petersburg he was well on
his way to Dnnville. the leaving be-
hind of q letter from Lee to the Con
federatc government. with full details
of his route and his plans. and the
failure of ratons asked for meeting
him at Amelia Courthouse, caused tho
loss of twenty-four hours. q loes which
could never be resained.'
In the chapter on Leo in Defeat"
Mr.. Page reaches IA drama tic climax.
He writes: Men who saw tho de-
feated general when ne came forth
from the chamber whore he had signed
the articles OF CuDitulation say ,hnt