Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-14

the commander on the field. General /
Couch, that he did not expect to have |
command of the army much longer. |
Lincoln is down on me-" he SAIL. This |
remark he justified to Couch by read |
ing a letter he had received that day, |
as follows:
Ny Dear Sir-You remember my speak,
ing to you of what / called your over !
cautiousness- Are you not overcautious
when you assume that you cannot do
what the enemy is constantly doing?
Should you not claim to be at least as
equal in prowess ana act upon the claim?
Change positions with the enemy. think
you not he would break your communica-
ton with Richmond within the next twen-
ty-four hours? You dread his going into
Pennsylvania, but if he does so in full
force he gives up his communication 10
you absolutely. and you have nothing to
do but to follow and ruin him.
Exclusive of the water line, you are
now nearer Richmond than the enemy is
by the route that you can and he must
take. And in conclusion II is all easy II
our troops march as well as the enemy.
and II is unmanly to say they cannot
do It
This letter is in no sense an order.
Longstreet and Jackson Promoted.
Previous 10 the Confederate invasion
OF Maryland in September, 1862, the
army commanded by General Robert
E. Lee had been far short of the ideal
army in point OF permanent Organiza-
tion. In this respect it was more
chance creation than its antagonist,
the Federal army of the Potomac.
Originally. that is to say. in the spring
of 1862. there had been a small force
at Richmond and another at Yorktown,
| on York river. These commands were
later augmented by troops which had
| encamped around Manassas, in north
/ central Virginia. all winter, and the
! combined forces defended Yorktown in
| April and May.
| The highest Confederate units at
| Yorktown and after throughout the
! peninsula campaign were divisions.
! Major General James LonGstreet led
one. At the same time Major General
| T. ]. C'StonewallO Jackson operated
with force in the Shenandoah valley,
which was designated an army. Later
| Jackson united his forces with the
army defending Richmond and became
subordinate to its commanding general,
r. E. Lee. In the MANASSAS campaign
against General Pope in August and in
! Maryland muneuyers month later
General Lee handled his army in two
wings. one led by Longstreet and the
other by Jackson. Brigades and divi-
sions were shifted from one wing 10
the other when the army was in the
field
Early in October both Longstreet
and Jackson were promoted from ma
jor general 10 lieutenant general. In
order 10 provide permanent commands
suitable to their new rank Lee divided
his army into two permanent corps
placing Longstreet ut the head of the
First and Jackson of the Second. In
October these commands numbered
each $4,000 men. They lay in the
Shenandoah valley awaiting the hos
tile movements of the Federal host en-
camped north of the Potomac. Includ
ing artillery and Stuart's cavalry corps
the total of troops present in Lees
camps at the time was 1900.
Other Events of the Week.
} On Oct. 16 Federal brigade under
General Godfrey WeitZel. supported b!
five gunboats, seized DOnalsonville
, La, as base for operations in west
q ern Louisiana. The Confederate gen
2 eraI Richard Taylor was in that regior
2 gathering an army TO recapture New
Orleans. General r. r. Butler. tn
t Federal commander ut New Orleans
2 had sent Weitzel up the Mississippi I