Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-08-27
DAVIS AND LEE
What a Yankee Paper Thinks
Of the SOnth's Greatest
Soldier and Statesman.

played in the last few years that
the fire of sectional hate is fast
being extinguished. The follow
ing article from a Columbus
(Ohio) paper would have been
much more surprising ten or
fifteen years ago than at this
time.
The Aberdeen Examiner ex-
pressed the opinion a short time
ago that a picture of Jefferson
Davis, in the Hall of Fame at
Washington, coming from this
State, would cause it to be treat
ed with contumely by many from
the North, but that even the
name of Davis, who was more
thoroughly disliked than any of
the Southern soldiers and states
men, is now being treated much
fairer than formerly, and very
little of the article will be diff
fered with by a Southerner-
nothing, probably, except the
statement given as to the reasons
why Mr.. Davis was not brought
to trial.
TEaS General Robert E. Lee
was not only a great military
genius but also a very honorable
and just man, history acknowl-
edges and to emphasize this
fact a very recent work has ap-
pear ID, Lees Dispatches-Un-
published Letters. l." The book
contains some 200 letters and
kilograms sent during our Civil
War by General Lee to Jefferson
Davis and the War Department
of the Confederacy. 1t is rather
strange that now for the first
time they are given to the public,
but there seems to be no doubt
of their authenticity, and they
are supposed to come from a
file kept by President Davis for
mis- own reference. The perus-
al of them will only add to the
esteem in which Lee is held by
both the north and south. In
one way they make gruesome
reading and in another they serve
to show that amid all the clamor,
intrigue and horror of war, one
of it's great leaders never lost
view iof his Christian manhood
and nobility of character-rarely
breathed a word of suspicion or
centure towards the many under
his command and always ready
to share the responsibility of de-
feat. After the now historic bat
tie of Gettysburg, Davis sent
Lie some newspaper clippings
severely censuring the work of
ne army of the south. Lee an
.wered in these noble words:
Il am particularly sorry
that from partial information
and mere assumption of facts
injustice should be done any
officer, and that occasion
should be taken to asperse
your conduct, who of all 9TH
ers are most free of blame.
No blame can be at
tached to the army for its
failure to accomplish what
was projected by me, nor
should it be censured for the
unreasonable expectations of
the public. I am alone to
blame, in perhaps expecting
too much of its prowess and
valor it, however, in my
opinion, achieved under the
guidance of the most High,
a general success, though it
had not won a victory.
II thought at the time that
the latter was practicable. |
still think that if all things
could have worked together
it would have been accom-
plished. But with the knowl-
edge then had, and in the
circumstances l was then
placed, l do not know what
better course could have
pursued. With my present
knowledge, and could / have
foreseen that the attack on
the last day would have fall
ed to drive the enemy from
his position, Ishould l certain
ly have tried some other
course. What the ultimate
result would have been is not
clear to me. Our loss has
been very heavy, that of the
enemy it proportionately SO.
His crippled condition en-
abled us to retire from the
country comparatively un-
molested."