The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-01-21

| for he was the ablest general and to
me seemed the greatest man | ever
conversed with, and yet l have had
the privilege of meeting Won Moltke
and Prince Bismarck.
General Lee was one of the few
men who ever seriously impressed and
awed me with their inherent great
ness. Forty years has come and gone
since our meeting and yet the mai
esty of his manly bearing, the genial
winning grace, the sweetness OF his
smile and the impressive dignity OF
his old fashioned style of dress come
back to me among the most cher
lished of my recollections. His great
ness made me humble and L never
felt my own insignificance more keen
ly than / did in his presence. He
was then about 80 years Of age, with
hair and beard nearly white. Tall,
extremely handsome and strongly
built, very soldier-like in bearing, he
looked a thoroughbred gentleman;
Care had, however, already wrinkled
his brow and there came at moments
a look of sadness into his clear, hon.
est and speaking dark brown eyes
that indicated how much his over
whelming national responsibilities had
already told upon him. He was in
deed a beautiful character and of him
it might truthfully be written sir
righteousness did he judge and make
war"
Lieut.-Col. G. F. R. Henderson, pro
fessor of military art and history II
the Staff College of the British army
} in his life of Stonewall Jackson, says
"If the names of the great captains
, soldiers and sailors be recalled, it viii
be seen that it is to the breadth o,
their strategical conceptions rathel
: than to their tactical skill that the.
| owe their fame. We have the strate
gist, Hannibal, a Napoleon or Lee
triumphing with inferior number
over adversaries who are tactician
and nothing more"
In speaking of Lees audacity il
: attacking with force inferior il
= numbers and equipment Mcclellan
: thoroughly organized army in thei
t entertainments in the Seven Days bat
e tie, he says:
). "From Hannibal to Moltke ther
i has been no great captain who ha
= neglected to study the character of hi
Y opponent and who did not trade o.
: the knowledge thus acquired, and
= was this knowledge which justifie
e Lees audacity. He was no harebrain
: ed leader, but a profound thinker, fol
d lowing the highest principles of tn
c military art. That he had weighe
: the disconcerting effect which the sud
: den appearance of the victorious Jack
}, son, with an army of unknow
= strength, would produce upon Nc
Clellan goes without saying"
Again he writes:
"Lee, with his extraordinary insigh
into character, had played on Pop
TAT Second Manassas) and his strate
gy was justified by success. In tn
! space of three weeks he had carrie
\ the war from the James to the Potc
mac. With an army that at no tim
! exceeded $4,000, he had driven 5000
into the Notifications of Washington
He had captured 80 guns, 1000 prls
oners and 10000 rifles. He had kill
ed or wounded 13,500 Federals, dc
: stroying supplies and materials of er
:. lormous value and all this with los
2 to the Confederates of 10000 officer
8 and men,"
J. "If, as Moltke AYERS, the junction c
4 two armies on the field of battle
= the highest achievement of militar
!, genius, the campaign against Pop
!, has seldom been surpassed; and tn
q great counter stroke at Manassas
y sufficient in itself to make Lees rel
/ utation as tactician. Tried by th
r test alone Lee stands out as one {
" the greatest soldiers of all time
e Not only against Pope, but again'
# Mcclellan at Gaines's Mill, again:
n Burnside at Fredericksburg an
A against Hooker at Chancellorsvill
:. he succeeded in carrying out the OF
Grafton of which Moltke speaks; an
in each case with the same result {
l. surprising his adversary. None kne
3 better how to apply that great prime
% Pile of strategy to march divided. bl
l. to fight concentrated"
s "In this action Lee violated both {
e the maxims of Napoleon-never d
vide an army into two columns un;
~ BILE to communicate, or to attempt
7 junction in the presence of concel
:. trated enemy, but Lee knew his me