Year: 1878

DR.. Joseph P. Thompson in the Ny independently


During the American war the sympa- |
thies of the German people were strong
ly on the side of the North. They
showed their good feeling toward the
Union, and their confidence in its success
by subscribing largely for United States
bonds, at a most critical period of both
our arms and our fnances-a confidence
which Congress has abused in most
humiliating way by providing for cheat
ing the bondholders out OF eight cents
on the dollar Thusdo we ourselves eff
face the glories of the war and of eman~
cipation. But while on the question of
slavery and the union the German peo-
pie were with us, yet, from professional
point of view, military men in Germany
rated the southern generals, and especi
ally Lee, above the generals of the
union. They do not seem to have mas
tered the grand strategy OF Grant and
sherman, by which Richmond was at
last shut up in vice; the energy with
which Grant drove Lee back to
Richmond; the patience with
which, having shut Lee up in his
capital, he held him there, until Sher-
mans arrival at Charleston gave the
signal for taking Richmond, without
giving Lee single chance for escape.
The other day, seeing it announced that
Captain Mangold, instructor in the royal
academy of artillerists and engineers, in
Berlin, would give lecture on General
Lee, 1 was curious to hear how German
officer would picture the military leader
of the ConfedeTacy. Captain Mangold
has been conscientious student of the
American war IN its military bearings,
and so we'll did he perform this task,
with so much discrimination, candor and
fairness, that felt constrained to say to
the lecturer: "Were 1 a southerner, |
could not ask more; and as unionist, |
should not have been satisfied with less. ."
Surely, all Americans are now ready to
accord to Lee his just need of praise for
brave, honorable and skillful soldiership
| in a mistaken cause. The lecture was
chapter from book which Captain Man
| gold is writing upon the civil war in the
| United States, and was limited to q
sketch of the personal career of General
Lee. In the limits of an hour he could
give details of battles, and, indeed, he
only sketched the peninsular campaign.
Briefly describing Lees birth, family,
education and early career in the
United States army, and the relations
of Virginia to the Union, the lecturer en-
tered directly upon the act of secession, by
which Lee felt himself drawn with his
state-though with reluctance and even
proLest-into the vortex of civil war.
His skill as an engineer in planning the
Notifications of Richmond; his manly
modesty when called to the supreme
command his tact in turning the mill
tary vanity of Jefferson Davis to the
advantage of the army the energy and
secrecy with which he combined his forces
so as to outgeneral Mcclellan, and the
vigorous strategy with which he drove
him from the peninsula; and, when times
of disaster came, his fertility in gathering
resources, his wisdom in hRrmOniZing the
civil with the military authorities, his
power of selI-command, his influence
over officers and men, his patient endur-
ance OF ill-fortune, his desperate struggle
against hope, and, at last, his dignitied
resignation to defeat--these all were
pictured and illustrated as exhibiting
military genius of high order and en-
titling Lee to place in history among
the fret generals OF the world. Lees
failure in the offensive was imputed to
the intermeddling of Davis with the
army; but two defects as a general were
ascrited to him personslly-an indiffer-
ence TO discipline, and too kindly cOnsid-
Grafton for incompetent officers, both
resulting from excess of good nature.
Captain Mangold was persuaded also
that, from first to last, Lees heart
was not in the cause of secession.
This was shown by the letter in
which he threw up his commission in
the United States army, and by his re-
fusal to make himself military dictator
when it became evident that Davis was
running the confederacy and the whole
south was ready to transfer its allegiance
to Lee. One point in Lees conduct
Captain Mangold could not reconcile
with the apparent sincerity of his
character, nor with the code of military
ethics-the violation of his oath as a
United States officer. To a Prussian
officer the violation of an oath is a crime
so damnable as to be inconceivable
Captain Mangold stated fairly the
reasons by which Lee justified his action
in the trying dilemma in which he was
placed but he could find no ground
upon which a Prussian officer could
Justify or even extenuate such breach
of honor. This must, indeed, remain q
melancholy stain upon name otherwise
attested as noble and good. But the
north should remember that Lee acted
only for himself when secession forced
the issue, and did not seek to organize 8
conspiracy against the government he
had sworn to defend. One of the saddesi
comments on secession is the perversion
it gave to such character Let the
warning live with the memory of Leel


Carrara Marble.