Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 12.djvu/297

Rh Kirby Smith, Dick Taylor, Hardee, &c., are omitted. The truth is the Confederates largely outnumbered the Federals in men worthy of places in general history, and for Southern schools it is unpardonable to omit such names as Ashby, Stuart, Forrest, Hampton, Ewell, A. P. Hill, Pat. Cleburne, M. F. Maury, Buchanan, and scores of others who should be household words among our people.

The sketches of Lee and Jackson are the only ones which make any pretence to being even fairly appreciative, (and they are both utterly unworthy of their subjects,) and that of Lee is marred by inexcusable blunders in his name, and place of birth, in giving him the position of commander-in-chief of the Confederate armies in 1862, and in apologizing for his "grave mistake" in invading Pennsylvania, in 1863, on the ground that he yielded "his own judgment and advice to a higher political power," whereas the facts are that this campaign was undertaken not only with General Lee's full appobation, but at his own suggestion, and that it would have culminated in a brilliant success, and in the Independence of the Confederacy, but for the failure of others.

9. We insist that the statement about the "plundered Kentuckians" (p. 286) is false, and that if it were true it would be unfair to introduce it without also bringing out, as the book fails to do, the universal plundering done by Federal troops in the South, and the orders of General Lee in Pennsylvania.

10. The statements on pages 295-296 that Mr. Lincoln acted in good faith as to slavery (notwithstanding he said in his inaugural address that he had no right or disposition to interfere with it), and that "the South" had declared slavery to be "the corner-stone" of the Confederacy, are so palpably untrue as to need no discussion. The quotation from Mr. Stephens (whose utterances were very far from being those of "the South"), might be met by quoting the declaration of General Lee, that "if the slaves of the South were mine, I would free them at once to avert this war," and by other facts which we have not time to give.

Our printers admonish us that we have no more space, and we must reserve for our next other illustrations of the miserable stuff which some of the children of the South are learning.