Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 12.djvu/457

 Reminiscences of Cavalry Operations. 447

not competent to pass judgment ex cathedra, we cannot but sym- pathise with the keenness of his disappointment and the honesty of his patriotic grief. With such a deep-rooted conviction of the cor- rectness of his views, it is perhaps not astonishing that he attributed the persistent neglect of them, and the treatment which he thought he received in other respects, to personal enmity" from the Govern- ment which he was anxious to serve so zealously. We leave aside these grievances, whether real or fancied, as not coming within the scope of this essay.

Colonel Roman's "Military Operations of General Beauregard" is an important work. We feel personally indebted to him for the information which we have derived from its perusal. The style of his narrative, bating some repetitions which might have been spared, is all that the nature of his composition required. It is pure, elegant, lucid, and vigorously descriptive in more than one page. There is occasionally some pardonable vivacity of personal feelings, but always expressed in proper and dignified lan- guage. He has done full justice to his subject, which is no small achievement, for it is seldom that as much can be said of most writers. If his impartiality is questioned by some, we believe that his evident intention to be just will be acknowledged by all. His asser- tions and appreciations are based on documents which he puts on record as judicial evidence. Henceforth, of our civil war, it will be impossible to write the history without taking this valuable contribu- tion to it into the most serious consideration.

Charles Gayarre.

Reminiscences of Cavalry Operations.

By Gen. T. T. Mlnfokd.

Paper No. 2.

Battle of Winchester, 19TH September, '64.

My brigade was moved hurriedly from the right over to the left with Bretherd's old battery, and taken by General Fitz Lee across the Red Bud Creek to relieve the heavy pressure upon a part of General Bradley Johnson's cavalry, then skirmishing with the enemy. John- son's troops were on the left of Evans' infantry brigade of Gordon's division. We were dismounted, and became engaged very quickly;