Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 20.djvu/110

 104 Southern Historical Society Papers.

Many new causes of dissatisfaction on both sides occurred in this short campaign. The hostility of the two men is said to have been aggravated by a personal quarrel maintained between their wives, growing out of social grievances about this time, though there is no record of such. There was, of course, a lack of mutual confidence, fatal to success. Davis complained that the general was silent and reserved as to his plans, overruled Johnston's wish to abandon the lower peninsula at once, and pretends to doubt if he even intended or hoped to hold Richmond. This, however, is evidently an after- thought. On his part, Johnston tells us that he constantly urged upon the military authorities the absolute necessity of concentrating to overwhelm McClellan and no notice was taken of his views. As soon as he was compelled to leave the command he states that Davis at once hastened to adopt his suggestions and collect a large army. This looks like truth.

Their dispute gives an inside view of Confederate affairs which. will be invaluable to the future historian. Davis, for obvious reasons, clearly understates the Confederate forces engaged in the seven days' campaign. Johnston is emphatic in the assertion that the army was reinforced by fully 53,000 men, naming the detachments that were brought forward before Lee ventured to attack McClellan. This would give an aggregate of 109,000. In her book Mrs. Davis states Lee's effective force at 80,762. The Confederate official records on this head are incomplete and unsatisfactory, but there is ample war- rant for stating Lee's army at not less than 95,000 men, including Magruder's forces, left to defend Richmond.

SUCCEEDED BY LEE.

Johnston soon ceased to annoy the executive as general-in chief of the Virginia army. At the battle of Fair Oaks he was unfortu- nately wounded, and Lee succeeded to and ever after retained the command of that army. It is said that Johnston viewed his succes- sor with jealous suspicion, perhaps even dislike, but Lee's reputa- tion was so overshadowingly great and well established that he did not venture to attack it openly. He notes a singular fact, that two telegrams from Davis at Montgomery in the spring of 1861, directed to him through General Lee, offering him a brigadier-generalcy, were never delivered. His friends say Johnston always felt that he should have been reinstated in the Virginia command after his recovery.