Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 38.djvu/355

 that time to the day of his death I was his devoted friend. The first time I ever saw him under fire was at Williamsburg, 1862. Mounted on his celebrated roadster, Sam Patch, he placed himself in an open plateau where balls and shells came thick and fast, apparently as calm as a May morning. Let me add in passing that never by accident while I was with him did he ever select comfortable quarters on the field of battle for himself or his staff. I believe it was Turenne who said: "The general who has never made mistakes has never made war." But I defy any military man to point out a mistake made by General Johnston on the field of battle. At Williamsburg he appeared to me the very God of War. Something about the distribution of troops in Fort Magruder seemed to worry him. Turning in his saddle and catching my eye he said: "Ride at once to the officer in command of those troops and tell him to station them differently," telling me just what he wanted. Dismounting and leading my horse by the bridle, I crept along under the ramparts until I found the officer in command, delivered the message with which I was entrusted, and did not stand on the order of leaving that fire pit. Early the next morning we left Williamsburg.

On our backward move to Richmond I heard him say, "The folly of sending this army down the Peninsula is only equalled by our good fortune in getting away from there." He was unfortunately wounded at Seven Pines when he had victory within his grasp. His staff was transferred to that of General Lee. Six months after, he reported for duty, and on his application I went back to him. A few years before his death—this to show the modesty of the man—I told him the greatest compliment ever paid to me was by himself, when he applied for me to rejoin his staff. He replied, "Not equal to yours to me, sir, when you left General Lee's staff for mine."

The geographical command to which he was then assigned was big in name, empty in reality. He looked more like a caged lion than a man in command of two great armies. The geographical command referred to included Bragg's army at Tullahoma, Tenn., and Pemberton's army at Yicksburg. When Pemberton was outgeneraled, and about the time of his overwhelming defeat at the Battle of Edward's Depot, General