A comparison.
After the
Mexican war we met no more on duty until about 1858, when a board of cavalry officers was assembled in
Washington to establish a uniform equipage for our cavalry and artillery regiments.
We were occupied several weeks on this business in
Winder's building, where during the same time
Captain William B. Franklin and
Raphel Semmes were serving together on the light-house board.
One day after our daily session
Franklin said: Now that you have seen
Lee and
Johnston working together for some weeks, how do you estimate the two men?
In previous discussion I had thought
Lee more full of promise and capacity.
I said: While both are as earnest and intelligent as possible, I have noticed that
Colonel Lee often yields his opinions to those of the board or of other members of it, while
Colonel Johnston has never on any occasion yielded his, but frequently has made the board yield to him. In fact, he is the one man who seems to have come to his work with a clear and fixed idea of what is needed in every detail of it.
