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ho, with his wife, had emigrated from Newburyport, Massachusetts, and whom a venerable citizen describes as the old John Knox Presbyterian of the place ; adding, anecdotes are still told of the spirit and courage with which he defended his Church. One of General Johnston's earliest recollections was of his grandfather giving him money to buy a catechism. Edward Harris had been a Revolutionary soldier, and was appointed military storekeeper and postmaster at Washington, Kentucky, by President Washington. A letter to the Postmaster-General is still extant in which he resigns the latter office, because some new postal arrangement required him to open the mail on Sunday, which he could not conscientiously do. The letter is a candid expression of very decided religious convictions, and is evidently the production of an educated and thoughtful man. Edward Harris died in 1825, aged eighty-four years. He, at one time, owned a large body of land in Ohio, but lost it by the intrusion of squa
but few as well, and none better, qualified for the situation, and can truly say that no one desires his success more than myself. At the same time, I regret to learn that General Houston is unfriendly to General Johnston, as I am disposed to believe if he exercises his influence with Mr. Polk, he will prevent his succeeding, as most, if not all, of the appointments made or selected from Texas will be on the recommendation of General Houston. I have, this moment, received orders from Washington to take possession of the country to the Rio Grande, and establish myself on the left bank of that river, as soon as I could make the preparations necessary for doing so (which will occupy some three weeks, principally in collecting transportation, etc.); but not to cross the Rio Grande unless Mexico should make or declare war, in which case I would act on the offensive. Whether war will grow out of this movement, time must determine; but I, for one, hope that all difficulties between the
y ought to have despised rather than feared them. The writer, having been selected by his comrades as the orator in a college celebration of the birthday of Washington, received the following letter of encouragement from his father. There are in it some old-fashioned lessons of patriotism that will bear revival: Brazoria Cou for the 22d of February. It is said to be a difficult theme, on account of the immense number of speeches that have been made in commemoration of the birth of Washington; that all has been said that can be; that the subject is trite. The same might be said of all the most sublime virtues; of whatever is great, good, or beautiful; of fortitude, courage, patriotism; but it would be no more true than the remark with regard to the birthday of Washington. Do we not see that everything in Nature, in every new light in which it is viewed, presents new beauties? Every position gives a different light, and, as these positions are infinite, there cannot be any
remedy. It must run its course. When the moral basis of political action has become corrupt, it is a disease which cannot be arrested. It is like some diseases of the human body, which men wise and learned in medicine abstain from treating. We must imitate them. We must watch and sustain the patient when he sinks, and trust to the medicinal power of Nature. Time will, I trust, restore to us a sound and healthy basis of moral action, such as we set out with as a people in the days of Washington and the elder Adams. In another letter, to the same friend, he says: I have known you long, more than the lifetime of a generation.... It must be believed from our personal antecedents that, with you (if such a course on my part were possible with any one) I would not feign a reluctance to take that which I ardently desired. You will know that my opinions, expressed in reference to so important a matter, are candid and sincere, and that my decision as to my own course is final.
ur having been superseded in your command, and without any reasons having been assigned for it, has given me much anxiety on your account, and excited much indignation, as no one alive has a right to feel for you a more natural and affectionate interest. Your elder brother, my beloved husband, having felt for you as a father, gives me a right to speak as a mother; and I do affectionately request you not to act hastily and resign your commission. I have a letter, this moment received from Washington, from the most reliable source — an officer of rank, and a great personal friend of yours. From him I asked what it meant. His reply is: Great astonishment prevails at the course taken with regard to your brother, General Johnston, and General Scott expresses great mortification at the course, which we all believe to be purely political. The general designs, when General Johnston arrives here, to place him in a position at once which will relieve him from the slightest imputation. Ther
endship was founded upon mutual esteem. When General Polk came from Europe, he brought with him a beautiful onyx cameo — the head of Washington — which he gave to General Johnston on his return, saying: I could find nothing so appropriate as a present for you; for I have never known any one whose character so closely resembled Washington's in all respects as your own. A very dear friend confirms this view of General Johnston thus: Did you ever see Jefferson's estimate of the character of Washington? It is better than the best for General Johnston. When General Polk took command in West Tennessee, his department extended from the mouth of the Arkansas River, on both sides of the Mississippi, to the northern limits of Confederate authority, and east as far as the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. For the following account of his services, previous to General Johnston's arrival, I am again indebted to Dr. William M. Polk: The force which he found in his command was mainly composed of
mourn the loss of our gallant dead in every conflict, yet our gratitude to Almighty God for His mercies rises higher each day. To Him, and to the valor of our troops, a nation's gratitude is due. (Signed) Robert E. Lee. Pope had attained a place in history as a great falsifier long before assuming command of the Army of Virginia, as documents regarding his operations in the West fully demonstrate. Respecting Beauregard's retreat from Corinth, General Halleck thus telegraphed to Washington, on the strength of Pope's reports: Headquarters, June 4th, 1862. General Pope, with forty thousand men, is thirty miles south of Corinth, pushing the enemy hard. He already reports ten thousand prisoners and deserters from the enemy; and fifteen thousand stand of arms captured. Thousands of the enemy are throwing away their arms. A farmer says, that when Beauregard learned that Colonel Elliot had cut the railroad on his line of retreat he became frantic, and told his men to sav
bitious Generals attack on Dam no. One frightful destruction of life horrible Neglect of the wounded by the Federals a Texan in search of a pair of boots. Our batteries along the Potomac below Washington had been so active during winter as to completely blockade the capital, causing much distress and privation among its inhabitants, so that the army itself could not be regularly supplied, and hundreds of horses were dying for want of forage. The only railroad that communicated with Washington was overworked night and day: the Washington and Ohio Canal was broken up, and an immense number of vessels were detained in the Lower Potomac, unable or afraid to run the gauntlet of our batteries scattered up and down the stream. It was in vain that the United States gunboats would sometimes cannonade at long range, and attempt to silence us: when their convoys arrived abreast of some patch of wood, an unknown battery would suddenly open, and sink them with apparent ease. For many week
e and entire outfit were Federal property. Several of the men were scarred or cut, but manfully sat their saddles, and marched along through our lines as gayly as possible, saying they would not have missed the trip for any thing. Such an adventure was worthy of remembrance, and those who participated had some right to feel proud. As for McClellan, there can be no doubt that he felt deeply mortified, but he resorted to his old practice of telling half the truth; and in his despatches to Washington, spoke of it as a trivial affair, and scarcely worthy of mention. In retaliation, the Federal cavalry made frequent incursions into counties within the limits of their own lines, though never attempting to cross ours, and spoke of such exploits as something wonderful. Had they crossed our line, and committed half the havoc acknowledged to have been done within their own, their achievements might have been worthy of mention, but they knew too well the character of our men to attempt any s
emed disinclined to operate in the fine open country south of it. This was generalship. They knew not what force was approaching; by crossing the stream and destroying the bridges, a deep unfordable river was left in our front, which would occasion much delay; and as Culpeper was as a pivot-point by which the enemy could keep open the communication with their main army under Pope, approaching east by north; with Miles advancing from the west through the Valley with a heavy force, and with Washington nearly due north; Banks had massed his troops in a wooded plain near Cedar Mountain. Pope was not more than thirty miles to his left, with large masses advancing; while Miles, with fourteen thousand of all arms, was midway up the Valley, distant some forty or more miles to his right. The passage of the Rapidan, it was well known, would be hotly disputed, and particularly at the railroad-bridge, for all the best roads to Culpeper cross and recross in the neighborhood. When, therefore, ou
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