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226 The North Carolina Historical Commission
H. Hill1 and others complain bitterly of Davis' irritating
interference, which, they assert, invariably resulted in
disaster and loss ; and materially hastened the downfall
of the Confederacy.
The opinions of men, jealous of any suggestion which
might lessen their glory, if successfully carried out, and
men too, who were never in hearty accord with the Presi-dent—
must be taken cum (a very big) grano sails! For
my part I can well see how one whose heart, soul, life,
hopes, reputation, future were all staked on the success
of the Cause, could hardly refrain from offering sugges-tions
in cases where his superior knowledge of the con-dition
of the country seemed to warrant it. Yankee
writers have sneered at the abandonment of our dead
and wounded at Seven Pines. The taunt is not without
a modicum of truth and consequent disgrace. It is quite
true that a number of our most dangerously wounded
and nearly all the dead were left on the field.
But it must be remembered that the wounding of Gen-eral
Johnston left everything out of joint; for, as had
been already shown, only one item—the direct attack
—
of three different combinations of General Johnston's
plans was carried out. Hence the army was in three
divisions—several miles apart—and the attention of our
corps commanders was engaged in consolidating and
withdrawing the troops.
On Saturday night the brigade commanders supposing
we should hold the field and resume the attack, pre-ferred
to rest their men, and made no attempt to collect
and bury the slain. Next day the heavy rains had ren-dered
the marshy soil impassable for wheeled vehicles;
and as the one single road was full of artillery, ammuni-tion
wagons, etc.,—there was no room for ambulances to
pass.
1 General Hill may have been critical of Mr. Davis in private conversation, but
he never publicly gave expression to bitter feeling, believing that the cause for
which he had fought was too sacred to be quarreled over by its survivors.
As editor of The Land We Love he uniformly refused to publish any un-friendly
criticism of Mr. Davis.
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| Title | Page 258 |
| Full Text | 226 The North Carolina Historical Commission H. Hill1 and others complain bitterly of Davis' irritating interference, which, they assert, invariably resulted in disaster and loss ; and materially hastened the downfall of the Confederacy. The opinions of men, jealous of any suggestion which might lessen their glory, if successfully carried out, and men too, who were never in hearty accord with the Presi-dent— must be taken cum (a very big) grano sails! For my part I can well see how one whose heart, soul, life, hopes, reputation, future were all staked on the success of the Cause, could hardly refrain from offering sugges-tions in cases where his superior knowledge of the con-dition of the country seemed to warrant it. Yankee writers have sneered at the abandonment of our dead and wounded at Seven Pines. The taunt is not without a modicum of truth and consequent disgrace. It is quite true that a number of our most dangerously wounded and nearly all the dead were left on the field. But it must be remembered that the wounding of Gen-eral Johnston left everything out of joint; for, as had been already shown, only one item—the direct attack — of three different combinations of General Johnston's plans was carried out. Hence the army was in three divisions—several miles apart—and the attention of our corps commanders was engaged in consolidating and withdrawing the troops. On Saturday night the brigade commanders supposing we should hold the field and resume the attack, pre-ferred to rest their men, and made no attempt to collect and bury the slain. Next day the heavy rains had ren-dered the marshy soil impassable for wheeled vehicles; and as the one single road was full of artillery, ammuni-tion wagons, etc.,—there was no room for ambulances to pass. 1 General Hill may have been critical of Mr. Davis in private conversation, but he never publicly gave expression to bitter feeling, believing that the cause for which he had fought was too sacred to be quarreled over by its survivors. As editor of The Land We Love he uniformly refused to publish any un-friendly criticism of Mr. Davis. |
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