Index:Confederate Portraits.djvu
CONTENTS
I. Joseph E. Johnston 1 Brief summary of Johnston's military career — judgments of his generalship — his ill-luck — in wounds — in being always too late — Davis a prominent element in Johnston's ill-luck — Johnston's character a prominent element — rashness, producing wounds — the quarrel with Davis — Davis's faulty attitude — Johnston's — his free criticism — his animosity to Davis's favorites — to Davis himself — restraint on both sides during war — bitterness on both sides afterwards — Johnston's book condemns him — admirable and charming elements of his character — his courage — frankness — honesty — simplicity — freedom from ambition — affection for friends and family — devotion of his officers to him — of the country — of his soldiers — two quotations summing up Johnston's character.
II. J. E. B. Stuart 33 Stuart's fighting disposition — his early career — capture of John Brown — Stuart's indifference to danger — his mens' trust in him — his comradeship with them — his care for them — his discipline — more than a mere sworder — his self-control — his foresight and calculation — should Lee have given him Jackson's place? — his joy in battle — infectiousness of this — his unfailing spirits — his vanity — love of display — shows in his writing — his laughter — his love of song — and dance — and women — their admiration for him — yet his purity — and temperance — and religion — thorough humanness of his quarrel with Trimble — fortunate in his death.
III. James Longstreet 63 Dutch characteristics of character and appearance — fighting qualities — coolness — a marked trait, self-confidence — shows in relations with Lee — their mutual affection — but
Longstreet's advice and patronage — particularly at Gettysburg — Longstreet goes west in 1863 — similar self-confidence with regard to Bragg — with regard to Davis — with regard to Law and McLaws at Fort Loudon — and again with regard to Lee in Richmond campaign — self-confidence also explains Longstreet's conduct after war — Mrs. Longstreet's testimony — other qualities of Longstreet's character — undeniable jealousy and bitterness — towards Lee, Early, Jackson — but Longstreet's fine qualities — his patriotism — his generosity — his love for his men — their love for him — Longstreet dies a Roman Catholic.
IV. P. G. T. Beauregard 93 Beauregard's French origin and temperament — his social charm — his vanity — shown in his love of rhetoric — in his exaltation of his own achievements — in Roman's biography — his vanity a cause of jealousy — this makes difficult relations with Davis — with others — notably J. E. Johnston — Beauregard's ill-feeling restrained during the war, however — his patriotism — his military ability — his coolness — his hold on his troops — and consequent popularity — his fertile imagination — and unlimited planning — value of his plans — none of them efifective — dangers of too great imagination — "driveling on possibilities" — the solace of what might have been.
V. Judah P. Benjamin 121 Diversity of Benjamin's career — disbelieves in biography and destroys papers — which does him no good — his professional qualities — oratory — his high character as a lawyer — in politics strong Southerner — his many failures — attorney-general of Confederacy — secretary of war — fails — secretary of state — fails — his connection with the St. Albans raid — not a great statesman — his prominence owing first to business methods — second to knowledge of men — yet this not supplemented by sympathy, as with Lee — Benjamin in private life — his social charm — his smile — his religion — his quick temper — his quarrel with Davis — his love of
excitement — his family relations — not an unscrupulous adventurer — nor a mere advocate — genuinely loyal to the Confederacy — but not a great man.
VI. Alexander H. Stephens 151 Contradictions in Stephens's character — his delicate health — his energy of soul — recalls Voltaire — but Stephens had spiritual as well as physical ills — his melancholy — conquers this by effort — by religion — by action — by social interests — his humor — his popularity — his affections — for home — for persons — for animals — his philanthropy — his tolerance and gentleness — essentially an intellectualist — follows his conviction — to the death, if necessary — his intellectualism in business habits — in religion — in law — in politics — no partisan, but follows truth as he sees it — believes in eighteenth century abstractions — his book — Stephens politically ineffectual, but historically significant.
VII. Robert Toombs 183 His impressive physique — a fighter — in law — in politics — delight in opposition — follows own course in all policies — prominent on Southern side before war — speakership contest — Tremont Temple speech — Sumner assault — other qualities besides fighting — humor — love of simple country life — hospitality — domestic affection — professional -honesty — balancing qualities and conservatism in politics — opposes even secession till the end — under Confederacy fails politically — fails militarily — cause of failure — lack of discipline — fighting qualities come out again after war — does much of value for Georgia — dies an unrepentant rebel — Milton's Satan.
VIII. Raphael Semmes 217 Romance of Official Records — names — Raphael Semmes — not a pirate — in spite of his own views of privateering — general character of Alabama's career — Semmes not romantic adventurer — elderly, respectable professional man — his intelligence — his humanity to prisoners — relations with
crew — discipline — their affection for him — his private life — domestic affection — love of nature — religious feeling — Christian virtues — bearing of these upon his public career — his patriotism — his freedom from ambition — but defects — coarse strain in abuse of enemies — something piratical after all — Byronics — described as corsair in appearance — rhetoric — "Rest thee, excalibur."
IX. The Battle of Gettysburg 247 Origin of the war — a five-act drama — act I, alarums and excursions — act II, Southern triumph — act III, Vicksburg and Gettysburg — characters of Lee and of Meade — first day, battle in the village, Reynolds killed. Confederate advantage — second day, Longstreet attacks Round Tops — and fails — third day, Pickett's great charge repulsed — Gettysburg climax of war — act IV, Wilderness and Sherman's march — act V, Petersburg — lessons of Gettysburg. Notes 263 Index 281 |
