Southern Historical Society Papers/Volume 02/December/Editorial Paragraphs
With this Number we close our second volume, and the first year of the publication of Southern Historical Society Papers. We avail ourselves of the opportunity to extend to our readers our hearty thanks for their kindly appreciation.
Our correspondence abounds in kind words of encouragement, and expressions of the high value placed upon our Papers by those whose good opinion is indeed worth having. From North, South, East and West, and from Europe, we have assurances that the work in which we are engaged is esteemed one of the highest value and importance. Our brethren of the press have been exceedingly appreciative in their notices, and have placed us under many obligations. We trust that the experience of the past year will enable us to draw from our ample material with sufficient skill to enable us to make the Papers still more interesting and valuable during the coming year. And besides material now on hand, we have the promise of some papers of the highest value, prepared by those most competent of any living men to treat of the particular events which they are to discuss. In a word, we propose to make our Papers invaluable to every one who desires to know or to circulate the truth concerning our great struggle.
But we will need the active help of our friends in sustaining our publication while we are striving to accomplish our great work. Our subscription list must be kept up and, indeed, enlarged; and to accomplish this each subscriber must renew, and seek to induce others to subscribe.
The delay in issuing this number has been from causes which neither the editor nor the printer could control. While the character of our magazine does not necessitate its appearance with the regularity of a literary or pictorial monthly, we are anxious that it shall be issued early in each month and hope to be able generally to accomplish this.
Captain W. Gordon McCabe's Splendid Oration occupies so large a part of our present issue that several other important papers are crowded out. But we are sure that our readers will thank us for giving them this valuable contribution to the history of one of the most important epochs of the war. The foot notes show the diligent research and painstaking investigation which Captain McCabe has given to his subject, while they at the same time add greatly to the historic value of his noble address.
Renew! Renew! Renew at once! is our earnest request of the large number of subscribers whose subscriptions expire with this number.
Our terms are $3 per annum in advance, and we beg a prompt compliance.
The two Bound Volumes of the Papers for 1876 we mail at the exceeding low rate of $2 per volume in cloth, $2.25 in half morocco, or $2.50 in half calf.
Or if subscribers will send us the full set for the year in good condition, we will exchange them for the bound volumes, charging only Fifty Cents per volume for the cloth, Seventy-five Cents for the half morocco, and One Dollar for the half calf. The binding is very neat, and we furnish it at very low rates to accomodate our subscribers.
A few failures to receive the numbers of our Papers regularly are reported at our office. We are very particular in mailing to each subscriber, and are satisfied that in most instances the failure arises from no fault of ours. But we beg that subscribers will report promptly at this office any failures that may occur, and they shall be promptly corrected.
The Confederate Roster, prepared by Colonel Charles C. Jones, Jr., formerly of Savannah, now of New York (our monthly instalment of which is crowded out of the present number), will be completed in, perhaps, two more numbers.
The author then designs giving it a thorough revision before it is issued in separate book form. Comparatively few mistakes have yet been discovered, but we desire to repeat that Colonel Jones is extremely anxious to make it as complete and accurate as possible, and would esteem it a favor if persons detecting errors or omissions, would write at once to this office, or direct to Colonel C. C. Jones, Jr., box 5549, New York city.
"F" Company Association, Richmond, Virginia, has been duly organized for purposes "at once fraternal, historical and reverential," and all of the surviving members of this gallant old corps are requested to communicate at once with the treasurer, Mr. Philip J. Wright, No. 1115 East Main street, Richmond.
The following officers were elected: Major Charles R. Skinker, President; Colonel James R. Crenshaw, First Vice-President ; Captain Maxwell T. Clarke, Second Vice-President; Major Thomas A. Brander, Third Vice-President; R. A. Brock, Secretary; Philly J. Wright, Treasurer.
We cordially commend the association and its objects, and beg that they will send us their history so soon as it shall have been put into proper shape.
Mr. Baird's Review of the history of the Count of Paris, near the close of page 221, contains the following language: "and the false English, and confused style which very worthily set off the matter of this work." Mr. Baird meant this to apply to the work of the translator, rather than to that of the author, and desires us to correct the sentence so that it shall read "and the false English, and confused style with which the translator has very worthily set off the matter of this work."
The letter of Major Scheibert, of the Prussian Engineers, to which we alluded in our last number, has excited such general interest, and so strong a desire has been expressed to see it in print, that we trust our gallant friend will excuse the liberty we take in presenting it to our readers:
Rev. J. Wm. Jones, D. D.,
Secretary Southern Historical Society:
Dear Sir—With the most sincere thanks for the regular sending of your Society Papers, which give me great pleasure, and create great interest in the historical world, I transmit to the Society, by the kindness of Colonel C. S. Venable, a copy of the French edition of my work on the Civil War in North America.
The English and French critics having commended my little work, more highly perhaps than it merits, I am emboldened to place it upon the table of the Southern Historical Society as a small token of my gratitude to the valiant and hospitable people of the South.
I regret one error which crept into my book, in a way which I will explain.
I left the South in September 1863, and was obliged to take the events of the campaign of 1864-65 from foreign authors. I studied Fletcher and Chesney (not relying on Northern authors), and here I found a misrepresentation of the conduct of the troops of General Early, which I received as true, and repeated on page 290 of my book. As soon as I received more accurate information (by the favor of General Early, who was so kind as to send me his very interesting Memoirs), I wrote to the French editor, M. J. Dumaine, at Paris, begging him to omit at once the passage criticising General Early. I explained to him, that by a special study of the campaign between Generals Early and Sheridan, I had been convinced that I had been misled—that only the fearful odds against which Early fought had caused his want of success in the Valley—and that the conduct of the Southern troops had been misrepresented only by vague and uncertain rumors. But I did not even receive an answer to my letter, and was much perplexed and very angry when I found the objectionable passage (page 290) still retained in the French translation.
This is my excuse, and I hope that General Early—for whom I cherish the highest respect and veneration, and whose deeds have secured him a high place in military history—will forgive a mistake which I made without knowing the full particulars.
With the highest respect for the president, and best wishes for the Society,
I remain, very respectfully, your faithful servant,
Major of the Prussian Engineers.