his
listeners. When he could resume he said:

"If Fitzgibbon had attacked as was expected, our flank could not have
been turned, and the great slaughter that occurred on this part of the
line would have been avoided. Night here closed the day's slaughter with
our left completely turned and our troops demoralized. They passed the
night on their arms. The next morning at daylight the attack was resumed
by the rebels and our army was beaten. Gens. Stepleton and Kearnan fell
on that day, with many other brave officers and men. No battle lost
during the war fell with more crushing effect upon the loyal people than
did the defeat of the Army of the East at the battle of Pageland. The
battle was lost by the failure of Farlin and Fitzgibbon to support Gen.
Pike. They did just what the President and Secretary of War feared they
would do--that was, fail in supporting Pike, the new commander. Their
idea was to dictate the commander or not fight. One would think that men
who had fed upon the charity of the Government from youth to middle age
would be inspired by a more lofty feeling and sentiment. But this is a
mistake. You cannot infuse patriotism by drilling at a college or in
the field. This comes from the nursery of the mother. Nor can you put
brains, commonsense or courage where God has refused it. The question
with these men was, 'Do you belong to a certain chosen few?' If so, that
was put above every other consideration. A volunteer, no matter how
much he might develop a genius for military affairs, could have no
recognition at their hands.

"The fact that Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte were great generals
without military training except in the field proved nothing. If men
like those who first commanded our army in the East, and who formed the
coterie, had lived during the Revolutionary War, Washington and the
best of his generals would not have been permitted to have commanded a
brigade, if these men could have controlled as they did at the outbreak
of the rebellion. The same feeling has grown among our people since
the war, until the brains of a man cuts but little figure in matters
connected with governmental affairs. He must belong to one of two
classes: either a snob or one who has made a fortune. No matter whether
he made it selling rotten blankets to the Government, worthless arms
for the soldiers, bad meat, diseased horses, small mules, rotten and
poorly-put-together harness, or procured his money in some oth