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.
