Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 April 1885 — The Century Magazine. [ARTICLE]

The Century Magazine.

In the May Centurt, more space than usual is devoted to the War Series, and sixteen pages are added to the regular number, 160, in order that other subjects of public importance should not be slighted. Of superior interest is General Adam Badeau’s anecdotal paper on “General Grant 1 as a soldier. It covers the vVhole period of General Grant's military experience, from his brilliant services in the Mexican War to the surrender of Lee at Appomattox, concluding with an interesting ahnlysis of General Grant’s soldierly characteristics. General McClellan contributes a graphic account of “The Peninsular Campaign,” and makes special reference to his official and personal relations with Secretary Stanton and President Lincoln. Of peculiar interest is General Joseph E. Johnson’s “Manassus to Seven Pines,” which is a reply to Jefferson Davis’s criticisms (in “"The Rise and Fall of the Southern Confederacy”) on his military operations in’ Virginia. General Johnson describes ih‘ detail the battles of Bull Run and the first day at Seven Pines: and his recollections are supplemented, as it were, by General John D. Imbotten’s entertaining description of “Incidents of the Battle of Manassas”, and General Gustavus W. Smith’s Account of “The Second Day at Seven PineS”. The fourth chapter of “Recollectloiis of a Private”, describes the movement which saved the Union army from total defeat at Seven Pines—the forced march of Sumner’s corps to the aid of the outnumbered Federal troops at Fair Oaks Station. In “Open Letters” “An Interview with General Robert E. Lee,” in which are discussed war questions, and Lieu-tenant-Commander C. F. Goodrich, discusses the question of “Obr National Defenses.” . The rescue of “Greeley 'At Cape Sabino” is the subject of a noteworthy paper by Ensign Charles H. Harlow, of the rescue-ship Thetis. Other illustrated features of the May number are the first of a series of two humorously illustrated papers on “Tne New Orleans Exposition” by Eugene V. Smalley; the first of a series of papers bn “Typical Dogs,” by writers having special knowledge. George de Forest Brush’s account of “An Artist among the Indians” is beautifully illustrated with full-pa/e engravings of two notable paintings by the author. Emiiud Clarence Stedman’s paper on the poet “Whittier” is the important literary feature of the number; and the Reverend T. T. Munger, discusses the relations of science and faith in a paper entitled “Immortality and Modern Thought”. . Oi fiction the May number contains a brief story by Mrs. Helen Jackson (H. H), entitled “Th 6 Prince"s Little Sweetheart”; the .seventh part of Mr. Howells's novel, /•‘the Rise of Silas Lapham,” and the fourth part Of Henry James’s serial, “The Bostonians.'’