Manchester, 4 September 1864 
86 Mornington Street, 
Stockport Road 

Dear Moor, 

Your telegram”! arrived yesterday even before I had opened 

your letter, my attention having first been claimed by all kinds of 
business. You can imagine how surprised I was by the news. 
Whatever Lassalle may have been in other respects as a person, 
writer, scholar—he was, as a politician, undoubtedly one of the 
most significant men in Germany. For us he was a very uncertain 
friend now and would, in future, most certainly have been our 
enemy; but nevertheless, it’s very galling to see how Germany 
destroys all those in the extreme party who are in any way worth 
their salt. What jubilation there will be amongst the manufacturers 
and amongst the Progress swine, for L. was indeed the only man 
actually inside Germany of whom they were afraid. 

But what an extraordinary way to lose one’s life: To go and fall 
seriously in love with a Bavarian envoy’s daughter *—this would-be 
Don Juan—, ask for her hand, clash with an ex-rival,” not to say 
Wallachian swindler, and get himself shot dead by the same. Such 
a thing could only happen to L., with his strange and altogether 
unique mixture of frivolity and sentimentality, Jewishness and 
chivalresquerie. How could a political man like him exchange shots 
with a Wallachian adventurer? 

You can see with what speed the news travelled from the fact 
that his death had already been announced on Thursday evening 
in the Ké6lnische Zeitung, which arrived here at midday yester- 
day‘—2 hours after your telegram. 

What do you think of things in America? Lee is making masterly 
use of his fortified camp at Richmond, and small wonder, this 
being already the third campaign to revolve around it.*” He is 
pinning down Grant’s massive force with comparatively few men 
and is employing the better part of his own troops for offensive 
action in West Virginia and as a threat to Washington and 

a Helene von Dénniges - > J. von Racowita - © Saturday 

Pennsylvania. A first-class object-lesson for the Prussians, who 
could learn from it down to the last detail how to conduct a 
campaign centred upon the fortified camp of Coblenz, but who 
are, of course, far too arrogant to learn anything from these 
improvised generals. Grant—discharged from the army for 
drunkenness 6 years ago when a lieutenant, subsequently a 
bibulous engineer in St. Louis—has much unrry or purpose and 
considerable contempt for the lives of his cannon-fodder; he 
would also seem to be very resourceful as a small-scale strategist 
(i.e. day-to-day operations), but I look in vain for any signs that he 
has enough breadth of vision to be able to survey the campaign as 
a whole. It seems to me that the campaign against Richmond is on 
the point of collapse; the impatience with which G. is attacking 
now in one place now in another, but nowhere proceeding 
methodically with saps and mines is a bad sign. Altogether, so far 
as the Yankees are concerned, the engineering branch would seem 
to be in a poor state; for this calls, not only for theoretical 
knowledge, but also for a tradition of practice which cannot be 
readily improvised. 

Whether Sherman will cope with Atlanta seems doubtful, but his 
chances are, I think, rather better. Skirmishing by guerrillas and 
cavalry to his rear are unlikely to do him much harm. The fall of 
Atlanta would be a hard blow for the South, Rome would fall at 
the same time and that’s where their gun foundries, etc., are; in 
addition, the railway connection between Atlanta and South 
Carolina would be lost. 

Farragut is the same as always. The fellow knows what he’s 
about. But whether Mobile itself will fall is very doubtful. The 
town is very strongly fortified and can, so far as I know, only be 
taken from the landward side, since vessels of deep draught can’t 
approach near enough. But how stupid to split up the attacking 
forces on the coast, where Charleston and Mobile are being 
attacked simultaneously instead of one after the other, but each 
time with all available forces. 

I don’t set much store by the peace-talk that is now so prevalent. 
Not even by the negotiations allegedly conducted direct by 
Lincoln. All this I regard as an electioneering ploy. As things now 
stand, I should say that Lincoln’s re-election is fairly certain.’ 

My mother is at Ostende and will be going home again on 
Saturday,* as a result of which news I have changed my travelling 
arrangements” and shall be leaving for Ostende on Thursday