Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-03-06
| Extracts from Senator Hunters Grafton
at the Inauguration Of the Washing
ton Statue at Richmond.
WASHINGTON AS A GENERAL.

X X \ X
He carried into this contest a natural ge-
MUS for war it is true, but he was prepar-
cd for it by no careful study Of the military
science, by not much knowledge of the prin-
ciples of strategy as established by the great
masters of the art, and by no accurate ac-
quaintance with the rules in which soldiers
are taught for the most part to confide fol
success. lie entered, however, upon this
command with knowledge Of the secret
strength Of his country a perfect I'M
Outstanding Of it's resources, and sufficient
experience in the best means Of developing
them; with modest but firm reliance in
bis own capacity to meet IN the future, as he
had done in the past, whatever difficulties
might lay in his path, no matter how unex-
pectedly they should arise, and with a faith
that never faltered in the will and the pow
er of Providence to protect the right.
Perhaps if he had been accustomed To
study the experience of others more, and
his own less, he might not have trusted Sc
much or feared 50 little. But in that trust
in the lessons of his own experience and in
that faith in the purposes of Providence lay
the secret of his strength. know that
professional critics and the martincts Of mil
itary service are not in the habit Of refer
ring to Washington's campaigns for great
examples in the art Of war; There were
too few dazzling strokes in his military Ca
reer to attract their attention to him as a
great natural genius, and they can hardly
believe that such an art could be acquired
by experience alone and without a careful
study and previous training. And yet il
we measure his military genius by its actu-
al achievements when considered in connex-
ion with their attending circumstances, we
cannot fail to place him amongst the fore
most captains Of the world. If estimated
by what he accomplished, he will take rank
with the best amongst them all. He es-
tablished no particular order Of battle. as
did the Macedonian or Roman. He discov-
cred no new principle in military move
ments, as was done by the great Prussian
or the scarcely less distinguished Theban,
who in this perhaps preceded him. He
created no new combinations Of old princi-
plies as almost to revolutionize the sci
euee of war, as did the worlds chief soldier,
the Imperial Frenchman. But he knew
the secret Of his country's strength, and he
had the genius 50 to plan his campaigns as
TO make that element in which its power
consisted the predominating force in the
contest.
1t was new and untried field Of military
experiment, and yet he was fertile enough
in resources to make head against over
whelming odds, without ever experiencing
a crushing defeat or even a serious reverse.
lie understood the relative strength of the
two parties too we'll to hope to achieve sue
cess by series Of great manGuyres or stri-
king battles. But be saw that the superb
ority Of the British forces could only be
maintained at Oh immense expense, owing
to the distance of her recources, whilst the
Americans enjoyed a corresponding adyan-
tage in the support Of their troops from their
greater proximity to supplies. Time, then
was for him the great element of success
To protract the war was to win the victory;
and to DO this without wearing away the
spirit Of resistance in his countrymen, to
rally their energies and keep alive their
hopes by making head against such odds,
without receiving during the whole period q
single defeat, was the unparalleled achieve
nent Of this great man. 10 carry out this
plan, it was indispensable to avoid any
great battle which risked enough to be de-
cisive, for there the chances were all against
him but for war of detail the relative
superiority was rather on our size The
American, owing to his early training, had
more OF individual resouree-was better
adapted by habits to encounter the physi-
cal difficulties Of the country, and could
| concentrate, for time at least, superior
force to meet particular emergency, which
could not have been maintained permanent
! ly in the field. TO decide this struggle, by
a mode of warfare in which the relative adj
vantages Of his countrymen were the great
est, and to avoid an issue in which the SUI
periority of his enemy was incontestable,
became the great object Of his campaign.
And what general ever pursued his ends
with more ability or attained them more
completely? With raw levies and inferior
numbers, for many years he kept in check
the main body Of all army, which, in pro-
portion to its size, was equal to any in the
world and struck at its detachments so
constantly and successfully as to wear away
its spirit and exhaust its energies; and
when-a fortunate alliance gave him tenn
porary superiority in the.ield he availed
himself Of the occasion to crown and close
the contest by blow as decisive as it was
! glorious. =
Ii the conception Of the only plan of cam
paign which could have succeeded, and the
prosecution of its objects with consummate
ability, fortitude. and. success, were
evidences Of a high military genius, then
Washington has exhibited them ALL Du-
ring the whole war, he held the line of the
Hudson so as to keep open the communica-
tons between the eastern and other States,
and to close them between the British army
aud their northern provinces The ability
and perseverance with which this was effec-
ted in the face Of SO many difficulties ought
Of itself, to stamp him as a master in the art
Of war. From the siege Of Boston to that
| Of York he kept the field in the face of an
army greatly superior in numbers, discip-
line, aud the appointments of war, and
whilst he held it in check and circumscrbed
its operations within narrow bounds, he
never suffered it to strike him even one de-
cisive blow. lie sometimes struck at it,
but never did he afford it an opportunity to
destroy him. 1.-THE battles Of Long Island
and Brandywine were the occasional blem-
II e r.