The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-01-24
Xiftynlniih 4ispatcb.

Aiftnladn 9ispatft.
TUESDAY MORNING. JAN. -. ,seo.
oeneral Aenisgsen upen Wsshtsssen
We had always been under the ampssss'oS'
until latsly, that General AENiSasEH
foreaeuer-a Hungarian or German-"o' "e'e
- rnAacpived by the remarkable tersenesss
v.e.r 80 o.rtsy With which b. writes Esq.
iish. Va now learn that he u an English
xaaa. aaa . highly educated Engilsnman
vlthal and that his EuGtish svte 10 not the
miracle. therefore, We took II 10 Be. He has
~ 70 re hear, soldier from his youth,
ana \ soldter % enauaorsd OF his profession,
-, hs has been found in all parts OF the
world. wherever hard knocks were plenty,
nshting, not for lucre, bat either for the pure
love Of the sport or for principles which he
considered worthy Of his services. Nor il he
les soldier In the theory Of his profession.
than In it, actual practice. He has studied
with profound attention all the campaigns
OF the great masters, both ancient and modern,
~ an orator might study CICERO and BURKE,
or IN artist RAPHAEL and CoRRKoolo.-
Thoroughly familiar with the campaigns OF
chem all. he has used his knowledge for the par-
pose Of illustrating, by comparison, the Deeds of
our great countryma whom he does not hesi-
tate to place alonk side of the most renowned
captains that the world ever saw; for such, be.
yond ali question, were ALEXANDER, HANNI-
DAL, and C4sAR, in antiquity; GUsTAvUs
ADOLPHUs, MARSHAL TURkENK, the Duke OF
Marlborough, FREDERICK the Gre..t, NAPOLEON
and WELLINGTON, in modern times. The re-
suits Of his investigations he has set down in
. ~vhi on In, On
New York Herald, is already in the hands Of
the printer. Such q work, written in popu-
tar style by an author SO competent, cannot
fail to be deeply Interesting. From the small
number OF men actually engaged in the cam
paigns Of the Revolution and the compare
lively small number Of pitched battles that
were fought the true character of WASHING.
Ton, a. General. has always been moderated.
Notwithstanding, 1t cannot be concealed that
the results Of that contest have been more i'm
portant to mankind than the issue Of any other
struggle that probably ever took place on the
NICE Of the giobe-ceysainly than any other that
has taken place since the dismemberment of
the Roman Empire. The man who conducted
such q struggle to a successful ISSUE in spite
OF difficulties such as would have dishearten-
ed almost any other man, whether he was n
great tactician upon the actual field Of strife
or not, was most assuredly, in some way or
other, = most consummate General. For who is
the greatest General, if it be not the man Who
obtains the greatest possible results with the
least adeQ uate means
Let the circumstances under which all the
great warriors we have named commenced
their career be contrasted with those under
which WASHINGTON took the command of the
American forces, aud then look at the results,
u mere be any doubt as to the relative position
OF the latter on the roll of renowned Captains.
ALExANDkR was king, and the son Of mon
arch whose whole life had been spent in war
he inherited the best disciplined army, Off.
cered BY the most distinguished warriors of
the age. He himself had been bred to arms
from his infancy, and visions Of conc uest had
Oiled his imagination from the time he under.
stood his position. HANNIBAL's father was
Commander-in in. Chief of the grand Carthage.
0tan army in Spain, and his son had been in
camp with him from the time he was nine
years old. Arms had been his profession and
his employment from that early age. He found
nineeif At the very outset of his career at the
head Of the best trained and most daring army
In the world7-an army composed of veterans
whose backs no enemy had ever seen, and who
were eager to follow anywhere their Young
General might choose to lead them. To saw
that CESAR was bred to arms is merely to
say that he was Roman noble All such
were educated TO war. When CAESAR began
the conquest of Gaul, he was at the head of
troops who had no superior in courage, in dis
cipline, and in the habit Of facing war in its
most terrible aspect. GUsrAvUs was king.
and commanded a veteran army TuRENNE
commanded veterans, and had followed war
- profession from his youth upwards
SCARBOROUGH was more than fifty when he
gained his laureis; had been in the army
thirty years had served under TURENNE;
mad all the knowledge that could be obtained
by experience, and commanded the braves,
troops In Europe. FREDERICK fell heir to
magnificent army, trained to the highest
point OF discipline, and had been training
himselfin the art of war from his boyhood.-
NAPOLEON and WELLINGTON were both edu.
Gated At military schools, had both seen much
service, and both commanded veteran troops
But the situation of WASHINGTON was far
dt4erent. lie had served in two campaiens
against the Indians aud French, and that was
the extent of his military education. Instead
OF veterans, he commanded Il mere mob of
men, who had never before seen a camp and
whom he found it his duty to form into some.
tnlng IKE an army, in the face Of q veteran
enemy, who might be expected to attack him al
any moment. He had first to learn bimself. md
tnen teach his men. He made his own army
before he began to conquer with 1t. and he
made 1t in spite Of difficulties such as no man
ever struggled with. The Dutch Commission.
ers were heavy drag upon MARLBOROUGH;
the French Directory threw numberless obsta.
cles In the path of General BoNAPARrR; the
Spanish Junas, and the opposition in Parlia-
Hent hung like milestone round the neck of
WsLLINoToN. But al - them together were n
nothing compared - - Detrimental Congress.
- regards the ssls)ss which they imposed
upon WASHINGTON. There was among them
always faction, which sought his deslruc-
ton. There was NO end to the annoyance
which these men gave him. Profoundly
ignorant Of the art Of war, they undertook
70 criticise his movements, to decry his talents,
70 abase his friends, to elevate his enemies to
tAwart his plans, and, as a conseq hence. TO
ruin him with the people. They furnished
him With neither money, provisions. arms,
NOR clothing, and when, in consequence of the
want Of all these, his operations were dilatorv,
they laid the whole blame upon his shoulders.
In spite Of all these difficulties, WASHINGTON
made his army, armed It as he could. fed
1t - he might kept 1t together as fortune ac-
corded. ana, BY means Of 1t, held Q veteran
enemy At bay. did the thinking for all the de-
saehed service both In the North and the South,
bought several battles, in most Of which he
was oeaten, but not 80 badly that he was not
soon able to rally, inspired his enemy with q
most profound respect for his proves, took
whole British army captive, and achieved the