Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-08-16
FROM WASHINGTON.


!
The city of Washington was as quiet yes
tcrday as ever it was known to be. suppose
Men and women went to church without fea
of being either insulted or shot by drunken
soldiers. The liquor shops were all closed
There was no more disturbance, in fact, thar
if every man in Gen. McClelan's army hat
been reposing at Richmond after hard figh
instead of covering the heights about thi
city There is one good of having soldier
"a real Gencral-at the head of the army
Met Clellan had not been here 36 hours till tn,
hotels and restaurants were empted of thos'
epauletted gentlemen who had so long filled
them, to the great detriment of the service
and the disgrace of the army too, as it turn
cd out
have told you nothing about the battle o.
Bulls Run. l knew too we'll you would heal
enough about it without any help fir; m me-
And now two weeks have gone and sup
pose you are hardly certain yet about the de-
tails of the fight, and upon whom the blame
Of the disaster ought to rest. I do not blame
anybody. 1t is not in my line-this thing Of
criticism in military matters, mean. To be
sure, am willing to risk my plug hat against
a chew Of fine-cut, that could 60 through
the bloodless review with quite as much eclat
as that excellent man Adjutant General Bow
en-; r that could direct charge of the Fire
Zouaves at double quic against battery of
24-pounders as we'll as our Governor himself.
Nevertheless, l don't pretend to understand
that Bull Run, Big Run, Bloody Run battle,
or whatever else you choose to call it. But I
can tell you what the President thinks about
it. He thinks that Gen. Scott managed the
matter badly. He therefore placed, at once
Gen. Mcclellan in the supreme command of
the Grand Army" Mcclellan now has the
entire control, being no more responsible to
Scott than Scott is to him. Such are the in
structions that came straight from the Com
Chief, the President himself, who
advised against the battle on Sunday, as did
the Secretary of War, as did all the distin-
guishcd civilians who were with the army, and
were consulted by Gen. Mcdowell on the
night before the fight state these facts be-
cause know that the people of Iowa are anS-
ious to do justice to those in power--to be in
dgnant where indignation is demanded but
severe upon those who have done their duty
They will hardly initiate, suppose, the course
of the New York Tribune, whose recent con-
version to lenity is the most unfortunate of
all its many sins in that line-unfoi tunate as
to time and manner both. liked very we'll
to see Greeley chasing the lien, but had he
bearded him in his den Instead of turning tail
and scampering off at the most important mo-
ment of all, l should have thought more both
of his courage and his discretion. 1t is sat
to know that Col. Warren, of our
State, exhibited no such moral poltroonry.-
Believing that, as never before, the crisis de-
manded outspoken opinion and rigid investi-
cation, he Indignantly resigned his post as as
sociate editor of the Tribune, and threw
down position whose salary was twice that
of our Governor. Nor is this the first time
that he has exhibited similar spirit of mauly
He threw up his commission
as Assistant Postmaster General in 1851 be-
cause he saw the administration of Fillmore
was corrupted by slavery, and had foisted up
on the North the law of infamy. The Colonel
will return to Iowa at once, but whether he
will take command of the cavalry regiment l
do not know. l have no doubt he would
make firstrate commander. Quick to per-
ceive, quick to execute, with cool head and
a warm heart, he has, besides these, qualities
thas have made many an uneducated man a
brilliant and successful general, mastery
of the theory of war. But whether
he shall 60 to the wars or not, wish him
warm farewell.
But you now know what the President
thinks of Bulls Run, and it is certain that
Congress thinks the same way. But there is
universal confidence in Mcclellan. When he
gets ready he will forward, march, and he will
not to the right about either.
7. H. Stanton, Esq, of the Washington
Iowa. Press, left for home to-day, having re-
signed clerkship in the Pension Office. His
etters in the Pres have been unusually able
md spicy, and the want of them will be ng
cit by the readers of that excellent journal.
Having done vast deal of necessary legis-
alton, and not very much unnecessary gass-
ng, Congress will adjonrn tomorrow. Messrs.
and Curtis have been gone few
lays, but our Senators, I understand, will re-
main some time after the adjournment
The telegraph has of course told you Of the
passage of the confscation acty' One ad- |
7ance toward emancipation, probably attrib-
liable to Bulls Run. Thus does Providence |
work good out of evil. Iowa.