Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-05-31
OFFICERS NORTH AND SOUTH.
AkE TIE UNION FORCES fIHCENrtI ,lu-
HANpE1.

vANrEo.
Ihia question Us carefully discussed hy the
Philadelphia A0rH lWc1con. aud wc quote
the writer's conclusions
Over against jefferson narls. ,paa -',.a
trained at che Military Academy, and WHO,
after service in the army and IN the Mex can
war, was elected 10 place in the Cabinet
a. Secretary OF War, IL were sin ID place
our glorious old hero, General Scott, who
suffered from the blackguardism q the 70
derant Secretary General Scott & bis SUI
peri0T in everything % great stutcust,
while DAVIS IS pretcndar , Il patriot, while
Davis is eu ambitious and selfish intruder.
Davis has indeed an iron Will, but it Is Of
tener a will to DO evil than beaehcient one.
General Scott is a m0gnauim0us patriot,
who gives his own unrivalled military talents
and experience to toe country without hope
Of gain.
- But leaving the commander out of the
question, we are confronted with such namr,
as Lee. Beaureglrd, Joseph Johnston, May,
Magrudcr, Emory and others. How arc We
to replace such men, who are now tower
Of strength to the enemy? Let US analyzc
these names, or rather their S,guihcltc- q
little. Gen Lee, the present commander OF
the Virginia troops, Is a scientific engineer,
and personally Il brave soldier but he has
been more oyerrated, perhaps, than any man
in service. His personal presence Is handsome
and commanding, but the Ap0ll0-lIke form
docs not contain the intellect Of Jupiter. rs
a captain Of engineers he did well, but hc
disappointed the expectations OF the army
when appointed lieutenant colonel OF cayal-
~ and sent t. the frontier lie lacks energy
for rapid combinations, and is not highly
compctcnt general Rcspcctablel but not
brilliant is the verdict Gen, Beauregard,
formerly, like Lee, an engineer officer, Is by
far their best man. lie is cool, valiant,
enduring very muscular, and very firm IN
purpose, and withal modest. Col. MaSruder,
the life Of a social party, when glasses spar
kle on the board, not more than competent
to command battery, Snowman, VAN as
ncacock-is no loss to the service. The army
and his company will not grlcve Tor him. lie
will magnify his Office IN words, as lac has
often done before Gen. Joseph Johnston,
twice wounded during the war with Mexico
is fine officer aud loss to be regretted.
He was a captain OF Typographical engineers,
lieutenant colonel of the volugeurs, and
more recently quartermastcr general IN our
army. No man stood higher than ne Col
Nav who received praises for his charge az
ReSaca. which were not his due, Is A pretty
GOOD cavalry colonel, and nothing Whatever
more. His notoriety is his only clam 70
mention. Mai. Emory is a good olhcer' ana
his friends are pulling their brains to huu
ont WHY he resigned. Rumor says he wants
70 return, but the door is shut.
CHOW. look on the other side. For among
al Who rcnain upmcntionod there is no great
claim to remarkable talent, although DOUBT
loss MANY of the subordinate have energy
and education. For Davis we have Scott
God grant him many days For Ice ana
Reaureoard we have Gen. Mansfield, DIS
tinruished engineer, now lnspoctor-GeneTai,
whose command at Washington has been
consummasc; Dela6eld, long superintendent
If the military academy; {. +. Smith, me
worry prince OF light infantry commanders
franklin and Meigs, recently promoted b2th
non of treat talent thus tar kept down ~
tbo law 0i seniority, their names are now sure
oC distinction. For Magruder we have Shet-
IAN worth fifty Magrnders his SOULS N
ms battery. where Magruder'5 never Was ;
and the men whose genius is being NANTES
ted , aTc snrb as Butler, Mcclellan and others
who have resigned in peace, are now "",t.',
lnE the cal OF bueH COuhti =, -.
service. Colonel George A. McCali' loIniJi,
" Iuspector-General Of the army, has again
resumed his sword, and is first rate man.
lie comes, like Cincinnatus, from his plough
in Chester county, and will give vlgor auI
| system to the Pennsylvania troops.
There are q few statistics worth noting.
/ OF the one hundred officers from Virginia D.,
not more than forty bave resigned This Is
significant that Virginia herself is under lead
ership which the people VIII yet throw off.
a glance at the scientific corps of the
army (engineers. typographical engineers
and ordnance) will show that nearly all the
officers in them are northern men, and amid
the crowd Of designations they remain almost
intact They are, OF course, the great intel
lectual resources of an army. in which the
southern forces are deficient The cry 20 Of
ten heard that we are left delenceleSs 10y the
resignation Of the best officers is thus seen to
be entirely without foundation.