The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-12-19

One Of our conservative-that ls,slavery con-
serying-ournals intimates that our loyal peo-
pie and armies are far less an earnest tn II, the
rebels, and that we lose battles incur min, II re-
verses and fail to make progress IL consequences.
Manassas we are told, was q disaster and dis
grace because of this disparity in slerllness of
purpose, which the recent Messages Of Presi-
| dent Lincoln and Jeff. Davis respectively are
instanced as illustrating The President ID calm
! ogical, persuasive, concliatory; while jeff. Is
vindictive, venomous, ferocious and damnatory.
| The moral deduced from these premises il, that
! at last we must get rid OF some Of our Su,
! perfuous sentimental philanthropy and go at
the sece ss:onists, as though we were killing rat
| tesnakee.
We think this statement does injustice to the
yalor aud efficiency Of our soldiers. We would
not disparage the valor evlnced by the rebels
they have often fought well; but We know no
rebel achievement in the contest thus tar that
can begin to compare with Zagonyi's rout at
| Springfield Of two thousand rebels by that much
! decriod /" Fremont Body Guard that certain
! lv numbered less than two hundred. There was
10 surprise in the premises tue rebels chose
| their own ground and must have been aware OF
their great numerical superiority; yet they
were scattered like chat, and did not venture
to show threi faces aflerwaTd. Point US to a
! single feat of the rebels that will compare with
this in calamity, and we will admit that the III
vidious comparison we are combating has some
show of justice.
But consider the battles fought by Lyon and
Sigel near Carthage and Springfield respective
! ly, against not less than thrice their numbels S.
| The rebels were raw soldiers but so were ours;
they chose their ground they knew their suPe-
rOrity yet they did not triumph. Never once
! have the traitor levies even attempted To stand
| in the open field against such odds as our men
confronted in those we'll contested battles-and
confronted with qualified success.
As to Manassas, the Jay was fairly won by
our boys, only to be thrown away by bad gene
ralship The rebels were beaten they had sui
| tered immensely more than the Unlonlsts; they
were giving way on every point when Col, Ell
zey arrived with the last brigade OF Johnston's
forces. Had our reserves been then sent to the
front, while the regiments that had borne the
heat and burden of the day were reformed and
refreshed behind them, the rebellion would have
been crushed on that field. AS it was, not hall
of our men who were within reach OF that field
were for one moment under fire. we had sol
dicrs enough at hand who never fired a shot Oh
tina; shameful day 10 have walked right ovel
Manassas without once hating But valor and
strength are alike fruitless i'll the absence oil
leadership.
But we are willing to take our stand On Balls
! Bluff, disastrous rs was that encounter,to prove
the decided superiority of our rank and HE tc
The rebels Here was less than two thousand
men penned in small open field, assailed OIL
three sides by a superior and constantly lncreas
! ing force of rebels who were sheltered by dense
forests, and fired at our men as if they were tar
| gets, while themselves screened by trees and
and foliage. A deep, rapid and rising river lay
in our rear the means of crossing it inadequate
and inefficient at best, had been destroyed; blum
der after blunder had pushed our men into q
trap where they could at best but die We do
not undeIvaiue the Contederates when we as
sert that they have no three regiments in their
service who could have fought as steadily and
unanswered as firmly as did our heroes OH that
fatal field, though three-tourths OF them had new
er before been under fire
Compare with this the fight at the taking OF
the rebel batteries guarding the entrance to Port
Royal. There our Union forces were for once
we'll handled, and felt that they were not offer
ing up their lives sacrifice to official stupidity.
Probably less than third of them had ever be-
ore had cannon balls whistliEg about their ears
or crashing through their bulwarks. Where was
ever displayed more admirable courage and eff
fciency? What Navy on earth could, with no
greater weight Of metal in its broadSlde, have
silenceG those forts in shorter time or at less
cost? The rebels, too, fought CALAMITY for a
Time; we presume MY Nlu ali Ln6J melS dpI0 VI
knew how to do; but when they did break, what
time they made There was no running at Ma
nassas to compare with it for our racers were
but fraction Of our army, while every rebel al
Port Royal made time that the American Deer
may we'll envy. And they were thoroughly de
moraiZed. Onc-thnd of Gen. Sherman S LAND
force might have taken either Charleston or Sa
vannah next day without encountering serious
opposition. Bat three men can win battle
where one knows how to make the best use O
it.
We presume tho higher officers of the re be
armies are more in earnest than majority o
ours. Their all is at stake and they fight &C
cordingly. But very large portion otthe ranl
ana file would rather to-day be fighting for the
Union than against it. They have no realin
est III the success of the rebelOn-in fact, it
| triumph would be their misfortune and degra
daton An insur rection against Free Schools
| Popular Suffrage and the right of the labore
to be paid for his work, cannot be heartily sup
ported by intelligent poor men who earn thei
bread by honest industry.
II there be indeed any portion Of the armed
defenders of the Union who do not find in thu
National cause an adequate stimulus to resOiu
ton and self devotional must be that they have
not fully grasped the great deas which under
lie and dignity the War for the Union. Those
Ideas substantially involve and affirm
/. The Right of the Nation to Be.
! 2. The validity Of fair Election and the ob
legation morally resting ON the defeated therein
to respect the decision ami choice of constitu
tIonal majority.
3. Free Discussion, Free Schools, Free Labo
in Short HUMAN LIBERTY.
If there be those who do not find in these is
sues adequate motive for valiant and daring
efforts in behalf Of the Union, what cause fol
which pS triots ever fought and fell would arouse
their enthusiasm and nerve them to heroic ex
ertionS IN y. Tribune