Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-09-25
Military Swans.

What multitude of wise statesmen, strate-
gists and warriors, have suddenly sprung up
in this rich and prolific country of ours
The crop of soldiers that sprung from the
dragons teeth so mysteriously sown by Cad
mus, could not compare with the product of
our alluvial soil. 1t is edifying, though at
times quite perplexing, to go about the
streets and hear from these various natural
warriors, these born Napoleons, Marlbo-
roughs and Wellingtons, how the present war
ought to be conducted, and how Davis, Lee,
Johnston, Beauregard and Magruder erred
in this Ind failed 10 that. and how, under
like circumstances, 1--WE would have DONE"
1t is evident that the management of the war
is not in the right hands; that the educated
and practieed soldiers and statesmen to
whom it has heen committed ought to resign
or drop down into subordinate positions, aud
make room for the sagacious cotton factors;
money brokers, editors, lawyers, doctors, and
preachers, who propose to manage affairs so
much more efficiently and successfully than
those old drOnes and fogies. L. Is true that
the great mass OF the ignorant aud credulOus
people, of which we q portion, are will
ling to trust the gentlemen to whom the af-
fairs of the COnfederacy are committed, but
the enlightened and loquacious few are not
satisfied with such unmsnly abandonment of
their rights OF free opinion and speech, and
Justify clsmor for their various strategies and
plans of conducting and ending the war. All
these plans are doubtless wise. practicable,
scientific and comprehensive. The only diff
Guilty is that they are dissimilar aud general
ly antagonistic in their provisions, and we
are puzzled which to prefer. We are con-
founded by the multifariousness of the STRAIT
egies of our intuitive warriors. Let them
hold e convention and agree upon one of
these plans, and then we shall be prepared
to embrace and TO champion it. Meantime
We beg mercy, and cry quarter to all street
warriors, and invoke the protection of Gen.
Twiggs and all the land and naval forces of
the State and Confederate States against but
ton holders and gentlemen who mark out for
tifcations and military movements with their
bamboo canes on the pavements. We espe-
cially cry, "avaunt," to prevent the contri-
vers of iron-clad taIrapins, rams, and all
other commercial cotrivances to dispense
with the ordinary apparatus OF military and
naval operations, and beg that we may be
regarded and treated as humble historians,
who will cheertully record the triumphs of
all such schemes, and of all our victorious
warriors and strategists wlen they are achieved.
That is as far as we can go for the present.
Less fortunate than large mass of our citi-
zens, we have something more to do; to
think, and to write about, than to prepare,
digest and determine upon military maneu-
vers and schemes OF offensive and defensive
war. If il might not be regarded too pre-
sumptuous, we would humbly recommend to
our citizens generally, especially of the
peace establishment, to maintain the same
equable and contented frame Of mind. and
to give their thoughts, cares and study to
other objects besides military affairs,
and the criticism of the acts and plans of
those who are charged expressly with the
conduct of those matters.-E o. Delta.