The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1861-08-29
Things to be Learned.

There arc certain things to be learned before
this Government can carry war successfully
the knowledge of which at present we have not
They are:
/. The art of war.
2. The art of governing during war.
At present we have neither. Though Roausur,
the art of organizing, diSciplning subsistmg, and
leading armies in the field, have passed away. We
have not general Of whom it can be said that we
know, from positive inform alton, that he can han
die ffty thousand men in battle, and in respect to
all other branches Of the military service our prac
tical knowledge is equally defective. Our officers
have passed the greater part of their lives at frcnt
ier posts used TO command, unused to responsible
ty, inactive and unimproving and although we
have the best material in the world for soldiers,
how to make them up, and use them when made
may fairly bc reckoned in the catalogue of the lost
arts in the United States.
The art of governing during war, is also to be
learned The ordinary mum. cpal proceedings of
course do not vary from what they were before
But all those duties VIII ch have reference to the
commencement of the war, the necessary 2rovis-
90 be gained 10y hostiliues, the diplomacy of war
making and peace making, things of which
practically in a state of ignorance.
Nothing has been more apparent. during the
Progress of the hostility. than the fact that our
Administration has been unable to take anything
Ike an accurate measure of the exigency. Some
times this has seemed to be the effect Of fear OF
expense, and sometimes of an inability to appre-
ciate the fact that the country actually enga-
ged in war. But from whatever c1use it has arisen
the people have every few days been startled
with information of something done orleft undone,
winch indicat, Enthusiastically, want of judgment
or of courage, or Of knowledge in the Government,
calculated to excite the gravest apprehcnsions
When the Administration of Mr.. Lincoln was
formed, it was feared that its materials were of
such character as to render unity of action and
vigor impossible. 1t was doubted whether Mr..
Lincoln himself was a man gifted with qualities
such as would entitle h i'm, bv virtue of native
force, to stand at the head of his own Govern
ment. Nothing has occurred. since his Inaugural
ton. to remove those doubts. or to demonstrate
his adequacy to the important affairs that have
fallen into his hands. The ?henomena of his Ad
mini-tration Indicate multiplicity of heads, and
partial division of counses. Wthot charging
actual treachery or fragrant dishonesty, there is
enough to show that individual members of the
Government are playing at cross nurposes-each
endcavoring to give snch direction to affdirs as
shall best suit with his views Of his own personal
interests.
In what now being done, we are daily gaining
more and more information as 10 hat had been
neglected land 1t is perfectly justiiablc to say that
the Of all the administrative ncglects, over
ights, failures and short cominss during the last
five months, which now stand proven or admitted
would. if collected, constitute chapter of hsto-
nv calculated to place the President the heads of
departments and the commanding General in a
light anything but enviAule.-Cincian0ti Press
(RtpuJlican.)