Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-10-18

SIX MONTHS.

SIA hON L 49,
Six months ago tomorrow, the great con- |
spiracv of the southern slave arIstOcracy
blossomed out into open rebellion. TN the !
10Th OF April the insurgent Davis command
ed that fire upon our dag and faithful garrl-
son in Fort sumter, which thoroughly awoke
the nation 70 rs peril. 1t was Il mem
orabc DAY fly Americans, AMI those who
experienced IT'S anxious hours will hand
down to their children a story which has no
parallel in history.
\ short half year has passed since then.
The 18th Of April found the nation utterly
an pitably disarmed; and our crafty enemies
armed at all points the conspirators had
diligently used their great opportunities. -
The sworn servants Of the nation had robbed
it, arsenals Of 100000 muskets, its treasury
Of elk million dollars bad dispersed our
navy and the most faithful among its officers
on the most distant seas; had sent our small
army 10 the iarthCst frontier lines had
placed the most important military posts in
the hands Of traitors like Iwlggs. They
had deliberately destroyed our credit abroad
and at b me; and having in every way tied
the people hand and foot, these audaeious
aristocrats proceeded to revenge themselves
for the first political defeat. They believed
themselves secure they had prepared their
masked batteries, they beheld already twenty
nine millions Of people meekly submitting to
$40 600 pampered, labor-haung aristOcrats.
/ They PLAYED great game-and they have
lost it.
lie: Us review the months which have
passed since the day Of Sumter, and see
what we have done. Six months ago we
had not seven hundred soldiers within reach
of defencele,s capital. To-day We have
probably two hundred thousand armed men
On the line of the Potomac, and another
hundred thousand in the West. Six months
ago we had not arms to put into the hands
OF - 600 volunteers; to-day we have muskets,
cannon. every supply in abundance for four
times the number. Six months ago we could
neither fecd nor move an army OF i've thou
sand men; to-day every department Of our
vast military organization Is completed, and
We can make war across the continent. SIX
months AGO we had not a dozen ships OF war
at hand: to day we number our navy by the
| hundred. and are guarding a coast line OF
more than two thousand miles
SIX months ago the Government could
-.arcely borrow a few hundred thousands at
! IL Der cent. to-day 10000 600 of people
| lend il 50 600 ESQ Of dollars al par. SIX
| months ago the question was whether tic
people would support the Government to-
| day the only question IS whether the '0v'
/ eminent viii support the people
/ It's no slight work to have done IN D months
/ An army of 500 600 men is recruited. organ
| lied, drilled commissary, supply, trans.
/ portatiOn and hospital stores are prepared
| and collected in the vast Quantities required !;
/ all DEPARTMENTS are Sysiematlzed and
! people till now curiously ignorant OF war,
! looks with Just pride upon laborS which the
most warlike nation Of Europe has never
/ achieved in the same short space OF time.
In these eventiful months there have been
many DAYS of deep discouragement-almos
| of despair days-like that OF Bull Run
when our women wept bitter tears OF shame
at the disgrace of their sons and brothers ;
davg when efficient treason looked triumph
antly down upon helpless loyalty. The peo-
| pie have been impatient, aud sometimes III !, /,
| iudgIng. They have rasbly condehheu; anu
as roshlv praised. They have demanded IN
Dossibilities and rejoiced over trIyIailtIes:
/ Because hours seemed days, we have looked
20 see a years work done IN month and
as fault-fndIng needs even less Judgment
than indiscriminate praise, we need not
wonder that trivial losses have been magnli'
ed into disastrous defeats while half successes
| have III de heroes whose fame VIII scarce
outlive the first frost.
But whatever errorsof judgment there may
have been, the American people may say
proudly that they have been guilty OF no
faults Of temper; they have not turned their
back upon tue plough and ihe disgraceful
failure Of the white feather party proves how
few are the towards and traitors amongst US.
Looking back and surveying the field OF
to-day, we find reason only for pride and
encouragement. Our preparatiOns-neceSsa
rily Oh Il scale as vast as the c0ntlnent-are
at last nearly completed tie complex aud
new machinery of our great armies works
| smoothly we have even achieved Ill a few
months what England did not achieve in
dou ble the time We have the right men in
| the right place and the nation feels conf
dent that those to whom its most important
interests and the lives OF it's soldiers are en-.
trusted. are capable, faithful ami energetic.
! To the events Of the next six months we
may, Therefore. iook forward with daily
frightening hopes; and ere the anniversary
of the fall OF Sumter, we have a right to ex-
pecr 20 see that hsg again waving over
the fortress and the bay OF Charleston, which
there suffered It's first humiliation.
pEsEKTERs.-O &. Brown and Ezra
Glars u the Bradford Company, 9th Regi-
ment. deserted at Montpelier last week, and
S25 reward is offered for their arrest ana de-
o