Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-07-29


the man devoted to gain missed the best op.
portunities, or met with losses, or was disabled,
there was as truly a cause for failure as there
was for success.
A man goes to California, and falls upon a
placer which gives him fortune in a month.
Others go, and, after years of prospecting and
hardships, return poor say, "it is all risk,
hazard, luck, chance p Yes ! we call it by
such names.
To us there is uncertainty, or what Solo
mon calls chance, i. e. we cannot foresee all
that will defeat or favor our plans. But no
law of cause and effect is disturbed in the
least. Whether IA man gains much, or little,
or nothing, or whether he makes fortune in
an hour or lifetime, or by some invention or
discovery, or by patient labor in this or that
department of life, there is an adequate cause
for the result. 1t comes under Gods estab-
lished pan including mans perfect freedom
of action, or will, as truly as the rising Of the
sun comes under His plan. And the fact that
there may be circumstances or chances" not
ioreseen and provided for, does not cancel
Gods law of effect nor affect by one iota His
plan of making results depend upon adequate
causes.
l come now to the point wish specially TO
illustrate by reference to the recent battle.
BY the same reasoning we are to interpret
tine words "the battle is not TO the strong,
viz: we cannot ioresee all the circumstances
into which the armies may be brought, or all
the rapidly occurring incidents THAT conri
buted to decide the contest. "rime and
chance" will happen to them, i. e., there will
be many things not thought OF ;-some things
that no human sagacity could toresee. Some
division OF the army may fail to be on the
ground at the moment, land moments often
decide battles,); or an officer may prove in
competent for his post, and, as soldiers must
obey, he may ruin all or regiment or
company may behave badly; or some one
man whose duty it was to have the am
munition ready, may have been needless
the lay of the land, the position of forces, as
favorable or unfavorable; yes, and even the
direction of the wind, or the rays OF the sun,
each and all of these may come under the
head OF thine and chance !" and upon each
and all may depend the fate OF battle.
But when we look to such chances" we
well know there was a caaSe,-culpable me-
glect it may be on the part of men,-or phys
ical and unavoidable. Yet the winds around
Manassas Junction blew as they would have
blown, last Sunday, had there been no battle
at that hour; the direction of the suns rays
did not change to suit either side; there was
hill, valley, ravine, and wood, and rock, and
river-and they stirred not specially to ac-
commodate l0yalist or rebel. Yet such things
enter into the chances OF battle, and some.
times with decisive effect.
But when we come to the conduct of men,
officers and soldiers,-these chances" of bat,
lie are most complicated, and many of them
difficult TO trace.
We only know that out of all the thousands
engaesdin that battle, the conduct of each,
MS courage or cowardice, his promptness or
delinquency, his wisdom or folly, his physi.
cal strength or weakness, the quality of his
arms, his food or want of food his discipline
or want OF diseipline,-and more, the ability
and generalship of every officer,-yes, anil
the general plan of the battle, and all its de-
tails, these, all and each, were causes that en-
tered into the final result!
And more than these; the hundreds of
spectators who, in carriages and on foot en-.
numbered the loads, and added to the dsor-
der and panic at the close of the day, these
were causes of the disaster And the fact
that our plan of battle, and even the maneu.
VerS by which 1t was expected to deceive the
enemy, were by some means known to the
rebel leaders at Manassas Junction before the
battle began, took away from orr strength.
There was no chance in that battle That
is, no result without its cause, either in the
details or the sum total of the conflict. There
were many things unforeseen both
guilty and innocent, that led to our defeat
But every effect, from the most heroic and
gallant action of our troops till o'clock in the
afternoon, land better battle work was never
done on any field, than was done on that day)
say from those deeds of heroism, down to
the disorder and shameful panic Of some of
The visitors and soldiers, just as victory was
about to light upon our standard th4asszz,--
lie NJ GOD iii N Tie natural world,
Dr. in man, was suspended or changed, or al !
tered the tythe of a hair, to favor that rebel
army, and turn to defeat hard fought battle
wellnigh won
Nor again, did God interpose to send fear
and panic into portion of our men. The
laws of mind, in thai sad hour-the WORKINGS
of hope and fear, Of glory and disgrace, of
and selfishness,-all went on,
Alright, or wickedly left without
control, by the WILL OF each actor in the
scene
The WiH, as God has declared it should be,
is cause, in every responsible station If firm,
persistent, and directed by sense of duty and
honor, the man is praiseworthy, and we praise
him. Hence the deserved praise of many off
GERS and men in that struggle. Also, the CON
domination of those who showed themselves
recreant or negligent. We cannot praise the
faithful, only as we condemn the faithless.
But, asks one, can you blame men for being
frightened? Certainly. Any such fright Of
soldiers, too, and officers, in such position
Just as we praise those Who did not qiye acav TO
fear, but stood self possessed and came in good
order from the field bringing off their wounded
men, and their munitions; yes many of the
guns which others deserted
Grant some excuse for panic on the part of
many, when, as kind OF contagion, it is
caught from few towards, or tinid spectators
who had no business to be there. Call this an
apology; and say the best soldiers of Europe
have occasionally been panic-stricken. Yet,
who ever approved it Every military man
condemns it. Courage in peril ,-cooness and
firmness of ,oW, lis an essential qualification
of the soldier,--and should be so taught, and =
should enter into his discipline He is to screw
his courage up to the sticking point, and be so
intent on his work, as not to think of flight
or even retreat, till the proper order is given.
claim that every man who las heart enough
to be soldier in this war, can so govern him
self. His will can defy fear, by being so intenty
fixed upon the Dork he is there to do. So was Il
in thousands of heroic men in that hard fought
battle. They could die hundreds did die:
and their memories shall be embalmed in the
hearts OF their countrymen. History shall
speak their praise.
We regret this disaster the more, because it
was one of those gully "chances, which robbed
the army of victory at the moment it seemed
almost won, and should have been the reward
Of such gigantic efforts.
Without farther illustration of the subject.
you can see my conclusion, and what 1 deem
the real truth of this text, and of any text
bearing on the subject, viz: the battle is to the
strong, wlen all The elements Of strength are con.
sidered. Numbers, arms, kind of troops, gen
eralship, discipline, courage, the feeling that
the cause is just and good, and The cause of
God and government, and humanity, position,
skill, plan, details, Stake them all into the &C.
count, and the battle is to the strong 1t was
in this ease II nj wacI II aI,vov. ,r.u