Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-05-24
The West and the War.
From thh New York Times.1

| Inc stupenuouS uprising OF the warlike
yeomanry of the Great Northwest far surpas-
ses the calculations of even those most fam-
lar with the vast and gallant hordes which
that section is capable of rallying to the field
OF battle. The internal echo of jeff. Davis
cannon, which woke these great Eastern cit
les from their long dreams of peace, has re-
verberated over the hills and forests and
prairies, till it reached the Rocky Mountains
and the Red River Of the North; and it has
| everywhere reused in It's course the impetu-
Gus men of the Free West to the defence of
their menaced rights and liberties. And now
the free hearted, SUM- Drowned chivalrv of the
praires, who never acknowledged master
nor covered before foe, are everywhere
springing to the rifles they love so well, and
with proud, defiant mean, they go forth and
demand, in Heavens name, what these things
mean? Every cabin furnishes it's man
every village its company of brawny militia
till now the number of soldiers ready to
march to the defence of the Union and the
Constitution would seem to be limited only
by the number of citizens capable Of WELD
ing the rife or sabre
The State of Ohio alone, which, within the
memory of men now living was an almost
unnhabited wilderness, has called out, and
is now organizing for action. 10o, 900 men in
addition to the number demanded in the re-
QUESTION of the Presidential Of whom are
to be held subject to immediate transfer into
the "active army of operations" while the
State military authorities estimate the total
number Of militia of the reserve" at the
enormous figure of 00,0OO-thc whole of
which gigantic force also are Gin the words of
the Adjutant GcneraD to be brought as soon
as possible into condition "to meet any de
mand that the exigencies of the Union may
require"
In Illinois, also, still younger child of the
Republic, there arc already 10000 infantry,
besides cavalry and artillery force, organ
lied and equipped, and in the service of the
State, while an act has just been passed and
appropriations made by the Legislature for
the immediate and efficient organization of
the entire militia Of the State As the pop
ulation of Illinois, according to the census Of
| 1860, is more than two-thirds that of Ohio
! should she put on war footing the same ra-
| ito of her population as the later State, she
will have grand efficient militia force of
nearly $780, men.
Indiana, too, is vigorously preparing to
take honorable position beside these, her sis
ters of the East and West; so that by the
States will actually, each of them, have mill
| tary forces, offensive and defensive, equal to
the standing armies of the irst-class Eu-
ropean powers.
The three next most popular North West
ern States, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa,
are all also afiame with the martial and pat
riotic fire; and the Badger State viii prob
ably furnish larger ratio of volunteer sol
ders than any other State in the Union
Already each of these three young striplings
has-now that we may consider Virginia
split in twain-a free population as great as
any fthe Slave States, while the smallest of
them more than double in free citizens the
rampant South Carolina; SO that it may be
confidently anticipated, at all events, that
each Of these outposts Of the Republic will
rally at least rs many men to the field as can
be mustered by any Of the anarchical Con-
federates of whose unnumbered hosts we hear
SO much.
| There never existed such splendid materi-
al for soldiers as is furnished in these war
like children Of the Free West. They are full
of robust health, expert in the use of weap-
ons, Injured to hardships, burning with en-
thusasm, intelligent, resolute, proud, brave
10 fault, and patriotic as they are brave
They comprehend thoroughly the mighty is.
sue for which they battle; and feel the inf.
mite importance to themselves and their pos
terity, and to all mankind forever, that they
be settled now and irrevocably, and that Jus.
tice and Liberty, and Order, bear undivided
sway all over the Great Valley, from the
Gulf to the sources Of the Father Of Waters