Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-08-27
.Gl)s Obio 6tates,lrl,ap,r "a
Hit 81.
American Exaererations


q The peeuliarities Of the people of the IJnited
sates fWere never more stfikingly illustrated
than inDthe progress Of the present war; W.
are eiNayson the highest pinnacle Of hope or In
thetogeat depihs of despair. For the first three
months OF cur campaigning, nothing could ex.
oeea the confidence, not TO say arrogance, of the
suppDrters OF the Union.i We have confidence
not only in our own strength, but an equal de.
gree lot confidence In the rebels weakness, -
The loyal North wss brave, enthusiastic. ire.
sistible. The e'5isloyal South was fearful, luke
warm and demGralized. The latter had only 10
be met promptly in the field and they would
dissolve as5 a. rebel mob--for were they NOT
without arms. without money and without food z
asThe early victories In Western Virgins, and
IN Missouri where. We had sharp and decisive
leaders, seemed to sustain the complacent theo-
~ OF the saDguine Unionists. We rose Of morn
ingsg only TO read OF further Victories, and to
wonder whether, after all, JEFF Davis would
venture 10 come with his rebel Congress to 90
unsafe o place as Richmond. And when we
found that step indicating 90 much hardihood
had been taken, We had perhaps mingled feel
ling ofaufprise and pleasure, SO sure were we Of
their capture. yaO ala ~ A -
We rode high horse in those DAYS, and com.
PEELED the rebels, in Imagination, to 20 on foot.
Our habitual thought Of them was, that in due
time they should all be hanged And 80 We
continued, down to that fine day when we start.
ed, all 80 confident, "0n to Richmond" and
fetched up 90 uneasily at Bull Run. - l u
Since that Ill fated day, the very heavens are
vexed with our unmanly lamentations. Now,
all OF o sudden, we 60 to work to unsay all Of
our proud boastiDgs, and to pull down the air.
| castles we have 80 assiduously been building.
And there 10 as little reason In the present
shocking sbasement of ourselves, as there was
In the former exultetion and self.glory. The
rebels are always strong-always determined
and desperate. That we might have known
They had as good Generals as the United
States have produced. That we might have
known, for they got them from US. The whole
population and moneyed power OF the South
would be welded against us. That was vel
known, for the last stand of loyalty was made
when the question Of secession was an open one
to the people of each rebel State. Here, then
were elements for hard fight, and we should
have made up our minds to it, and let alone oul
extravagant conceits Of our own vast power and
the rebels immeasurable weakness. But wt
did not, and were for our temerity, unhorsed q
Bull Run. le.5 ' M
So far, the fortune Of war was about equa
between the combatants. We had gained NOR,
territory, and even more fights, than the rebels
They gained more spoils and more prestige a
Bull Run. But what was there about Bull Rul
toi make the nation blubber7 And what ney
power or new cunning 10 war did the rebels dis
play to lead us to think them invincible, an,
able to walk over the Potomac and into Wash
ington without q scrAtch7 Why, It took then
several days, apparently, to find out that oul
Bull Run Army had retired to Arlington ant
Alexandria. Did the fierce fighting they hal
to do to maintain themselves in their own en-
trenchments, give them high hope of beinl
able to conquer the same men, while assailin(
them across one Of the most formidable obstruc
tions of war, broad and deep river7 i-f
! Unless the army at Washington is infinitely
more spirtless and disorganized than the semi
mob that went to Bull Run, and unless our Gen
erals Mcclellan, Banks and Wool--are i'm
measurably inferior to MCDOWELL Patterson ant
Butler, the rebel army will fail to cross th
Potomac or crush Washington, though the at
tempt be made with twice the strength that la
In the defenses of Manassas. Can we not there
fore, put Maryland in bonds, and 20 to sleep a
nightfAll in peace for our Cspital7 For the SAX
of Northern nerves, let IL be tried. We knov
full well that Beauregard is just as deficient 4
transportation, In siege cannon, In field artil
lery, and in munitions of war, ct the presen
time, as he was before the Bull Run battle
\ And though he be as desperate as the leader o
large army often becomes, be cannot fight th
Union armies across the Potomac except at
fatal disadvantage. ca.l ,t'.llfFe i,.i.5