Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-09-17
Tho Charleston nrorcury Becomes PhllO

Tho Charleston Mercury Becomes Philo
sophie.
Under the caption "Uses Of Advefsity,"
the Charleston Mercury discourses thus on
the affair at Hatteras:
The ways Of Providence are full Of COM
Tensations. What is evil turns out to be a
greater good. And thus it is, we are in-
clined 10 think, with the invasion of the
coast of North Carolina, and the capture Of
some eight hundred Confederate troops.
In the first place, this Yankee success we
trust, will put an end to our mastery in
activity on the Potomac. Fabius adopted
his defensive policy after he had ascertained
from three pitched battles, in which the
Romans were defeated, that the Cartha.
genian troops, under the leadership of one Of
the three greatest Generals the world has
ever seen, were an over-mstch for the Roman
soldery. The Government of the Confeder-
ate States has been playing Fabius without
having his reasons for his policy. We have
not been beaten by the Yankees.
On the contrary, in every battle tue supe-
riority of the Confederate to the United
States troops have been evinced. Yet we
have persstently hung on to the defensive
From eight to ten thousand troops with a
hundred and forty cannon bearing on Fort
Pickens have been diligently watching the
equal energy, when our enemy was kind
enough to put an end to our watching by
informing us that he intended to re-enforce
the fort Then, and not until then, did We do
whatwe cou' d as well have done long before
take the tort. At Bethel Church we stood
on the defensive, and so at both of the bat
ties on Bull Run. The battle of Manassas,
in its sequel is, we believe, totally unpar-
alleed in the history of war We vanquished
our enemy with One-hsif of our troops, and
with the other half unharmed, we neither
cut off his retreat nor pursued him in his
flight. And still further-we quietly con-
tinued on our camping ground occupied be-
fore the fight, and thus gave the enemy am
pie time to recover from his defeat, and
put in force a stronger army, again to meet
us in battle.
Under the Fabian policy, our army has
remained stationary, for the last six weeks,
a prey to enHm and discomfort discomfort
and disease, while the Capitol at Washing
ton could almost be seen from the Generals
tents. How long this policy of mastery
inactivity" would have continued, God only
knows. 1t was gravely announced in a
Richmond paper that they were intrepidy
waiting for the enemy to come on again.
The enemy, however, very wisely deter
mined that, as they were left the range of
the whole continent to attack, Bull Run was
not the choicest place for their future opera
tions. They accordingly make descent on
the coast of North Carolina. Perhaps our
Government was astonished that they did
not return TO Bull Run; but seeing that such
expectations were not in accordance with
Yankee policy, they zee the necessity of ad-
vancing on Washington.
1t is clear that our Yankee enemies, always
pushing us into our best position, intend to
force us into the alternative of campaign in
Maryland, or the devastation of our sea-coast
The Carolinas, Georgia and Florida are to bt
defended in Maryland. 1t is there, by firm
and aggressive war, that the United State
must, on our part, be forced to defend them
selves. Immediately after the battle of Ma
nassas the troops threatening Richmond
from the coast were removed to Washington
Let us burn Washington, liberate Marylan
and threaten or march into Pennsylvania
and our coasts will be protected. Is not tn
invasion of North Carolina, with all its los
of men and forts, an admirable benefit if
forces US into the only policy by which
peace can be won by arms?