Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-10-23
WARREN. wEDNRsDAY, OCT. %.
b Grumhlers

John Bull has always been a nation {
grumblerS and if there ever was a douh
that some Of the brother Jonathans ar
chips of the old block. the present wa
has put the question beyond a doubt
From the day when the first shot was fire,
at Fort Sumter to this time, there has bee
one continued series Of faultfnding on tn
part Of the people, with every step whicl
the governnenthas taken nor has a singE
one Of the prominent military officers es
capped his share Of the blame. If thcs,
wiSeacres who sit at home in their comfor
table easy chairs. eat their three regular
meals per day sleep in good beds under
tight roofs every night, and from the RS
ing Of shesunsuntil tho going down there
Of" grumble continually, are to be believed
every man at the head ofevery department,
great or small; is a fool or q knave, and
every steptakcn has been in the wrong di-
rectiORs According to their opinion, Fort
Sumter should have been reinforced, and
because it was not they blame the govern
meut. When the reinf5rcements were sent
then the case was no better, and the gov
eminent might have known they could not
arrive in time to prevent its fail. When
Washington City was in danger. they were
utterly astonished at the slowncss Of the
President in collecting troops for its defence.
and then when it was safe. il was nonsense
TO have 50 large a body of men lying there
idle. They demanded thatthe army, raw.
undrilled, half organized as it was, should
advance, and FORWARD to Richmond" was
the cry, from the Tribune down to "cur of
Low degree" Joras0rd the army went, and
then deep and loud was the condemnation
Of the bull Run Massacre" Western
Virginia ought to be protected, and the
government shamefully failed in its duty,
IN neglectng it 50 long, and when it was
defended and well defended, then Rosen.
eranz, Cox and Tyler, who had done it
were weak and inefficient. st. Louis
should be fortified, and Fremont should be
appointed Major General, the President is
. fool not to know he is just the man for
the Western Department" Fremont is
appointed, and then his head ought to fall
because Lyon was sacrificed. and because
St Louis is fortified too well. The gov
ernment should have money and pay off
the troops, the government calls for loans,
and these men are the last to subscribe,
bat they groan, "0h the taxes, the taxes"
We thank heaven such men as these do
Rst constitute the whole of the people, nor
g majority of them, bat there are enough
Of them to sieken.o one with their eTerlast
ing scOlding as often as he m within
ear shot of them. Some Of them are at
heart disloyal to the free States in Which
they dwell, traitors to their country and
their homes. but there are many who find
fault from constitutional tendencies, and
some from a desire to show OF thcir own
knowledge, ana these ast most admirably
succeed in convincing a majority of their
hearers of any thing else IF those Hboi
are really honest in Their desire to do jus
lice to those who are at the head of the
military departments, would only reflect
that IN all purely military matters, "civ-
ilians must defer to the superior knowledge
and cOn6de In the judgnentof our Gener-
ais who betA understand the art Of war.
and possess a minute acquaintancs with the
circumstances of their respective conf
mands." then a vast deal of confusion Of
thought and foolish criticism would be
saved. 1t isas idle and foolish for US who
are at this distance from the seat Of var,
and who would be Incompetent from lack
of military knowledge if even on the spot
where the armies are. to attempt to crit.
eise their movements, as it would be for a
landsman in his house on shore to attemItE
10 steera vesselinthe midst of the Atlantic
@ Al.
Common sense as xell-as simple justice
demands that a fair trial be given to any
officer before he be condemned as inc6mpc-
tent, and it is not the part eff wisdom to
End fault in advance. ger to expect that
impossible things VIII be performed