, 1861-12-23

bales Of cotton in no way inferior to the
best "upland" Of the slave States. =:
GEN. sHERMAM AND THE RE
| AT last We have something aggressive
from Gen. Sherman Of Port Royal The
world has been waiting for it. We are
sorry that coming thus tardily it has taken
only the direction Of sending home the
newspaper men. The "chiels amang 'em
taken notes. have" prented" the same, and
Gen. sherman scarcely likes the result,
we cannot blaine him, for the world has
liked them as little, The horrors Of dvs-
pepeia have been enhanced since, the DEM
onstraion that bad digestion may spoil a
toterab1e; commander, and as We thought
more than that, for at the outset we had
hopes of him. What Gen. Sherman has
done is to cut of. the news from the peo-
pie. He may have come to this conclusion
on the principle Of shelley's needy Knife
Grinder, Story, God bless you, sir, I have
none to tell, sn." Theact is fitting COM
phment to the sweet-scented billet-doux
with which Gen. Sherman began his opera
tions in South Carolinn.
The reproduction Of that Proclamation in
the loyal press Of the North, Gen. Sherman
has right to feel sensitive over. Buff 60
what shall ne say to its productioup The
record Of Gen sherman's operations is
far from being pleasant reading; but the
question is, 4cho made the records Commo-
dore Dupont and his bluejackets began
the work in excellent style, and they, at
least, were not sensitive at the presence Of
reporters. It not until Gen. Sherman
began bis career Of doing nothing, that the
commander decided to dispense with the
busy pens about him. If Gen, Sherman
found that any representative of the press
abused his position by untoward revelations
as to military movements, being sent home
would be far too light punishment for the
offender
Gen. Sherman has made mistake that
will 1ecol upon himself His reputation
rests not upon what was written of him, but
upon what he has done. The reporters
are not at fault that nothing glorious has
come from Hilton Head in these long
weeks since the landing Of our forces. We
have reason to believe that the soldiers are
not at fault, for We have no better troops
in the army than those be commands. All
are eager for work; the people that pay
the bills are anxious to see something done.
All has rested in Gen. Sherman, and the
record has been written that he has been
found wanting. Everlasting his own
troops in labors in the trenches, he has re-
pclled the colored laborers, eager to be set
at work. Thousands Of dollars worth Of
cotton has been destroyed 4 great source
Of power, and Of weakening the enc
my, he has ignored. His chief pur-
pose evidently has been to keep his
memory green IN the minds Of "a
proud and hospitab1e people," to show
that he is not halt 80 bad man as his
present unfortunate mission would mske
him out. His highest aim is to prove his
ha1mlessness, and he has proved it at the
expense Of the loyal North, as well as to
the disgust Of the rebellious South. And
OF this OUT reporters have written.
The ridiculous burlesque of Gen. PHELPS
at Ship Island proves to us one melancholy
fact, that each commander sent out upon
these expeditions has been left pretty much
to himself, and unhampered by policy. |
Gen Sherman has given us the part Of a
pro~slaEery commander. General Phelps
breaches Abolition. twill be very natu-
ra1 that each should send home the repor-
tiers, but this will mend nothingr What is
wanted is that a policy should be adopted
at Washington and men sent out to fill it to
the letter. The reporters have done the
people service in setting down the details
Of each poor failure in full The people
will judge which should be recalled, those
who represent the press, or those who mis-
represent the spirit and purpose Of this WAT.