The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-06-24
Thr Length of the War.


sistcd from the beginning that this mast be a
short, sharp war" The necessities of North
ern commerce required that it should not be
,rotractei. and Gen. Scorr has accordingly
promised 10 hand over the Union, sale AM
sound, to Mr.. LI>coLx about the Ath OF March
next"
We have TO doubt that when the war com
nenced the conviction was universal III the
North that ii would be of brief durauon-
Many thought that it would be ended before
the Fall trade, so that after the Seventh htgi-
,.ent. and other regiments OF Boston, Ne"
York and Philadelphia merchants, storekeep-
e-s. clerks and agents had logged US thor
oughly with the bayonet, they would be just
in time to unsbeath the yard stick and sell us
goods. which, with the doclity of well
whipped spaniels, we should be eager to pur-
chase. 1t seemed TO be the general impres
sion that the South was a nation Of braggarts,
greatly given to insulting and hectoring sup
posed non com ba tants, and, like all such COW
ards. running at the frat approach Of danger
Having formed their estimate Of Southern
character by exceptional eases, they went to
work with great readiness and unanimity,
the press especially leading the way in the
"short and sharp war" each individual Gree
leyite leading two columns upon the enemy
every day. The most If tho fighting that has
vet been done has been done by the loaded
columns of the editorial Generals OF the North,
who being remote from danger and completely
hot.
shot into our camp from Maryland to the Rio
urande, hung JEFF. DAVIS, LEE and BEAU
REGARD, several times denounced as towards
the whole male population Of The South, and
abused the women--a Citing climax of news
paper damouiarism for, it must be admit
ted that no matter what the provocation, the
man who. safely cn5conced in an editorial
sanctum. can use his columns in any way to
bring into contempt ridiculc the other sex,
has reached the ne plus ultra Of human de
prayity and cowardice.
But, beyond this newspaper assault upon
our whole population. and the capture Of
some undeGended points iii our widely-ex-
tended border, the "short and sharp war has
not, as yet, made much progress. At
the outbreak Of th.ir patriotism, they
reckoued upon IL nidatiou. They ex-
pected that their immense military demon
stration would scare us from our
rrapriety. They INDUCED in terrible threats
o. couhscating the property and taking pos
session Of the women. But the mistaken ideas
Of Southern character on which all this was
h.,yop RI lncprua u,a uifaS, Tbei
fierce demonstrations were met by n stern and
composed aspect of determined resistance.-
Their gascouading threats did not disturb the
calm and dgnifed department Off wr0nged and
insulted people The forces Of the South
mustered as rapidly as their own, and an apti-
tude for war was displayed by her people as
great rs that Of the North for commerce. 1t
was no nation Of braggarts which the North
soon found confronting her; it was nation
represented by such calm and Selt-pOiScd
minds, such high -souled and courteous gentle
men as DAVIS, LEE, BEAUREGARD. 1t was a
nation which rose up--men, women aud chill
dren-with one heart and ono arm, to defend
its libert;es against oppression, and its soil
against invasion. Such nation, occu.
pying such an extent of territory, cannot
lie conquered by u "short, sharp war
1t viii be a war much longc than the Revo-
luton. If they oyerrun US, they cannot hold
us except by an immense standing army
Marylaad, one small border State, without
arms, and under the very shadow Of the cen
tral despotism, requires an immense force 10
he held ia her present position, and though,
by no means "A homogeneous people, and hay
ing large alien population, Maryland Is IN
conquered in spirit, and only be held by
force of arms. How, then, can they expect
that more Southern States, Of larger territory,
more homogeneous, whose interests are the
same, and, moreover, whose population is
rural, SO that If their cities were burnt up or
occupied by the enemy it would not affect
much the general strength and prosperity
how do they expect such States, if oyerrun, to he
held and retained, except by standing army
which our enemies will not be able to main
tain
A short and sharp war, indeed The
men who tai ed thus have no conception OF
Southern character, or else we are altogether
mistaken In our estimate of it. We believe
that there are no people on the face Of the
earth more patriotic, more jealous of their
political rights, more ready to make sacrifices
for the preservation of their rights, than the
people Of the South. There are few among
them who do not consider death ii smaller eEi
than disEonor; and how could they, as PEG
PIE be expected TO lie down in quiet under the
feet of Il Getested foe! We imagine that tht
Russians can scarcely be supposed to surpas.
the southern people III love Of country and de
term nation Of character, and if they coulC
devote their dwellings, to destruction, We shall
do more. II We are worthy 20 have a country
we shall burn up every town, destroy every
bale of cotton. make the whole lard Il wilder
ness, before these greedy and !erccious beasts
of The North shall appropriate the fruits Of th'
land. A " short aud sharp war; 1t may bs
sharp" enough for all parties but it will be
much longer war than those who began i
im lgiae, aud task the best energies OF ever,
human being within our limits before it i
ended.
The Slaughter Great Bethel
FROM various accounts, We are inclined t