New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-08-05
THE TEACHING OF DEFEAT.

Time enough has now elapsed since our great
military disaster TO allow it to be seen in its true
proportions and actual bearings. The panic
stricken rout of transfers, Congressman and SOL
diers have uttered oil their soul aud the ascer-
tanned facts of the case now confront their ut
.tcranccs and decide as to how much OF them
came from sight aud how much from fear. Had
precisely the same state of things happened 10
tho Rebel forces-had the relative losses been
changed and the other circumstances been as
they were-they would have claimed at least a
drawn battle, and probably . g!orions victory
And not without show of facts to sustain
them in it. But an inconvenient habit we have
contracted at the North of telling the TRUTH
which our Southern brethren seem % have effect
ually subdued, and the mbrijlcd license of our
Northern Press, free from the wholesome cen
sOr.hip which keeps that at the South in due
subordnation to authority, have compelled us to
admit that the enemy did have n technical VIC
tory-our forces having retreated in the main,
and fed in very small proportion-and they
having remained in possession of the field of bat
tie. We cannot uffrm tina. this is gratifying
one, if il be rightly improved. The most whole
some medicines are usually unsayory to the taste
and extracted from the bitterest Of smples.
And yet they were ordained for our health and
strength at critical moments of our constitution,
if taken as wisely as they are offered.
One thing was made manifest on that black
Sunday, and that was that our raw troops
would stand fire under the most unfarorable cir
cumstances The fact that some of them did
run only sets of the opposing fact that many
more stood their ground and only retreatcd on re-
ceiyiOg the word of command, aud that in per-
feet order. In this respect this first considera-
bic engagement of this war bears no il,onsider
able resemblance to the battle Of Bunker Iil.
the frat important action of the Revolution. We
have heard 80 much and talked 20 muck about
the glory of that day, that We npprrhend many
not mintelligent persons really believe that toe
American forces carried it vicJoriously. We
have visited the spot with elleducated En-
glishmcn, even, who did not know ill we told
them, that it was the ground Of one of their
victories, yet borne on the colors OF their reei-
ments that took part in it. AMI, only the
other day, at the breakfast given IN Lon.
don, on the Eth of June, b. our egregous
fellow-citizen, M Tram, one Of the guests,
either in speech or by letter jocosely expostu-
lated against his being invited to help celebrate
one Of his country's' defeats IL wa' good
while before the country generally understood
that il was defeat equivalent TO a victory, and
il was several years before the day wac marked
with a Red Letter ia the Calendar and erected
into Feastd day. And yet it was a defeat.
Oar men were driven down the HILL and that
not in the most perfect order, aud the British
remained masters of tie fed. Tie lesson of the
day was, that fifteen hundred raw troops, Just
from the plow and the workbench, withstood ior
long hours, unreLeved aud unfed, four times az
many veterans, leaving more than thousand oil
the enemy on the field, with loss To them
selves of about third Of that number, The
numbers engaged On the 2ist were much lager
on both sides tlsn at Bunker Ill., but The pro-
portions were about the same The Beecs
were actually at least twice Our numbers aud
the advantages OF their p0stiSn-behind batteries
multiplied them by four effectively! IL Vas no
more disgrace to retire before such OgcTwhelm-
ing Odds than Il was FOX Putnam aud PreseoN
10 draw of th,ir men before the rcsistless nuns
bcrs of General Howe. The eny mi'lor1uie
was, tina. an unluchy coaca,chton Of ciS,um-
stances sh,uld have made he retreat IN part .
Bisbe
TAI. is The lira. advantage that ". e'li change