The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-09-09


We have no means of knowing that our forces
even reach that number, but we think there Is
no safety in estimating them at higher figure.
We have already said that we think Beaure-
gard can bring l5O, 900 men against any point
of our line of occupation on the Potomac. II
be should attack our defenses tomorrow at Ar
lington flights, although we confidently believe
that he would be defeated and driven back-tor
We cannot yet think that God in His good prov
idence would not fight our battles for us, and
would suffer our enemies to prevail against us
we vet cannot bat tremble when we consider
the bare possibility Of different result for II
our arms should be defeated there, the army
having no avenue of retreat except the Long
Bridge would be inevitably cut to pieces or made
prisoners, and the Rebels would meet little fur
Their opposition until they reached the line of
the Free States.
If there is one chance in thousand that
battle may be fought in the next ten or thirty
days on the Potomac with an unfortunate result
to our arms, has the North. has Vermont done
enough to save the country While it is with
in the range of bare possibilities that the Rebels
may have gathered force sufficient to even make
the result of an engagement within ten miles OF
Washington of doubtful fortune for us, have
the Free States the poorest apology for relaxing
for one moment the utmost exerton of which
they are capable in behalf of our Liberty? And
what has Vermont to do to avert this possible
peril? Briefly this
The Governor of this State has authority al
ready given him to raise two more regiments
for the service of the country. The State, at
the extra session, put one million of dollars at
his disposal, as the free-will Offering of Vermont
on the altar of the Nation. These reg iments
have not yet all been raised, nor has the money
been all expended. Is Vermont to do no more?
Is she content to stop here and take the risk OF
the success or failure of the National arms, and
if defeat comes, sit down gioomily under it and
say it is no fault Of hers, that she gave to the
army of the Republic all the soldiers that were
asked Of her? Is that the spirit in which we
are to defend tho Republic? Has Vermont no
interest in Free Government except to answer
acquisitions for arms and money as they may be
made by the Federal head of the Nation? Is
not the Government at Washington our Gov
ernment as much as, thousand more than
it is President Liucoln's? Is it not as much
Gov Fairbanks duty to see to it that Vermont
does everything she can do to save the country
from the destruction that threatens it. as it is
President Lincoln to sec to it that the Nation
does not fail in this its darkest hour of trial :
And if calamity should come, and grief should
overshadow the National cause, and rebellion
should triumph and treason should exultingly
lift its head in the day OF its victory, and for
eign nations who have looked to this land as
the refuge of liberty, should ask US how we
came so basely to surrender our glorious inner
itance to the army of slave-drivers, how would
Vermonters answer for their share of the Ma
! tional disgrace? Would we be quite content
to say that Mr.. Lincoln didn't insist on our fur
nishing but 5000 men as our proportion of the
army of the Republic, and we didn't think it
worth while to do more than was required of
us? What did Vermont mean when she voted
six regiments and million of dollars? Did
she not offer that much of her resources to the
service Of the country? And who wishes to
take the responsibility of withholding from the
Nation in its greatest danger, any portion of
this contribution Who counts the dollars and
CENTS and weighs them moment as the price
of our liberties Who advises that recruiting
| for the army Of the Republic be stopped in Ver-
mont? Who rejects the soldier who is ready to
give his services and his life, if necessary to the
cause of his country?
We have made these suggestions in no spirit
OF captious criticism or of unreasonable fault
finding with those who have charge at this mo-
ment of the honor and the power of the State
We have been told that more men have voun-
teered than can be received at the present mo-
ment into the service of the Nation We have
learned that numbers are to be rejected because
OF lntolmalities in enlisting papers AS wo I'M
derstand, the difficulty is not SO much to get
enough soldiers to enlist, as it is to find some
way of rejecting the surplus. We frankly con-
TESS this seems to us entirely wrong, and that
our authorities ought rather to be ingenious in
devices through which the number of Vermont
soldiers could be doubled, than to adhere to a
system of forms which should reject a single
individual who is willing to serve his country
Can reason be given why every. Vermonter
who is willing should not have an opportunity