Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-08-09
Ulre fire. a21rE!ea.: 21E!a:
THURLow WEEDS LETTFR
BURLINGT TOH,
FRIDAY IORNING, AUG. >. .ls6l.

iHS'oh NHuCI u"te VI July -Oj WulCh attracts
considerable notice The letter is occasonei
by whOt he calls " this great national disas-
ter, the battle OF B BIll-Run, On the 2lst.
Omitting some unimportant paragraphs, it
Is rs follows
Lieut. Gen. Scott, in the discharge Of his iaty
as Commander in-chief of the Army, conceived
add perfected Plan or Programme, by means Of
which he confidently, as the results of a Summer
| and Fall Campaign, anticipated the over hrow Of
the Confederate Army, and us virtually to end
! the Rebellion.
This plan, primarily, contemplated Camps Of
instruction, where raw levies might, during the
months Of June, July and August, be subjected %
discipline and Injured to service, sending the
Regiments, they became fit for duty, into the
field, making room, as they departed, for green
organizations.
With his dispo able force (after the safety Of
the Capitol was assured) Gen. Scott commenced
operations at Fortress Monroe, near Harpers
Ferry, and in Western Virginia, the latter point
being most favorable, profting, no other Sec
tion did, by the cooperation and sympathies Of
loyal Inhabitants. With Washington for the base
of his operations, the western wings Of his Army
We're 10 feel and fight their way sOuthward, until,
at the appointed time having reached their de-
signated positions, all his columns were to move
simultaneously, Richmond falling, ss Mexico fell,
before an irresistible Army.
But this plan did not accord with the popular idea.
Prominent individuals whose cOunscls and elamors
precipitsted the outbreak demanded precipitate
| ton These demands were more and more clam
orous. Exciting appeals to popular feeling were
| soon followed by open aspersious and denuncis-
tions OF Gen. Scott And finally, with p1esump-
/ tlon and insolence unheard Of, leading Journal,
assuming command Of the Army, issued aud reit-
Grated the order" On 10 Richmond ~
While widely spread newspapers we're thus
| weakening the Administration by assaults upon
| its Commanding General, his embarrassment
were aggravated by the persistent hostility and
every day aspersions of the Postmaster General,
whose brother, prominent Member Of Congress.
/ assalled him from the stump.
Meanwhile Congress assembled. Senators a1d
Representatives, with more zeal than knowledge
caught up and reiterated the cry, On 70 Rich
! mond.' The impatient Congress men were leading
/ and influential. They waited upon the President
| to complain Of the inactivity Of the Army; and
upon zen Scott urging him " On to Richm nd
Army Bills, prepared with deliberation by Sens-
tor Wilson, (in accordance with the views of tn
G5vernmcnt) we're emasoulated by the House
Military Committee, Of which Mr.. Llair is Chair
man. The President aud his Cabinet had reason
| TO apprehe1d-if not the censures Of Congress
the failure Of measures essential to the prosecution
/ OF the war, unless the Tribune order Of " On 10
| Richmond" obeyed.
And now the sensation Journals began to dis
/ parage the strength and courage Of the Rebel
Z army. ne [AfDttf uit ~" f1A n
Co,rlrds ,ciH ran ~ etc, etc, appeared in flaming
/ capitals over fash paragraphs. The whole popu-
! lar mind was swlyed by these frenziei appeals
! A movement upon Manassas was universally and
! blindly demanded. Passions and animosities,
| kindred to those which once delused France in
blood, were being excited. The tyr my Of the
! Press, the denunciations Of a Cabinet Minister,
| and the impetuosity Of dozen Members Of Con-
gress, exciting the masses, moved Gen. Scott
from his proprieties." For once, in his life, his
purposes we're thwarted-for once, " his mind be-
came the mind Of other men The result has
! shown that it was fatal weakness. And yet.
| who knows what might have boon the effect of an
! adhersnce TO his Plan The =. \. tribune was
educating millions TO distrust the vision oil tle
! Administration and the fidelity OF the Command
| Inc General. Every day emboldened its aulaci-
! ty-every Rail and Wire disseminated its treason
! and every hour augmented the public dlscOn-
/ tent. Congress, though its Session o. encd aus
! piciouslv began to fAlter. The Blairs-one IN
| the Cabinet and the other IN CongTess-"ere OF
/ ganizing an 90 On to Richmond faction. To
have resisted the demands igouid have overthroWn
/ the Administration. - Madness ruled the hour,
and Battle at Manassas, right OF wrong became,
not military, but a political " nece essty.
70 1t is not true, however, as has been asserted,
that Gen Scott was constrained to hazard this bat
| tie bv the President Between the President,
and with one exception, the Cabinet, and General
Scott, there has been mutual regard and conf
donce.
But the order of "On to Richmond was obey
ed; and where does it leave US? Where we were
! three months ago, with harder conflict on our
| hands, and dismal, if not doubtful future The
| "On to Richmond" Dictators have added another
year TO the War, an Hundred Millions Of Dollars
to its Cost and opened graves for fifteen or twenty
thousand more Soldiers.
And what have we gained Alas, too little
| for such a fearful expenditure OF time, treasure,
| blood and reputation We have learned, what
few doubted that our army is all that is expected
| Of il: that our men fought with the courage OF
veterans; that We may always ana under an CIR
| cuu stances, rely on them. We have leaTneu "nal
was also too well known, that the army was, IN
many instances indiferently Oficered We have
learned too, the importance and necessity oi DIS
eiuline Effective troops. however excellent the
Il ateriaI cannot be found il work shops, the corn
fields or the cities. They must have military
training, without which every ''On TO Rlohmohl
movement will prove failure.
Though we have encountered groIt and dis
astroIs check-though are pslned and humlil-
atcd-we possess the means and the emergency 70
retrieve all if these means, henoelorth, are WISE
ly employed. l may, in a future letter, Indicate
how, IN my judgment, these means should ne w Sin-
ployed
It will be noticed that Gen. Scott plan
Of the campaign IS given by Mr.. Weed ,difiaro
remarkably from the one gwen by the editor
of the y. Y. 7yp,as, in his blabbug account
Of the private conversation at Gen. SCOTT 5
breakfast table. The probability Is that each
story has SOME truth in it, but that neither
Of them. nor both taken together, has the
whole truth There are strong Indications
Of JlaJ in Mr. Weeds statement as well as
in Mr.. Raymond's and blabbers are pro-
verbally iuacourate-or worse. Mr. Need
will be charged with getting the materials
f.7 his bitter accueations against Mr.. Blair
tbe Postmaster General membcr Of th'
Cahinet-fron another member Of the Ca6t
net Nr. Seward. The long intimacy OF MI
Weed and Mr.. Seward, both personal an(
noli,ioal,ron to that source SO strongly tha
the public will say Mr.. Seward blabbed L
Mr. Weed. and Mr.. Weed biahs to everybod.
and that, more to vent i'll will agaln6
Mr.. Greeley, Mr. Blair, and few other IL
dividuals, than for any purpose OF utility L
+ the cause Of the government.
1t is impossible to see what good can com
from thus violently assailing men III u
Cabinet and in Congress, against "lioi
, there is no ground to charge either lack
y patriotism or Cfhoneety-of purpose, ,wha'e'e
= diversity Of Judgment there may have Dee
l. as to what ought to be done first or done
. any time.
OF That there was an immense pressure
ID General Scott to order Al advance on Ma
- nassas without longer delay, can not
" doubted and loud as the clamor tor IL wa
nr in the y. y. TrlbUne and other less luh'
Is eutial journals, 1t had its counterpart
of though less ferociously expressed, IN remarh
ot of members Of Congress and in iact'
ly murmur of dissatisfaction that the trool
nd were not pushed against the enemy WI
.. heard all over the land. Dark hints
treachery to tho national cause, were thro"
me