Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-11-20
MullIEan, FrenOnG, Dickinson q Co.
From the London Saturday Review, Oct. 1s.

From the London Saturday KevIss, Oct. Il.
| Americans make the most of misfortune as well
success, aud their journalists are never more eO
quent or positive than when they virtually con
tradicting their own statements and conclusions of
the day before. Judicious readers distrusted the
repeated observations that Lexington was safe, and
they excuse as ordinary rhetorical fourishes the
heroic exploits attributed to the unfortunate 0arri
son. 1t is necessary to exercise similar caution
in estimating the importance of disaster which is
hastily represented as almost fatal to the cause of
the Usion in Missouri. -
Col. Mulhgan, who cspitulated with $500 men to
superior force, may probably be gallant and mer-
itOrous officer. Il is not his fault that, while he
may have been doing his duty At Lexington, he was
made ridiculous by his ofieious eulegists in New
York. As soon as Gen. Price invested the fortress
its commanding officer instantly ideslized into
q counterpart Of the famous Irishman who has been
celebrated by Mr.. Thsckeray az 1.-THE Mulligann
The besieging army, which was naturally larger
than the garrison, was, By an easy multiplication
sum, augmented to the number of s. 000 and q
GLORIOUS victory" was extemporized, in which the
Overwhelming force of the enemy was scattered
By charge of the Irish Brigade The next ae-
count emitting the victory and beginning st the be-
ginning made The Mulligan reject, in terms of
characteristic energy, Gen PRICES proposal thai
he should surrender. The scene then changed to
the surrounding country, where several eOnverging
armies were approaching from all quarters to be
siege the besiegers and 20 relieve the heroic garri
son. A day two later, the place had surrendered
after . struggle of ffty>nine hours in which The
Muligan and his men were reduced to drinking
vinegar because there was not drop of water in
the fort. The relieving armies had disappeared
into space, the cspitulatiOn probably unavod>
able and The Mulligan, who began with eursing
and swearing, was left in hystericsl agonies of
weeping. The reported capture of large amount |
of stores and of considerable sum of money is |
perhaps more authentic than the history of the des
feated commanders emotions.
There is no doubt that the Confederstes have OBJ
tanned q considerable success, but ignorance Of \
American institutions, aggravated by conflicting |
renders the future prospects Of the |
in Missouri impenetrably obscure. Ac- /
cording to two accounts published in the same |
number of the same paper General McCulloch is |
marching northward with 20 coo men, TO attack St. |
Louis in concert with Gen. Price; and he is also 4
marching south ward with 900 men for the purpose
Of escaping from Fremonts advancing columns i
The failure Of the local Comm 8nderSin Chief to re-
eVe Lexington has not urnaturally provoked clam
Orous censure, and the newspaper correspondents
ienounce the chief who was week before their
favorte hero as an ignorant and shallow civilian.
On the other hand, the officers of an Illinois reg
ment, with curious indifference 70 discipline,
pass a resolution that-"In John G, Fremont we
recognize not only a great military ehieftain, but
true patriot, whose welEknown courage, unri
rallied genius, and indsmitabls energy have marked
lin out as the man to organize and successfully
,Ommand the army of the West" It certainly is
lfficult not to be more or less ignorant of civil
nd military institutions and Of affairs in general
q America. Gen. Fremont may possibly have
judged wisely in preparing to defend the PRINCIPAL
ost IN his district instead of marching in search of
he enemy; but if st. Louis is in danger, the Con
ederates must be in considerable strength, and the
aH of the city would be, for the present decisive
f the fate of Missouri
The FedIrals are justified in calling attention 70
heir great superiority of numbers snd Of militia
y and naval resources. In an ordinary war, they
you'd almost certainly defeat the Coufederates
ut the conss quent and permanent snbjugstion of !
hostile country require "a greater disproportion !
{ forces than mere contest for victory The Unit
Provinces were no match for Spain in the six !
zenith century nor for France in the seventeenth }
nd yet Phillip H. and Louis XIV. equally failed to
educe Holland to subsection. The belief Of tor f
igners that the Union can never be restored by !
Orce contradicts the language rather than the con-
lotions, of American speakers and writers. In :
be monotonous extravaganza Of popular buster, n
ia difficult to find trace of any rational belief r
7hich deserves to be called an opinion. An Amer +
an statesman who saw q definite prospect CT =
z. uaion would keep invieW the probable cOndi =
ons and attendant circumstances Of future re- =
oncihation. In this war, If in 90 other, the old
respect would be kept in view, that enemies should
e dealt with es if they might one day be friends.
Noisy demands for the punishment of criminals b
hose guilt is shared by the whole population of 8
Ie South, are scarcely compatible with q belief