Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-07-31

From the n. Y. IIeraId.l
Northern and Southern Bravery Con-
trnsted.
The present war has lasted quite long
enough to settle beyond q doubt the rela-
tive question OF Northern and Southern
bravery, and to exhibit the peculiarities of
our mode of fighting as compared with
that practiced at the South. II is the old,
old story of history over again. The North
ern troops fight with the full front, the
open, honest bravery of men who are val
liant in good cause. The Southern SOL
diers fight like the Indians hide them
selves behind woods, thickets and masked
batteries; have recourse to every mean
and dishonorable feint and stratagem, and
wreak their vengeance on the wounded and
the dying. The Northern troops fight for
their country and its glorious flag, which
no act of theirs shall disgrace. The South
crners tight for present success, and care
nothing for their regulations or for the
worlds opinion of the means which they
use TO secure victory. 1t is the Southern
Sepoy against the Northern soldier. 1t is
the Indian against the white man. South
crn bravery is that of the serpent, and
Northern bravery is that of the man.
Now this contrast, which is so strongly
marked, and which every skirmish and
battle so signally illustrates, becomes all
the more striking when we consider it in
the light of the previous declarations aud
pretensions of the South. For long
time we have been forced, by dint of per-
Petual scll-assertiOn, to take the South Mt
its own estimate of itself-and very
large estimate that was. By-nnd-by the
time came to put all these self-ilatteries to
Fl lao CT md f,1-rr If raf he
Southeruers belaudcd themselves and
abused the North more extravagautly than
ever. According to their own account
they were the bravest, the most gallant,
the most chiyalrous of mortals. They
sent only ''gentIemcn" to the field to beat
back our "hordes of Northern savages )"
our troops, whose motto was "beauty and
booty" our ragged rout of "cowardly
wIetches and prison BIRDS" who marched
to "plunder the property aud outrage the
women" of the South. But the truth is,
that they seem to have left their real gem
ilcmcn mt home, and sent their worst class
es into the field.
The operations of those celebrated
thieves, Robert Macaire Floyd aud jacques
StrOp Cobb, rather unsettled the high es-
innate of the model Sontherner; and, in
deed, the whole series of low, dirty, dis
graceful peculatious, criminalities and ar
rngements which preceded the outbreak
ing of the Southern rebellion was, to say
the least of it, not very creditable to the
chivalrous South. Next came the thdn-
ders from Fort Sumter, and men began
seriously TO question whether it was "high-
toned chivalry" to pour in shot and shell
when an enemy was roasting over a burn
ing magazine, or "gcntlemanly bravery"
. T,.,1l FlN
and at bay, and to march of, unCOnquercd,
on their own terms. The doubts which
these proceedings agitatcd, the campaign
in Virginia has pretty decidedly settled.
And, first, in regard to their bravery. II
is ascertained beyond question that ut ev-
cry battle where they were notconftssedly
beaten, the rebels retreated simultaneously
with--the Union troops, and never dared to
grasp and follow up their apparent and
temporary success. This was the case of
Big Bethel, where Magruder's force retired
nt the same time ours was withdrawn; Mt
Vienna, where the rebels ran away before
General Schenck's soldiers rallied after
the first surprise from the masked battery;
and, rs it now appears, Mt Bulls Rum
where Beauregard's force retreated to
Manassas Junction, and our own fell back
upon Centreville and Washington. By
themselves considered, these facts argue
an equality in bravery between Northern
''prison birds and Southern "gentlemen"
very little to the credit of the chivalry-
Nor is our admiration of Southern brave
ry increased when we remember that, in
each of these engagements, the rebels out
numbered the Union men two to one; were
strongly intrenched behind masked batter
les, and-gallant gamecocksl-fought and
fed upon their own dunghills. Nor, over
wheiming rs their numbers were, would
the rebels leave their batteries and brave
stand-up fight. In every case where
they showed themselves the ruthless
horde was too much for the '.gentlemen;"
and. whether flying before Rosecrnnz and
Mcclellan in Western Virginia, or making
tracks away from the bayonets of the
"savage" volunteers ut Bulls run, the
chivalry presented their backs to the enc
my, and made the illustriOus General Price
their model and cxemplnr.
But If they did not rival even the Indian
in bravery, they at least equalied him in
ingenuity and cunning. Some OF them,
it is said, displayed the Union tlagat Bulls
run, to attract small squads of our troops
towards them. Others shouted, "Don't
fire ON your brothers." from hehind their
masked batteries, in order to take advan-
tage of the momentary confusion thus
caused, and pour in a murderous volley.
Is this Southern bravery and chivalry!
or is it chivalric to rob the dead and tele-
graph to Nashville how many gold dollars
II wounded Union officer had in his pocket?
Is it ehivalric to butcher the wounded, to
nail prisoners to q tree for targets, to mack
and quarter the bodies of the dead? Is 1t
chivalric to fire upon hospitals and ambu-
lances, to kill nurses and .UirdHdiereS, 10
w6Iud and capture surgeons? Northern
'.savages" give water to wounded rebels,
who return bullets for thanks; care for the
injured, bury the dead, treat prisoners with
kindness and consideration; and, in short
fight like brave soldiers, but like humanC