Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-10-30
Tho situntIon.o

The Yankee States having commenced the war agsirst
the South. having avowed the policy OF coercion, and
pledged themselves punish the rebels and restore
the Unon have taken upon themselves the onus OF sg
son. It is theirs to wsgs war; ours to resist theirs
20 assa ours to defend. We do not mean TO cay ttat
we ,hi it our true policy to rmain on The deensivs
We are not about to discuss that question: but simply to
remind the reader that the role of aggressive inva
aige war Is that which the Yankees have chosen for
hemslves and that which they aust continue, and sue
coed in. or stand before the world d,feaied. Having
undertaken to overrun ard SUI jugie the South, every
Of racton, every measure merely defensive, every
rstroerado ovemen is something equivalent to defeat
is concession that they have undertaken what they
are not capable Of accomplishing. Never did people
swagg,r more in the outset or tbunier more in the
pepsraion Of hos,ilies than did they Amid rsolence
bonbast and brsvsdo such as tho world never saw,
they raised equipped and organized the "Grand Army
tha, wa to quarter in the Capital OF the Rebels by the
4th OF Julv az farthest Another Grand Army was to
descend the valley Of the Mississippi and sweep every
thing before Il. Huge fleets were to dock along the
cost and open all the cotton ports 10 the world fan-
k.edop 10 fle was Tsvagc uaresisted and roar with
GU. reply. Such was The psoms, they held out to
III, asson,hsd world, such the mensc, they fulnned
over our devoted heads. Before this time, We were
{, tsve bean severely chased and humby susiug for
| peace Tle Confederate States, on the other hand
promised notbing threatened nothing, bit simply askt
TO b. "Ie alone" Ia their new rel ltion they discaia:d
all hostile feeling purpose and rendered political ami
ty and reciprocal commerce. When these reject
ed aud war denounced, they mustered for defence -
They accepted tina war; as something ns! to be avoided
and to be resisted as long as 1t might be waged. THE
was their role. For them merely TO escape subjugaon
was vicory. To hold tbs enemy at arm's length was
triumph These wero the respective attitudes Of the
parties to hs war at bs beginning and so they remain
Thus far the Yinkee undertaking has been an unmtsa-
tad and irnoninious faure--While the undertaking Of
the Confederate States has been glorious success
Tuey have failed in everything OF Consequence they have
attsuued We have succeeded 10 everything Of conse
oueace we baTe attempted. They undertook, hrst 10
frghten Us By buByi.hn, spd failed. They undertook
nex, Ia the Sumter business, TO ovsrrssch us by fraud
aud rekery, snd fsei Then they undertook TO raise
An army before whose D,ndasoas bitalious we would
quail and suceumb, aud they fail d. They undertook to
surround u, with tho Anaconda folds OF their vast
army and compress US into submission, sni they
failed They undertook by blockade to deprive up
of the neee.sr.es of life and starve rs into
subecton and they failed, They undertook to push
their way into domilion b. the irresistible moment
I'm OF serted ranks and countlsss hosts, and failed
They undertook to win victories, aud failed They ul'
dsr;ook to cut CT all communication between US and
foreign countries aud f,ed. They solicited sympathy
AID operation from European governrsss and failed
to OBJ ain them They sought to obtain the services o.
mi iary leaders OF na,c from abroad and failed They
have failed Ia all these aud Other undertakings, aud each
Of their "a lures has been triumph. They have
ceedei In putting chains upon helpless Maryland but
Only for Those feers Ni be burst and tle star OF
tho brave little common cath will yet shine rtsplen-
dent in the Southern heavens. They have succeeded
in Buying at mere than they worth a number Of
traitors in Northwestern Virginia, in Kentucky and Mis-.
s3ui They have succeeded 10 throwing into their dun
geous come true aud good men, and few undere ldsd
som'n. Beyond these thi9g% they have srcceeded
in ai,natiog forever the land which was the nursing
other Of all their prospert; IL forfetng the respect
Of other nations; in destroying their constitution and
all tie 6eences of liberty; ia converting free govern
mert into despoism in demonstrating that they arc
unworthy Of freedom, because Incapable of maintaining
~ and IA convincing the people by whom they desired
most OF all TO DO thought hsroic aud martial that the
military is not their line" These the results Of
The war SO far; and this whs NO conceive to bs "the
situation"