The New York herald., 1862-02-05
The BIunders or the Rebellion and the
Consequences.

Hberate survey of our Southern rebellion, says
that the responsible parties in its management
have made at least eight great blunders, and
thus enumerates them
/ In firing upon Fort Sumter.
2 In believing there would be divided North and an
apalhetic federal government.
g. In believing that they would have the hearty SYM
IN believing that the bonds OF their confedsracy
would readily be taken in Europe.
o. In believing that the military power OF the North
would Do directed in crusade against slavery rather
than employed for the overthrow of treason and the es
taDlishment OF the Union and the constitution.
g. In believing that Northern courage and physique
were no match for Southern that in battle one South
7. In believing that the flag Of the cotton oligarchy
would wave above the Capitol at Washington, and the
roll of slaves be called on Bunker Hill.
g. In believing that the fanciod 0mnpoence Of cotton
would dominate the commerce OF the world
The intelligent reader cannot fail to recog-
Mise this budget of blunders as very well put
by our Southern contemporary. The firing upon
Fort Sumter, however, though great blum
der on the part of the rebels, was with them a
desperate necessity. They wanted Virginia,
Maryland. North Carolina, Tennessee, Ken
lucky and Missouri, and all these States were
believed to be holding back only because of
the manifest inclinations of the Virginia State
Convention, then in session, to adhere to the
Union. The bombardment of Sumter was thus
resolved upon in order to coerce that Union
State Convention of Virginia into an act of
secession, and the experiment gave the seces:
sion mob of Richmond the occasion they wanted
for terrifying the Convention into secret
secession ordinance.
This ordinance was passed in secret, and kept
a secret for some time, in order to steal march
upon Norfolk, the Navy Yard and the dozen
ships-of-war, and the immense stores of artil-
lery, ammunition and other warlike materials
then at that place; and in order if possible, to
capture Fortress Monroe and the arsenal Of
small arms at Harper's Ferry; and in order to
arm from that arsenal an organized band of
rebels assigned to the grand enterprise of the
seizure of Washington. These schemes, though
secretly attempted, were only partially sue
cessful. The conspirators entered Harper's
Ferry to find its great arsenal in flames. Thus
despoiled of their expected supply of arms,
they had to postpone their midnight descent
upon Washington to more convenient season.
They surrounded Norfolk to find its ship
houses, officers quarters and our feet in the
harbor on fire. They made some reconnois-
sances of Fortress Monroe, which satisfied
them that they had come too late. But with
the signal from Sumter Virginia was dragged
overheard into the Dismal Swamp of seces-
sion, and North Carolina and Tennessee were
carried down with her; and from the schemes
just recited and the events of last April the
Jov ri nJar hov~y In
capped without the loss of our national capital.
With little more energy and celebrity on the
part of the rebels in carrying out their schemes
connected with the Sumter bombardment, they
might have added Maryland and Washington to
their acquisitions, and then their Southern con-
Their plans were feasible, although they were
stupendous; but their first great blunder in every
stage of this programme was that they were
too slow, and hence they were always a little
toe late in their movements.
Their bombardment of Sumter instantly en-
lightened them upon the questions of divided
North and an apathetic federal government.
conspirators were discovered too late to be re-
paired; and so, step by step, their props and
supports have been taken away, until nothing
Is left them but the desperate suicidal exre-
dent of burning themselves out of house and
home in order to drive away the encompassing
fleets and armies of the Union. Davis and his
confederates have realized nothing from the
of Europe; Southern Confederate
bonds are worth no more in the money markets
of the world outside of our rebellion than the
promissory notes of an impostor; our abolition
disunionists have failed in their expected aid
to their Southern dsunion allies in their failure
to make this war an abolition crusade against
slavery; Northern courage and skill in the art
of war have been sufficiently tried to satisfy
the rebels of their awful blunder upon this
matter; the city of Washington, which was the
original destination of JEFF. Dayis, has ceased
to enter into his calculations as an object of
this war; and "King Cotton" is in most de-
plorable situation, and his kingdom is in imm-
nent danger of being parcelled out among the
Medes and Persians in other parts Of the world.
never again to be re-established in our
Southern States as commercial monopoly or
as political balance of power.
Well may our religious contemporary of
Richmond pronounce judgment upon tho eight
great blunders of this rebellion; for so they
now stand confessed by the events and develope-
ments of this war; and by the rebel leaders
In their savage instructions to
their women and children to lay waste their
dwellings and their substance by fire, on the ap-
proach of our armies, we recognise only the reck
less ferocity Of gang of pirates preparing to
light the magazine of their ship in order to escape
from the clutches of the law This is the worst
of the whole rebel budget of blunders, the
most foolish and the most impracticable;
and next to it is the absurd idea Of pushing the
war into the heart of our loyal States.
But there is still another great blunder which
the rebel leaders adopted in the outset of this
war which is entitled to especial notice. We
allude to the blunder Of enlisting their soldiers
Gor tho short term of one wear upon the prc-