The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-08-15
From the n. Y Times.
The SituatiOn..A Voice from the West.
THE BEECHES. July. 1859

Suffer me to tell you little unpleasan
truth, for hold that truth is great medi
cine, and the small quantity ofit in the world
is at least negative proof of the enormou
diseases of sin and corruption under whicl
poor human nature labors. Last nights Time
brought me two articles, for which l was boil
glad and panied. These two articles wer,
" Halleck's brief Treatise on War;" and YOU
own editorial On the "Situation of the Coun
try" was glad there was one man in tn,
country who understood the elementary prin
clp.es of war, no matter what the application
may be. There are two great principles O
war, which stand out above all others. These
are: l. Concentration Of forces on single
points. .. Forage on the enemy. Now, we
have done neither. Instead of sending one
great force, eight months ago,to New Orleans
in which case New Orleans would have fallen
a: once, and the whole Mississippi opened last
January, we sent a body to Port Royal and
Florida, and Newbern, inferior points, instead
OF marching, last October, with the noble ar
my of the Potomac, directly On Richmond
which it would have taken in thirty days
the army lost six months in winter and spring
and was then divided anl sent round by the
peninsula. | forbear all comment on the
last operation, for it was contrary to every
principle of the science of war and common
seEse. If it had been successful. it would
have been because the enemy was greatly in
ferior in force or capacity. 1t seems they
were neither.
The second principle, to forage on the en-
my, we violated in equal defiance of war and
OF principle. We treated the rebels as if
they were gentlemen to whom we were very
much indebted for kindness. We had four
millions of black but faithful friends in the
enemy's country, and We were not only refus
ed their assistance, but we 81 urned them from
US, and gave them to the rebels as vast ma
chinery to cultivate their lands, and to make
their bread | ask you, in the name of COM
mon sense, if there ever was greater faulty
than this am not about to say one word
on the negro question. To my mind, it was
settled lorg ago. Human rights are the same
to memo matter by what color or under what
law they may be claimed. If God has given
a human being any rights whatever which he
may justly call his own, it is time we asserted
them. If God really has not given any such
rights, IT is time We ceased to read the Dec
laration of Independence, or make the pre-
tense of Republican Government. But.
you or think about ii; to what
ever end the war may come whatever ma,
:hins-(and let your commercial philosophers
take it and think upon iO-that American
Slavery Is IN dying condition. In very
short historical period it will lie dead and
gone forever. know it is hydra-headed,a ,and
when We have cut off one, another rises. But
you remember the hydra-heads were destroy
ed by fire, and It was Hercules who applied
the lighted brands to the bleeding heads
How awful would be the event, if the HYDRA
of Slavery were destroyed in the same way :,
And are not the fires already lighted, and if
this war is to be continued, do YOU think the
Hercules Of the North will fear to apply the
lighted brands?
The remedies for our military evils are
plain. Concentrate the vast forces of the
government on points where they can be "a
vailable. If Richmond be such point, why
take it. This can be done at once, if forces
are concentrated on one line of attack. Next
forage on the enemy,including not only corn
cotton, and lands, but negroes. A negro Ia
ken from plantation counts two. lie is ia.
ken from the enemy and added to us-.just as
any white man, taken from rebel plantation
and put in our army would be. But there is
another principle, almost as important as the
other. Leare no enemy tehind. Let all the
leading citizens of the rebel States within
our lines be sworn to allegiance, or eriled.-
The last is best for US, because it drives thu
scoundrels before us till they are driven from
the continent.
now come to your editorial. You speal
of the desponding tone of the North. | an
sorry for it, because in the first place, tho
it unreasonable, and secondly, because We il
the West do not sympathize with it. 1t i
unreasonable, because going back one yea
We find the actual rebel territory not NOR
Man one half nor uhat it mas then. We flint
New Orleans, which commands the delta G
the Mississippi in our hands. We find Nash
vile and Memphis, the only commercia
towns of the Southwest, in our hands, an
exporting cotton to as in large quantities.
is true, you hear of Morgan raid in ker
lucky, where he knew every by-path. But,
was only horse-steaing expedition, and ha
no more consequence in the war than tn
capture of Bailie Nicol Jarvie by Rob Roy
wife, had on the government of Eng land.
had 10 effect in the West, except here an
there, on some city burgher. Your alarm,
such you ha,e,is unreasonable, in view of II
actual facts. But there is one point in whit
we may sympathize with you-the ram {
leadership; mean in the army. From Il
moment Mcclellan took command, nothir
was done. At length-I think on the 20
eEahxnarr-Ir Lincoln took command Il