Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-06-20
ESQ UIREPS CORRESPO NLkNGE

EEQUIRELrS CORRESPONUENGk.
For the Enquirer
Thcughts Rs they Occur.
|, is true saying that mcn live fast in re-
volutions. When tho waters are out, the
highways broken up, and the land marks Of
tho past cease to BIZ guide, mur, with the
| helm IF reason lost, drift about like walls upon
the unchangiDg currents OF circumstances
In periods Of grea. public calamity and nation
al trial, there is q proneness IN human nature
to praise without discrimination, to judge
| without wisdom, to condemn without justice,
and make actual and positive SUCCESS the only
test of merit This disposition, under an ex-
treme pressure, often amounts to adsease, and
men in the pursuit u some one who can show
them ally Immediate good, will often give their
assent TO views aud opinions which, IN tho
calm eye OF reason, are no moro entitled To
consideration than the sickly phaatoms Of a
diving brain. How should this levercd state OF
the public mind bc dealt with BY Inoso who
have it greatly in their pawcr TO make it moro
| healthy, or to devclope lhe incipenL evils Of
natural discomfort under suffering and trial,
into fatal and inGursb!e lnalady? Should
the peopls at this tune be drugged with the
executing stin,ulanig OF discomfort until they
become more restless and inpatient under their
trials? Or should every effort be made 10 in
] spre them with that noble iuTtlludu which can
| look On storms and mol bu shaken, and thus
prepare them TO exert that resistles5 strength
which ma ileSls itself not BY spssnodic move
,nents, but by The stout bearing OF BURDENS
| No man who keeps his eyes and ears open will
| ask why such questions as the above are pro
pounded because he will know that they force
themselves most painfully upon every thought
| full mind; because msny views have been pro-
mulged, and many opinions are IN circulation
having a tendency 10 paGalyae. tho GUVofn-
ment and impair The efficiency Of our hobe
army by Weakening it's confidence In The skill
and sbllity Of the generals, who have been
| called 10 its mmaad III this solemn h0nr VI
our country's history.
Has any such result, IS thai Just above indi
Gated been accomplished? | ANSWER, most un>
hesilstingly, thai VIC have every right TO think
| so. how can II he otilcl WISE, WHOM you nave
| only 10 20 iuto tho army, amongst tic u,en III
| the ranks, to hear curses hesped upon West
Point and the spade. True, in all this, there
is no direct charge Of untitness brought against
the commanding General, whoever he may be,
but what is thu inference? Ii it not, st least,
that some ore elae ought to be in command
| that could do better. Some one that could
either pr event the Yankee army from entronch
| ing itself or storm it out Of the entertainments
after they were completed, in spite Of bristling
bayonets and frownlng cannon? Things very
easy to be done on paper, although no one has
vet enlightened tho country as 10 the manner
IN which an army, superior in numbers and
equipment, to the army by which 1t is opposed,
can DO prevented from throwing up sntrench
ments. Ii tho convention OF tho rats, hold
for The purpose Of getting rid Of tho cat, tho
only objection to tho proposition Of "hell!nE
the cat" was, that nobody could be f5iind to
do it; but that was sufficient. | challenge
those who advocate either oil the plans above
alluded TO, of disposing OF the Yankee army,
to show one instance, IL all the military his
tory Of the past, which recommends this plan
to favorable consideration OF any man hav.
ing competent thinking faculty. And yot,
this is the task, this is the obligation under
which some persons would lay our Generals,
and make them responsible to the country for
any failure to come up to such unreasonable
expectations. Now, is this just, is it right, 10
it fair, either to the General who is compro-
missed cabined, cribbed, confined in his move
men,s, and impaired in his usefulness, or to
the people, who arc deceived into hoping,
believing and looking for the accomp lishment
Of great improbabilty.
True, should m opportunity occur to strike
! the enemy heavy blow before DO has en-.
trenched himself too strongly, or if bis en-
trenched camp could be forced without too
great sacrifice Of life, it would be consuE.
nation devoutly to DO wished. But the prac-
ticabilty Of such operations must be lett either
to the Judgment of our commanders or to
scribblers and babblers, who are most assured
of what they are most ignorant, and some Of
whom, from the very beginning of the war up
to the present moment have most strenuously
insisted upon measures and movements OF
transparent aEsurdity, and thrown not little
undeserved odium upon the government for tie
failure to do impossibilities, to give reality to
the absurd yagaries and wild creations that
spring from muddled brains, wanting the power
of consecutive thought, and without the ability
to grasp any great question, with all its intii.
mite complexities of circumstance and eViron-
ment. 1t would seem that the only light emit.
ted by some minds, Is the light that leads
astray, and this must necessarily be the case
with all those who either view things through
the distorted mcda of prejudice and PROPOSES.
sion, or who, seeing only part, aud sometimes
very small part, yet reason from 1t as
whole.
would not invest our Government or our
Generals with that divinity which hedges
king around" nor would Tree them from tho
salutsry influence OF just, manly and enlight-
ensd criticism, which draws It's conclusions
from the broad promises OF we'll ascertained
facts which laborers to promote the pubic
oon3 hy thu detection and EXPOSURE of errors,
IN order that they may DO avoided for the ia.
turs, and which is so tempered with the spirit
of kindness, Of justice, of wisdom and truth,
that it will not harshly srraign, OF rashly cor.
denim any man without making due allowances
for the circumstances by which he was sur
rounded when called upon TO act. But is this
the sort of criticism upon mon and measures
which has characterized this war? Alas, nc.
What wrung that BAD, almost m6urnful letter
from the hoart Of tina: patriot hero, VINO has
| already sealed his devotion u our cause upon
the bloody Aeld Of Shiloh? Let those answer
that question who spoke OF hiin rs su old Iogy,
digging dirt at Bowling Green, ~hen ho should
hnvo been malcning Oh Louisville; who con-
sured him without cause, who condemned
him in utter ignorance of facts indispensaolY
necessary TO the formation Of any Intelligent
opinion in regard to ms setions.
For the present, | will cease jotting down
these thoughts ss they Occur, by declaring
that what hs7e now said, or may say hereafter,
| will bs 'luOre in SORROW than il anger" |
would say nothing, but for the fear that things
may 20 on, until the affections of the people are
divorced from tho Government, and the conf.
dencs of the army in our Generals impsired
almost to the point Of Generalization