Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-08-08

The woods musical again
And from the hillside springlug,
Down comes the torrent singing
With grateful nature in accord
A full-voice anthem 10 the Lord
To thank Hm for the ram
The state OF the NsIiOn-The Government
md tle People,
From the New York Timesl
/ In spite of all well-meant endeavors to con-
! ceal the fact, profound gloom has settled upon
the public mind in regard to the conduct and
prosnects of the pending war. The great mass
! of the people are discouraged and disheartened,
and the reason Of it is, that they have lost faith
! in everything and everybody except their own
| exhaustless resources and their own lndomtable
/ rurpose TO crush the rebellion and preserve the
! life and unity Of the nation. They have poured
out their treasures and blood like water; and
they do not see the fruits they were promised for
4 such sacrifices. They have given their conf
dence without stint to the men who welded the
vesnons they had placed in their hands, and
! they DO not find that confidence justified by sue
/ cess. They have waited patiently week after
week, month after month, through the slow
revolving seasons of whole year, for victories,
| brilliant and decisive, promised them from day
! to day and though every home mourns its dead
and every heart grieves for friends who will
return no more forever, the victories are yet
| DELAYED and seem indeed further off than when
! the war began.
One after another too the men on whom they
had built their hopes have failed them They
know not whom 10 trust, or on whom they can
rely, TO carry the nation forward to that crown
ing triumph which they know is its right and its
due Their faith in all their leaders has been
sadly shaken. And until that faith can be re-
stored by the achievement or the promise of some
renewed success, we must struggle against pop
UlsT dependency, and be prepared for the vast
brood Of perils real and imaginary, which move
in its train For a year now the nation has
leaned on Mcclellan and the splendid army
which was placed st his disposal, and which he
has moulded into the most formidable force ever
organized on this continent. But is idle to dis
guise the fact that their faith il him has been
shaken to its foundations by his failure TO ac-
cOmplish with that army single one Of the re-
suits which it was adequate to schieve. 1t might
have taken Mansssss,-it ought TO have beaten
the rebel army at YoTkt0wn,-its leader promised
with it to capture Richmond. Il failed at every
point, and while it has been growing weaker,
the force i! was fighting has been growing
stronger, day by day.
These things shake and undermine the public
faith on which must always rest the public
strength. Nor does il avail in the least to shift
the b.ame for this state of things from one man
to another Much may be done in this way 10
relieve individuals from theresponsibi!ity Of spe
cihc 8c.s-but nothing to regain public C5ui-
dence for tho government which permits such
disasters TO occur. 1t is alleged, on behalf of
the President and his advisers, that Mcclellan
has had the sole direction of his own movements
that he has selected his own line of operations
that he has had men enough and time enough
to accomplish everything which he was assigned
to do, and yet he has accomplished nothing
On the other hand, it is claimed for him that he
has not been allowed the means promised for the
execution of his plans, but that at the decisive
moment the forces have been withheld upon
which lie had relied. When he went to the Pen
insuls for an advance upon Yorktown and
Richmond, an essential feature of his plan was,
that Mcdowell, with his corps, should follow
him. ascend the York river, take Gloucester in
the rear, and turn the enemy's flank at York.
town after Lo had landed at Fortress Monroe,
he learned that Mcdowell would not be permit
ted 30 move. Either be should not have been
sent on that errand, or he should have been al
lowed all the means he deemed essential 70 its
performance. So at Richmond
ID is asserted on bis behalf that zen days be
fore the final catastrophe, he informed the Presi-
dent that his left wing was strong enough tor
an advance upon Richmond-but that be had
rot force to cover his right and protect his line
Of communications, and begging that men
enough r-ight be sent at once to render that ser
vice. The President replied thst Mcdowell
should come to him overland Mcclellan re-
Joined that he could not reach him thus IN time
to be of any use-that be would have rivers to
cross, bridges TO build, long transportation
trains to bring up; that he was ready for an ad-
vance and could move within week if Me-
Dowell could be sent by water, and thus arrive
in time to guard the rear. To this it is alleged
the President made no reply, until five or six
days after, when he informed Mcclellan that
1000 men had Just been sent from Richmond
TO reinforce Jackson, and that this was equiva-
lent to sending him reintorcements to the same
amount. These $4,000 did Join jackson, and
thus reinforced, Jackson, with So 600 men, fell
upon our right wing, drove it back forced it
across the Chickahomny, and compelled our
LETT wing also to retreat to save itself from utter
destruction. IF Mcclellan was required TO take
Richmond, il is said on his behalf he should not
thus have been thwarted at the very moment
when he was ready to march.
All this may or may not be valid aud conclu-
sive in defense Of Gen. Mcclellan. But it is
conclusive Of incapacty somewhere for the con
duct Of the war, IN which the honor and the life
Of the nation are involved. If that incapacity
is wits Mcclellan, why is he not replaced by
another manl If it is not with him, where is il
and what ground has the country for hoping
that remedy can be applied at all
For the last ten days it cannot be denied that
the public has been inclined to take the gloomi-
est view of affairs, and to despair of better cOun-
ellis, and more vigorous and successful con-
duet of the war. Not that the public mind has
lost It's elasticity, or the popular heart anything
Of its WcEtcd courage. Let the government
take but single step toward reforming these
felt and acknowledged evils, and the people viii
respond with fresh enthusiasm and renewed
spirit. But when they hear from one side fierce
and reckless denuncistions Of the abolitionlsts,
and from another despairing appeals to the
negro slaves for Yalor to crush the rebellion, and
from the government itself only despondent
complaints Of the embarrassment caused by this
conlendiDg pressure, they may be excused for
fearing that all just and noble leadership is
lacking to the ma ton, and that we are likely to
drift into anarchy Y and ruin through sheer waste
of the energies that seek only some hand and
head competent to WELD them Alright.
a NsHn Murders his Slater and is Hung by
Mob.
From the St Louis Republican, July %
A few days ago mention was made in the Re
publican of the killing Of Miss Emily Hall,