Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-02-13


his conclusions about Mcclellan.
There will be, Mr.. Chairman, ompyrics
in medicine, pretenders in religion. pet
tifoggers in law, mushrooms in vegta-
tion, secessionists in Government, snobs
in society. and we must not be surprised
at military wiseacfes in Congress -
Laughter. Since my colleague has
hurled the glove at Mcclellan, have n
right to examine his claims as critic -
He admits to being at Bull Run. His
Mastery activity on the retreat he admits.
How that retreat was effected only know
from rumor. | have seen it reported
and perhaps it is as apochryphal as some
of the facts upon which my colleague
arraigns General McClellan-that my
colleague after the fatiguing race to Cen
treville, and having passed that point
with the speed of Gilphin--and not hav-
ing the benefit of carriage like the
Congressman who kicked out of it the
cowardly and tired soldiers besmutted
with the cartridges in battle--was ca
reering along like the devil (laughter) in
Milton, where he is described as flying
"0'er bog, steep, through strait, rough, dense
With head. hands, wings, or feet pursues his way
And swims, or sinks. or wades, or creeps, or hes"-
until luckily, he met--what think you,
noble representatives?--a herd of STAN
peded cattle, who were from my own be-
loved district--Texas ca tile, sir, wntered
in the Sciota valley, and selected by their
keepers for their stampeding propensity,
daughter, )when seizing upon the extreme
rear Of noble OK, he was born from the
field, holding on with vigorous appre-
hensiou to the tail of the animal (Great
taughter.)
Mr. Cox. 1 will do justice to my col
league, (Mr. Gurley.) l put this as an
apocryphal case which 1 heard as a rum or.
| am glad to do justice to him, and to
the noble OK. my constituent, and to
whom the gentleman should have apollo
gized, it the story were true.
l was about to commend this strategy
Of my colleague F; for his quick sense of
its commissary advantages, l depricate
bis drawing on that or any experience at
Bull Run to read the gifted Mcclellan
and this Congress homily on military
affairs. The ancient worriors rolled in
their scythe charriots; the warriors on the
South American pampas dash off with
their lasso on horseback, the ancient Ger
mans went into battle as our Indians do
with terrific yells and in painted horror;
the courtly knight dashed into the tourney
with iron clad'armor and vizor down.
Various as human ingenuity are the mode
of human warfare, both in advance and
retreat; but never sirs in the accounts oi
Xenophon or Marshal SAKE; from the
time of Joshua to General Taylor; in the
contest of Achilles or Garibaldi, have W,
so unique performance and this suppo
sitious race of my constituent and my
colleague on the fields from Bull Rum
Laughter Docs be claim that this, il
true. would make him a military expert
But my colleague was undaunted. AS
soon as Bull Run was over, and Congress
adjourned, the telegraph thrilled both in
wire and pole to hear the tidings West,
that "Colonel Gurley, Of Ohio" was
about to assume the post OF aid TO General
Fremont. Fremont was then in the as
cendant. Before him lay what seemed
to be the enchanted chambers Of power.
He had the magic lamp, which made gold
as common as the pebbles, and my col
league FASTENED to his side Some men
smiled. They thought it strange that a
minister should forget his beatitudes Of
the Sermon on the Mount for the sesquie-
tudes of Missouri camp. Laughter.
They thought that the affluent experience
of Bull Run was not OF that kind to ex-
cite confidence in the new field OF Mars to
which the patriotism Of my colleague
hurried him. But /, sir, know my col,
league better. admired his patriotism
l thought of Peter the Hermit. Laugh
ter. | saw in his hand the crozier and
the sword, and Bull Run did not obscure
the sign in the sky-in hoc Signo Uinces-
| had read in lvanhoe of the priestly
Knight OF Malta; and / knew that this
''new son of Malta" laughter could
carve out such reputation that the muse
of history would proudly stoop from her
Pernassin seat to say: "Let IL be so re-
corded" Laughter. But, sir, disap-
pointment followed close on expectation.
A week-perhaps two, or thrce--and
Fremont lost his magic lamp. He waned
under the consuming lens of "Blair's
rhetoric" Laughtes. His ill-starred
fate was perceived by my colleague.
AT this critical juncture tho only paral-
lei / can find for my colleague is the
description which IS given of Jobe's war
horse; "Canst thou make him afraid
as grasshopper? The glory Of his nos
trls is terrible. He paweth in the valley,
and reioiceth in his strength. He swal-
lowth the ground with his ferceness and
rage; neither beleyeth he that it is the
saund of the trumpet. He saieth among
the trumpets, ha! hal and he smelleth
battle qar off," Great laughter. The
parallel fails only in one regard. While
the horse of job was advancing, that OF
my colleague was rotreating. Leaving
his campaign in Missouri unfinished, he
flew from fremont to Ohio, with the
Certainty, celerity, and security" of a
star bid in the Post Office Department.
Laughter.]
When he learned in his bloodless cam
paign in missouri /; how much he per-
ceived of the value of the fortifcation
around st. Louis-in cash, mean ;
what estimate he made of the Fremont
horse what martial achievements he
witnessed in the ante-chamber of the
short lived western satrap, he did not and
we can not tell. One thing he corrects
| to-day. and we must deduct that from his