New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-03-20
Can the Confederate States be Subjugatet
From the London Times. |

rltfuhl inc l.Onuon llmes.i
Now that the war cloud has passed away from
our shores without bursting, we are able to turn
once more with calmness and with clear view to
the contest which is raging in America. One may
judge of the importance of the late crisis by no.
tticng how extraordinary are the events to which
it made us for time Indifferent. The new year
has opened on a spectacle to which only the wars
of Europe in the days of the First Bonaparte can
show parallel Just fifty years ago armies were
mastering for the invasion Of vast and Unknown
Empire. Along line of thousand miles were
massed bodies Of troops taken from nearly all the
populations of Western Europe. From the fogs
Of the Baltic, from the volcanic heat of Southern
Italy, came men, strangers to each other in race,
language and religion, forced by one mighty ge-
Mus to take part 10 the enterprise which was to
make him master of the world. The fate of this
sublime military conception is now one of the
stock examples of moralists. Every preacher or
poetaster can declaim on the folly of the Great
Napoleon; can point out that nation fighting for
its existence can never be subdued; that enormous
armies must break down with their own weight /;
that an advance into oodless, roadless and hos
tile country, must be ultimately fatal to vast
multitude of men who have to bring with them
every necessary of subsistence or transport, and
who I" drag at each remove lengthening chain"
As long as any of US can recollect, the invasion
of Russia has been the wonder OF mankind. Some
have explained it on the theory of judicial blind
ness-some have been content to say that the con-
queror, putfed up by unceasing success. threw
aside those calculations which had led him to his
former victories Some have asserted that luxury
and falling health had enfeebled the powers of his
mind But, at any rate, the present generation
thought it had learnt wisdom from the ruin of the
conuueror of Austerlitz The conditions under
which conquest is possible, or even military sue.
cess advantageous to the victor, seemed to have
been fixed by this great historical event. In the
war of 1854. if Prussia and Austria, and every Flu
ropean Power had joined the Allies, and been will
ing to devote their last man and theiriast ounce OF
silver to the task Of humbng Russia it is perfectly
certain that we should never have thought of
grand invasion of the Russian Empire. As the en-
gineer knows the strength of IRON or the strength
of brick. work, so, from the experiments of 1ht
First Napoleon the military man took it for granted
that the capabilities of the machine called an army
had been fully tested -
A year ago no people would have been more
ready than The Americans to 'acquiesce in thest
conclusions. They had not only the fate Of Napo
leon before their eyes but they might call to mint
the annals of war on their own continent. If the.
have not too completely surrounded the events 0
the Revolution, and of 1872, with mist of fable
they must recognize that their main defence ii
both cases was the extent of their country, b.
which troops were worn out by the very advance
which were the prize OF victory. Yet the hlstor.
of foreign countries and OF their own has beei
without warming for the Northern Americans. al
through the Federal States the people have beel
for months intent upon reproducing the errors Q
George III and Napoleon. From the Atanti
coast to regions far west of the mississippi, sc
ries of armies extends, which is to march south
ward through swamp and forest, over hills an
rivers, to conquer and hold acountry half as larg
as Europe The milityry schemes of the Federali
though discussed in scores Of newspapers, ar
even now unintelligible. The suppositon most fa