The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1862-02-26

an army with one head. He wants many
headed arrangement, with, / suppose. dis,
tracing counsels. Utterly unconscious 0
the absolute necessity o unitv OF movement
by our armies, under one direction, my col
league, to strike at General Mcclellan, woult
change the military system, which has Oh
tained from the time war began or armies
were levied. My colleague has a military
wisdom beyond all human comprehension
Because our Army is large we must, on thi:
logic, dispense with its proper organization
There is the more need of one executive
head 70 50 vast an array as this Army of hal
o million. ai-'.f 80. :. t..,..-.
Ny colleague, in this attack upon the gen.
eral in command, meant to attack also the
President, or he meant nothing, He knew
that the President, was General McClellan's
superior officer; that sll that Mcclellan had
done was approved by the President, lie
was, however, gracious enough to say that
the President would not set up his opinion
! in military matters in antagonism to the gen
eral-in chief; and be, would no doubt, for
this. commend the good sense Of Mr.. Lin
coin, as do. But if the President in thus
acting was sensible, what sort OF sense is il
for member, OF Congress, whose life has
been passed, too, in humping the pulpit
desk, [laughter,] and whose thoughts have
been less upon the eagle and more upon the
dove, to set up his opinion upon the skill and
education Of the general in command? If it
were not bad sense, sir, it would be nom
sense. Why did not my colleague, If his mo.
tive was good, go to the President, and with
his array Of maps, telegraphs, facts Of omis-
sion and commission, lay before the Presi
dent>his military conceptions? Why does
be have them delivered here, before the ma
ton? Was it to display his military erudi
ton? Or was 1t TO crafty what he thinks
was the popular predjudice and impatience,
to which he would administer, regardless Of
consequences? Why did he not go TO GEN
eral Mcclellan and verify his facts before he
used them for the public disservice?
Mr. Chairman, il the gentleman had been
skillul commander or had, like the gem
lleman from New York, Mr.. Roscoe CoNK.
Ling, the humane motive for investigating
the con essed blunder at Balls Bluff, in which
many brave men weie lost, | could tolerate
this misehievous line of debate. a.-, \. e..
But, sir, my colleague compels me to ex
anime into his merits as military critic par
,icularly, and the propriety OF military
movements here in Congress and else
where by civilians My colleague will admit
that he is not military man by education,
nora soldier, like Falslaff, ON instinct =.
Laughter His profession was that Of a
gospcler [Laugh,er,] His studies do not
fit him to discuss martial subjects, We do
go to blaekSmilh's shop to have our watch
repaired, nor 10 Matchmaker to have our
horse shod. We do not go to Carolina for
cheese, Taughterl nor to the Western Re
serve for cotton. can well imagine how
fine scholar, as is my colleague, might, like
Beaumon,'s Elder Brother" sit in his study
and mount. upon the wings Of speculation.
and 2g8i9 s.. sistas 80 rsa,e s'sa ta
a.s7g aI'7u A.,4y Sos 'hourly converse ,,,..
With kings and emperors, and weigh their ceun-
Calling their victories, ii snjustly got, 80 iA1
Unto strict account, and in his fancy 5rl
Defaee their ill.piaced statues" ss 1904
But. sir, criticism on the art of war, to be
valuable now, must be backed by specific
study and experience What has been the
study and experience OF my colleague?
The country was thoroughly disgusted
with the part Congressman played at Bull
Run. Laughter in the galleries 1t may
be remembered with what jocund levity the
House adjourned to 60 over 10 see our army
march upon Richmond. Not one OF US ever
got there, except my friend from New York,
[Mr Ely, [laughtef,l who, made his exile
so conspcuously honorable in the use he
made OF it in behalf of his fellow prisoners.
The House may remember that ! opposed
the adjournment then on the ground that,
by going over the river, we would only get
in the way of the soldiers. 1t turned out
that the soldiers got in the way of the Con.
gressmen. lLaughter. aj hss
i have letter, written by q member OF
this House and published in an Ohio paper,
which details, with graphic accuracy, the
part displayed by truculent Congressman on
that day. / will have it read at the Clerks
table. gga7 qf3ss s8l IS asir37 a-isf r1
The Clerk read, as follows: sal 5ta ept
"Just as the dragons turned back a cry was
raised that the Black Horse, "a formidable body of
the rebel cavalry, (and these were part of them)
were charging upon us, and it seemed as if the
very devil of panic aud cowardice seized every
mortal soldier, officer, citizen and teamster. No
officer tried TO rally the soldiers or do anything
except to spring and run towards Centreyille-
There never was anything like it for causeless,
sheer, absolute, absurd cowardice, or rather pan
ic,' on this miserable earth before! H tffa'If'
"0ff they went, one and all; off down the high
way, over across fields towards the woods, any
where, everywhere, to escape. Whether 1t COM
muncated back to the soldiers still in the woods,
and SO on back TO the regiments who had Just
driven off the rebels, donot know, but think it
did to part Of them for share ofour army seems
to have been demoralized, if not broken up. 81 4
swell, the further they ran the more f1ghten-
cd urayy M al w a IN.
idly as we could the fueitives passed us by scores.
10 enable them better to run, they threw away
their blankets, knapsacks, canteens, and finally
muskets, cartridge-boxes, and everything else,
ave called to tliem tried to tell tb EN- there
was no danger, called them TO STOP, implored
themto stand. We called them towards, de-
nounced them in the most offensive terms, put out
our heavy revolvers and threatened TO shoot
Them but all in vain cruel, crazy, mad, hope-'
less panic possessed them, and communicated to
everybody about. in front and rear The team
sters all tprned their heavy wagons. and lashed
their horses 10 a run, and mixed and mingled
with q crowd Of running footmen, citizens and
horsemen all raising an obscuring cloud ot dust;
aud thus the dust filed the entire highway IA
macadamized turnpikel with a heterogeneous
mass Of flying madmen, intent upon nothing but
to escape. f9+# 4t"s1
"The heat was awful although about six; the
men were exhausted their mouths gaped, their
lips cracked and blackened with the powder of
their eyes starting in frenzy; no mortal ever saw
such mass Of ghastly wretches. ah
t.lswe came on, borne along with the mass,
unable togo ahead or pause, OH draw out of it;aith
the street blocked with flying baggage wagons,
before and Behind, laundering and crashing on
we were every moment exposed to imminent dam
ger of being upset, or crushed. or of breaking
down; and for the irst time on this strange day
felt little sinking in the heart, and doubt wheth
er We could avoid destruction in the immense
throng about US; and nothing but the remarkable
skilof our driver, and the strength of our car
rage and endurance ofoui horses saved u.s., An.
other source of peril beset US AS we paused the
| poor, denehted. exhausted wretchcs who could
not climb into the high, close baggage wagons,
they mnde frantic efforts 10 get on 70 and into our
carriage They grasped it everywhere, and got
on to II, into it, over it, and implored US every
way totake them on. We had to be rough with
them. At first they loaded us down to almost d
stand still and we had to push them OFF and throw
them out Finally, Brown and'I, with pistol
each kept them out although one poor devil got
a Al. -.