Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-02-09

he so.f ol ycsrn and the mQYement ot mil-l
iou1 Il ANYTHING mogn thar . little derange'
,,eri az the polIticaI machines which VIII regu-.
Me tlself by some political compensatlon, or
,nn,e ACT Of revengciul cpniiBcaiion; wneps ~
IruIb. Il can hardly be corrected without pfeak'
~, sbe machine, or at least retardiDg its mo-
',sn IA Ia 40 etupeudous, sir, that IL can only
ns likened 10 the ocean, which Lifts itself up
noSsr datkened sky and rolling thunder, ana
resIsta the exercise Of anything shors! OF Su-
nreme mower with an elemental force tnat de-
fieu ali the little expGdients OF carping man.
These complaints about the war are geltlpg
aa common in the press and the House as .hey
we're before they produced the Bull Run dlsas-
Ter. few OF these impatient people tnen
learned lesson from their incautions imPui-
siyeness; but here we have 1t again. lney pe-
Iopp to that class of skeptios who take every
thing incomprehensible to their feeble sisus as
unknown and non-exlstent. They cannot seq
Mcclellan doing anything; therefore no oosS
nothing They are not partners In nis conn.
deDce; therefore he does wrong ne mas nos
rushed about In wild theatrical style; therefore
be is unfit He has no retlnue, no iaceu anu
pilded supernumeraries, no blast OF trumpet
3 nd hoom Of guns, to announce himself here
and there. He does not dress his child up ike
the Young Prince Imperial in the Tuilleries;
therefore he lacks the esprit He has no elan,
no dash. no pIumed nonsense; therefore the
public faith 10 him mus. be sapped. MOST Oh
ali, he regsrds this as great war for the union
and Constitution, for the salvation OF the white
mans free Government of America; and be-
cause he does not play General Phelps In proc
lamatious, or Fremont In deeds OF manumis-
sion, be is abused and maligned
Who are those that thus question McCleilah
ability7 Did they see and understand his mas.
ter strategy in Western Virgins, the fame u
which is the pride Of the western sodieryf 10
they know the calm confidence and meritorions
patience with which he now puraues bis schemes
by sea and land, by river and road, grouping
whole sections 10 his comprehensive comoina
tons of etrategy, and striving, without irrltat-
ing and incopseauential skirmishiDg, to end the
war BY "a sharp, though il may be desperate
siruprle." aud thus restore the UDion1 he
has pledged himself to the President that u be
live, and be allowed to carry out 10 action what
he has matured in design, that we shall soon
see our Aag triumphant and the rebellion crush
ed.
These ready military critics have not even the
militia training, which was so important years
ago, to make them experts
A former colleague Of ours, in the days oil
1910, when the campaigns OF General Harrison
were discussed by a brigadiergeneTal OF the
Michigan militia, with grotesque humor heid
up to the ridicule Of the American Congress
the peculiar military studies by which the mem
ber from Michigan was fitted TO the subtle Grill
cisms on strategy, and the careful reviews OF
battles He ventured TO believe that the mill
tia general might have studied the tltle-page OF
Baron Steuben enough to know that the rear rank
stands right behind the 'front.' Laughter. i
Besides, the critic on that occasion had the tor.
tune TO have been in the tolls priyatiOns, saeFi-
fees, and bloody scenes through which militia
officer in time OF peace was sure 10 pass. lt is
long since i read that graphic picture OF q muster
day in the West, touched by the tints OF Cor
wins iacile humor The troops in motion! the
coru-stalks, umbrellas, hoe and Ak handles, and
other ike deadly implements Of war overshad-
owing all the field, when 10! the leader OF the
host approaches! Far off his coming shines
need not describe bis horse, the rising clond,
the rain, she retreat, the remorseless Jury with
which the water-melons are Slaughtered, and
the whisky drank in neighboring grocery -
GLaughler.l If with such experiences the
member from Michigan was regarded then as
the prince OF military critics, what shall We Say
now of the member from Ohio, whose gentle
life has be,n passed in the green pastures by
the still waters OF peace, and whose every pros
pecs was the millennium, in which the lion and
the lamb shall lie down together, and the little
child shall lead them.
/. Oh! how it jars to hear the voice 80 often
raised in benedIction and prayer, and tuned to
the sweet accents of love and mercy,
stsplitting with tremendous sounds aSunder,
With gon drum, trumpet, blunde rbuss and thunder"
Here the hammer fell, Mr.. Cox's hour hay
ing expired. Leave was granted him to print
the remainder
If militia general was so well fitted for the
task of criticism on war, JortiOTi, what heed
shall we not pay to my reverend colleague,
whose only experience has been that OF Bull
Run retreat7 Such critics ought at least to
know spear from pruning.hook, or sword
from ploWshare IL is doubtful If they can
tell an ambulance from q csisson. They could
not bite cartridge without biting their tongue.
The only fuse they know is political fusion;
they can deploy around convention or caucus,
and fire political thunder from the batteries Of
q demAgogue, masked with the negro II they
fred gun and should hit, they would do Is, as
did Wlnkle, when he killed the rook--he shut
bis eyes and blszed away in timid despaiE
My colleague Is one OF those whose politics
and prayers hsve ever been to be delivered from
the men of war. In times past he has thought
more Of Saint Peter than of saltpeter. When
he Mexican war was declared, the class to
which he belongs echoed Summers "true gran.
ieur of nations," when he said "theFe was no
war which was not dishonorable, and no peace
which was not honorable" They sang the
lronical Yankee slang Of Hosea Bigelow TO
the recruiting sergeant OF Colonel Caleb Cush-