The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-03-14
.Ths victory Of Man.ssa..v

LSiIoH vi the Jtn,
stThs victory 81 Manassas.
Our peace-l loving and tender hearted
contemporary was out yesterday in another
grand gloriication over McClelan's "yic-
tory at Manassas" The editors joy is
unbounded, and his culogy of that peace.
fui victory flows forth in delightful ecs,acy.
lie Is not satisfied to rejoice over it him.
self, he is worried because our gratifca-
tion does not rise to the height Of his &C.
stacy. And because Of the confession of
the tameness of our admiration, our VEN
cradle neighbor becomes excited, calls us
hard names, denounces us as blood
thirsty enemy of our Southern brethren,
and an instIgator of civil carnage.
"The victory Of Manassas" is rather a
sharp joke on Mcclellan. Labored eulo.
gles Of that victory seem like cutting irony
andopen ridicule. McClellan's struggling
regiments enter the deserted camp of Ma.
nassas aud find dead horses, pack saddles
and wooden guns, with otter indications
that the enemy had evacuated fortnight
before. This is "the victory of Manas-
sas." about which ur contemporary has
pumped up SO much enthusiasm and upon
which he has expended so much eulogis-
tic ink. Why, to our notion the band Of
Esquimaux who discovered the bleaching
bones of Sir John Franklin's party, with
the weather and time -soiled relies Of their
household and wardrobe, might Just as
well have claimed victory over them, as
for the troops of Met lellan to claim athe
victory of Manassas.
We confess We do not appreciate such
bloodless victories they do not excite us !;
they do not thrill our hearts and FIJI us
with such patriotic fervor Of pride and
admiration az we felt over DoneIson, Pea
Ridge and other scenes where our brave
troops met the enemy and conquered them
In battle. Those were victories that COM
mon people like US can appreciate; but we
cant get up our enthusiasm to glorify
"the victory Of Manassas" or the "victory
OF Columbus when our troops did not
get even distant view of the enemy.
We rejoiced at the open attack made
by the rebels on Sumter, and our very
candid and sweet tempered neighbor
seeks to adduce that as evidence that we
are much worse than our "Soutbern
brethren We did rejoice. md We do
continue to rejoice over that event. The
rebels had achieved many peaceful victor.
les oyer US They had captured our forts,
robbed our arsenals, seized our ports,
ships, custom houses, minis, aud wLatev.
er else was valuable, had discarded on,
Constitution, inaugurated traitor Con.
iederacy, and defed the Government 81
The leaders Of the Northern Domocrac,
here and elsewhere denounced the idea q
coercion and threatened the Govern
nent with fire in the rear il il vas .t
tempted. 1t seemed that our ploriou
Government and this glorious Union va
about falling to pieces and perishipp h,
disintesration and the corruption Of party
The only hope was an act of open host;]
ity, Of insult and outrage to our A.e-th,
hope was realized at Sumter. The m...e
Of the people Of the North, in spite Z
their leaders, rushed to the defence az tn
country and their leggsssra leaders ~el
drawn, reluctantly, TO follow their exam
pie.
Il was our confidence in such resu
that prompted the outburst Of our 10
over the booming guns Of Sumter. Tn
result justified our joy, and We still re
joice.
Il will be recollected that Judge Claa
- had some trouble last summer vii
~ Maheney leaders Of the State, and Ii