Washington telegraph., 1862-02-26

o'Si "S0ui"S oSirCouuVeAcS, aDQ arr0-
CANT vain boastibg which lulled US ali into
sense of security, and put. US at our ease.
1t was not the modest selfsfelianee, OF
earnest people. foreseeipg that the strug-
gle would be. .desperatei and resolved to
conquer or at least to die We have
Committed the great error of belllgerants.
We have despised the enemy, and laughed
at their threats, until, almost plate, we
fad ourselves in their power. In place OF
continued patriotic efforts to increase our
forces, and strengthen, them by material
aid, we have been content with doing too
little. We have been chary of our con.
tributions. We have followed after maui
mon, we older ones, and our youth have
been piping and dancing as meriiy and "a,
carelessly as grasshoppers ou summer
day. We have allowed our chTvalry IL
cool most wonderfully, while We have beer
pluming ourselves on being the "superor
race" and when our wives or sisters d d
some noble self-sacrifeiGg3 aet, wonderin.
''lf such a people C uld. eyer be conquer
ed" The wonderinent has been express
ed again and again even aa sauseans, and
now it is answered: A4Ehe Solution is reu
dered in tones of terror. 21ey MAJ be
Not by force. of arms, but from decay ol
chivalry, and innate love Of ease
II is evident sow, that we have allowed
ourselves to be deceived by our journal
and letter writer's as to the extent of our
preparations, and have found ourselve,
resting on broken reed What became
Of all our so-called magnificent army al
Bowling q cen. All summer they hav,
been foItifying, and collecting their force,
unmolested by the enemy. There were
reports of almost one hundred thousand
being there, and much gas>ing about II .
impregnabiiify of this great ''strategetic'
point. Tennessee rested in perfect secu-
:ity behind this barrier In day, We
are astouuded by the Intelligence that the
place has been abandoned, and our army
fed without striking a BLOW that one
of our greatest Generals is in Nashville
with 10, 600 men. close y pursued by the
enemy, and ou the eve of .aban oning the
capitol to the mercy of the enemy. Where
is our army? What reliance can we have
now on anything? Who. knows that Co.
lumbus also may not be abandoned, and
all of them flying pellmell to Memphis,
1t is not so incredible, as what has alread,
Let US look our fortunes in
the face like men. If we do SO with
modest courage, and quit all our foolish
self-lauda;ion, and silly sneers at an enemy
who have proven their ability by outgen-
eraliug US, we can see where lies our onl,
h0pe-a safe and sure Que STILL Patriot
ism, self-secrlfce, aud manly earnestness
will make amends for the past That has
not died out. 1t lay dormant from sense
of secnrity only As the danger lowers
darker and darker, all the heroism of our
natures will rally TO resist it. The lesson
has been d bitter one, aud will proene
our troubles. But it has opened oureyes,
and we see clearly the work we have to
do. We k now our eLemy for powerful
and wary foe. Let US recognize The fact
that they are lso brave. Let US calculate
truly their ability aud rise to the emer-
gency. E
All this may be done, Withouta particle
Of despair. The first shadow of despair
should be sp urned as treason. No one is
less brave who estimates his true danger
and is ready to meet it. EverJ manly
nature in the South, would ,scorn the idea
that he might live to see her subjugated
province of the hated North. Better
death, than that. to him aud his.
And after all, the enemy cannot stand
such victories often. We have lost posi-
tions truly. They have lost III ki led an'
wounded more than We. At Fishine
Creek, aud at Fort Douelscn, they suffer
ell severely, and their advancing army is
SO much less capable of other efforts, ",
may rally on our own soil. They ar.
every day becoming removed from thei'
base of operations, where provisions ard
recruits become cjnstantly more difficult
Day by day their power Of retaining posi-
ton becomes less. Eseryz step they u.k'
the country will becoane Harder TO pene-
trate. j3ftBL ~'etf
All seems weIf IN the eIisso6Sri line
there our men sustain themselves like a
band uf SpaHaas, ,asd dssh back the tid'
of war, which rolls its Vast waves of thoa
sands towards them Men Of Arkansas.
hasten to their rescue!@ Let us ali be true
to ourselves! all is not losl Nay moth
ing is fost-which- may not be regained,
save the lives of our patriots, who We
been spared the sight OF our humiliation
Rag 1t is rumored here that Columbus
bo ,b,rJono ,nJ 49, ,bora