The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1862-03-05
4 Candid Statement Of Facts.


ted to bring about the present state Of affairs. Hi
pro tenn. editor, whoever he may be, wields an able
pen and displays more real military taentand foresight
than any other writer in Louisiana lie says:
eve know very well that men remote from The
scenes of war and whose education has been Of
military character in the least degree, caunot, with
out presumption, arraign the conduct Of those whose
lives have been devoted to such matters and whose
presence on the field OF action, makes them better
judges of what they have do and what necessary to
doll with
But while conceding the truth Of this, an abstract
proposition, yet we do not altogether decline to &C
cept the opinion of civilians, who men of good
sense, on the subject merely because they are civil
ans and have not had the advantage of personal
tact with the facts they are called grappe with.
"There are two facts which have been prominently
presented the public, by the press, exponent
of public opinion the truth of which every days eX-
perieuce establishes, and this popular opinion does not
appear to be the less worthy Of notice. simply because
it does not appear to have received such consideration
from our military to induce them to adopt it..
These two facts are our acknowledged inleriorty in
lumber OF troops for land service and deficiency
of boats for river service. They who at the head
of affairs seem to have resolved with how small
means they could beat back the advancing foe; rely
on that disparity Of force which has 50 often success
fully carried u through the encounters Of last year
to trust to projecting Providence to avert the natural
consequences OF insufficient forces believe that the
superior lighting qualities Of all occasions
and al all times, made them equal tc three or four
times the number of their foes. The experience and
changed fortune of The battles Of this year go very
far to prove at all these ideas are decisions, weak
supports and threaten to bring about future catastro
yhes wh the successes OF last year cannot compen-
safe. f.e sense Of the whole community is that we
have uo sufficient in the field, and have no means
whateg3r to repeI the fleets Of the enemy, notwith-
standing our government has not thought proper to
cuI single additional regiment to the field Or build
single gunboat for service This may W said to Be
an ex operation Of fact and so it is perhaps literally
speaking, but still is substantially true and is ustGa
bic statement. We do uotknow of any call tor more
troops made by the general government nor Of one
boat they have built from the keel for home service
The only navy they have, or is the remnant and
charfed remains Of the federal ships Portsmouth, If
we except the Nashville and Sumter in foreign waters
The few gunboats that have so far been supplied we
believe, have been put in commission by the State au
horites, within whose waters they we're intended to
do service. Tennessee Mississippi and Arkansas have
e3ch recently. very rccentIv called for State evies to
resist immediate aggression within their own limits
But there has been no general call no spontaneous de-
mand bv the government or by State common accord
for an increase of the whole army All the efforts in
this way are casual partial and disconnected Our
cpinion and the opinion Of most Of our citizens WHO
have been forced to form one from apprehesions re
ated by recent events are that our whole army IN ev
cry quarter must be largely increased to avoid being
cut uD in detail We all wonder WHY our officers in |
command should so persistentlv withhold their orders
on this subject Unless this policy is immediately and
promptly changed we do not believe il will be pos,bIe
for us to succeed in our reyolationn
1--WE firmly believe The enemy's fleet can easily p3ss
all distractions placed at Columbus with the river
high food Then all the Mississippi coast from that
point down to the dalences at New Orleans and an lis
tributaries including our own river can he visited and
ravaoed without obstruction Of stint Tbis i moi h,1f
"a unlikely n h,r,nan j. yvs tlo I,tn ir,rio ~ I'LL
Tennessee as far h Florence W. ventura "a ~ t
he who wonld have foretold the epcmv,s heats ira.
versiIq the entire breadth Of that State and nnerr
ting to the northern part Of Alabama as has acn,lv
been done would have more readily incurred IN o1i,
ar being fal.e nrophet than IL Via NAN asnao;,l
with The Iight Of this new experiment shopId 9ariI
it rs Dossble or probable that The onamy would H.
able to repeat the experiment in or own ,v.tors yot
such is our conviction of the STRENGTH and canacit 70
resist If the opphoots and tho irspei,,oorp of al
other means 10 resist them other than boats Of CORE
snondng srongth and c,nscitr &c resistance +.c
do not hesitate to express onr bef tbat tbe cnao,v
will mass his boats bepond tba batteries If Co,n,h,s
with an case and exemption from i,irrv that viii s,r
prse those who r3ace anv raI,roo !, tho ;,o,,;li,
of the defences at that pojot That the enemy viii
enjoy the ADVANTAGES Of nanatratino with ai he,rilc
armed boats below the d4Gances IT CoInmhns nrst ~
conceded By every reasonable man Tba ract tbns .d
mitted the next question growing ont Of Ill aot i
what good will it do tbeng Another fact we rust ao
as admitted which none will dao, and tot : +t.++bo
country below rs far as the dafarcas above Ne, a.,
leans is entirely defencaIass VIII to o,er,,
VANTAGE Of Those two tacts IN tbair f,yo,e WIN MI
possess potent irresistible means or attack sn5 offence
and an uninterrpnted chance of usir, those r,oons