Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-02-18
THE USE OF

IRON the New Orleans PlcayuneJ
In the economy Of Providence apparent evil
sometimes becomes the prolific source Of good.
The storms which scatter wrecks upon the coast
may clear a stagnant air Of deleteriuus vapors.
ami restore a lie-giving energy to the poDuls-
ticn of a whole district. IN the moral world
cs.amity is often the discipline by which soul is
braced TO the work Of duty, and taught the true
road to happiness. So in every just csuse, true
faith and u~nshTinking courage will make disas-
ter Itself the means Of making a way TO victory.
The Confederate cause has had its rsverses.
The affairs Of Fishing Creek end Fort Henry.
and Roanoke Island, have come one after an
oth6-, to startie Us with news of Federal sue
cesses. Unused TO any sort # repulse, these
gsvea greater shock, by the mere fact ofsurprise.
We had begun TO think ourselves beyond the
reach of the chances Of fortune, md that we had
only to wait under arms, aud the strength Of our
enemies would waste away Of itself We thought
so much Of the proved and undoubted SUPERIOR
ty of the southern soldier, of the desperate con-
ditiOn Of northern finances, and the 1uctuating
prospects Of foreign inteTpcsitiOn, to distract
the councils and break Up the plans of our
enemy, that We omitted to consider that all
these things combined, demanded Of him. in
the very desperation of his affairs, to use his SUI
p~eTiOrity Of numbers as soon as he could, and
strike for victory, or the prestige ofyictory, where
rNNA As CeNAAA EA1NNha@Ae AA9 Z AaLa VA al AanEA AN
force. Again and again ne has repeated this
effort with a partial success, which he exagger-
ates into a pTesage Of final triumph. But the
shock of surprise is over, and with it disappears
the indolenee with which we have looked on the
huge preparations Of our enemy, for this final
and gigantic attempt at impossible s~ubiugation.
The visible presence of danger is before them,
to rouse the hearts of the people from overween-
ing confidence TO the needs and duties of a great
emergency, to the browning strife, in which a
few casual defeats may be gloriously redeemed.
by one great victory, or the enemy bafled and
discounted by such universal, continued and in
creased resistance at all points, that his huge
armaments may melt away, of their own over
and disorganizing hight.
There is no thought in the South that the
North can, even by any amount Of force or for
tune, ever accomplish it's purpose OF recovering
and holding these States. There is but one
question entertained among them, and that is,
whether their independence shall be secured and
peace finally won, by the successful defense
against the invading forces which are CLOSING |
US, OF whether both may be protracted bV |
the feebleness Of defense, allowing the enemy !
suck a hold among US that it may require long |
and costly struggles hereafter to expel them.
The choice between these is, we firmly believe, |
in the hands of the South. It can, by one unan-
rising, by putting its whole strength and
It's whole heart, its physical force and its means,
the field, so defeat the plans of the invaders
they will be compelled to retire ignomious-
y, and find a crumbling government at home.
They have the means and the courage, and all
me promptings which can inspire men to do and
all and the sounds or ardor, preparation
aud determination which comes to us from all
quarters, assure us that out Of the transient sue
,esses Of our enemy, g spirit has risen which
will compel the North TO accomplish its own pre-
fiction, and make this a short war"-a war
which viii leave the South liberated, and the
North undone.