The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1862-02-26
Humorous and Racy. =, ~~&.
The tedious and dry proceedinksoe ~

gress were relieved, some twc or d.
weeks ag., by pithy speech from sea..
Cox, Member of Congress from Ohio. TN
remarks were called out BY speech Of his
colleague, Rev. John \. Gurley, noted fos
abuse Of The military departments o. the
government and the army. Considering
injustice had been done, Hon. Sam. Cox
replied in defense, and in that defense We
extract his humorous charge upon the ro-
viewer Of Mcclellan: --arrg5 .aE. amn a}
Since my colleague has hurled the slovs
at Mcclellan, have right TO examine his
claims as a critic. lie admits to being ae
Bull Run. His mastery activity on tho
retreat he admits. How that retreat waa
effected | only know from runlor. / have
seen it rrported-and perhaps it is apoch.
| ryphal as some Of the facts upon which my
colleague arraigns General McClellan--thss
| my colleague, after. his latiguing race to
Centrevillc, and having passed that point
with the speed Of Gilpin-and not having
the benefit of a carriage like thee Congress-.
men who kicked out Of it the cowardly aud
tired soldiers beslnutched with their cart.s
ridges in battle-was careerng along like
the devil [laughter] in Milton where he il
described as flying "%@ra ..+- T. E5e.
'O'er bog or steep. through strait, rough dense, -
With head, hands, wings, fee. pursues his way,
And swims, sinks, or wade, or cre.ps, or Arss"-
until luckily he mct-what think you, noble
Representatives Pa herd of stampeded cat.
tic, who were from my own beloved dis.
trict-Texas cattle, sir, wintered ias tl.o j
Scio:a valley, and selected by their keeper
for their s'ampcting propensity IlaughtrrL
when, sezing upon the extreme rear Of
noble OK he was borne from the field, hold.
ing on with vigorous prehcnson to the tail
of the ani'Eh Great laughtcr). ...... ..
was about to commend this strategy to
my colleague; for this quick sense Of its
commissary advantages. deprccatc this
drawing on that or any experience at Bull
Run to read the gifted Mcclellan and this
Congress homily on military affairs Tho
ancient warriors rode in their scrthc,l chafs
lots the warriors on the South American
pampas dash off with their lasso on horse.
back and the ancient Genmans went into
battle as our Indians do with terrific yell.;,
and in painted horrors the cour,Iy knight
dashed into the tourney with iron clad ar.
NOR and yizer down. Various as hu,naa
ingenuity are the modes of human warfare,
both in advance and retreat but never,
sir, in the accounts Of Xenophon or Mar.
shal Sake; from the time of Joshua to Gen.
Taylor; in the contests Of Achilles or Gar. q
i5aldi, have we SO unique performance as
this suppoSitious race Of my constituens
and my colleague on the fields from Bull
Run. Laughter Does he claim that
this, if true, would make him military
expert?
But my colleague was undaunted. AS
soon as Bull Run was over, and Congress
adjourned, the telegraph thrilled both in
wire and pole to bear the tidings west, that
Colonel Gurley, Of Ohio" was about to
assume the post Of aid to General Fremont.
Fremont was then in the ascendant. Be
fore him lay what seemed to be the er..
chanted chambers Of power. lie had thn 4
magic lamp, which made gold as c'm'not..
as pebbles, and my colleague Iastenc@
his side. Some men smiled. They Thought
it strange that a minister should forget tho
heatitudes OF the Sermon OIL the Mount for
the diSqniet,idcs Of Il Missouri CAMP
Laughter. They thought that the atflu.
ent experience Of Bull Run was not Of that
kind to excite confidence in the new field
of Mars to which the patriotism of my col.
league hurried him. But |. sir, knew my
colleague better. admired Ills patriotism.
thought Of Peter tie Hermit. Laugh.
teri. saw in his hard the crozcr and
the sword, aud Bull Run did not obscure
the sign IN the >ky-M hoe siyno rinces!
had read in Ivanhoc OF the pries,ly knight
of Malta and knew that this new ''son
Of Malta laughter could carve out
such reputation that the mise of history
would proudly stoop from her ParnaSsian
seat to say: "Let it be 50 recorded"-
Laughterl. But, sir, disappointment fol.
lowed close on expectation. A week.
perhaps two, Or thrcc--and Fremont lost
his magic lamp. lie wanci under the con.
Suming lens of Blair'S rhetoric. Laugh.
teri. Hts illstared fate was perceived. by
my colleague.
At this critical juncture the only paral.
lei | can find for my colleague is the de.
scription which is given Of Jobs war
horse: "Canst thou make him afraid as .
grasshopper? The glory Of his nos,ris is
terrible He paweth in the valley and re.
joiceth in his strength. He swallowed the
ground with fierceness and rage; neither b..
lieveth he that it is the sound Of the trum.
pet. Tie saith among the trumpets, ha
ha and he smelL.M the battle ati1r nf:."--.
Great laughter The parallel fails only
in one regard While the war horse Of
Job was advancing, that Of my colleague q
was retrcatins. Leaving his campaign in
Missouri! unfinished, he few from Fremont
to Ohio, with the certainty, celebrity and
security" of star bid in the Post Office
Department. Laughterl. r.s r.
What he learned in his bloodlcss cam.
pagn in Missouri; how much he saw OF tho
catue OF the Notifications around St. Louis
in cash, mean what estimate he madc
of the strength of the Fremont tord what
martial achievements he witnessed in the
ante chamber Of the short lived We stern sa.
trap, hc did not, and We cannot, tell. One
thing he corrccts to-day, and we must dc.
duct that from his military life, that he was =
not at the battle Of Feredercktowh, though
| understood him to say yesterday he Was
there. But has my colleague any actual q
experience? Has he ever killed any one,
Did he ever See man killed III battlcs
Did he ever hear the whiz of deadly lead:
Was his heart brave and his face unblanch. q
ed? My colleague quoted that fight 10
show that battle could be fought aud won
without McClelan's order, and in spite Of
orders. Tint was his point, II any. Now
| happen to know that there was nothing
in General NJ Clcllan's orders to forbid that
on Frcd,ricktown. As | un.
derstood the case, it was fought 10y Colonel
Ross, who was sent hv General Grant. #
Cairo, TO follow after JEFF Thompson. Ho
overlook him unexpect, d'y and f'rg twe'i
General Grant approved and compiimented
his action. .. ... ...
wish that my colleague would cultivate
some faith in General Mcclellan. He is
'nini..er of the Gospel, and is full Of faith
in the .alva,'on Of all men. ] glory In &C.
cordins to him the fullest ''soul liberty" in