Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-04-10
The Great battle Ia the w~as.

bama, Mississippi and Tennessee That it was COM
plete and glorious victory all feel assured, fer we
have the testimony of the peer IS Beauregard whose
slightest word is a word Of power 10 the Southern peo-
ple whose name seems allied to victory, whose very
presence gives confidence Of success.
But the victory is dearly bought that deprives the
country of the services Of the pure the wse the abe
the steadfast and tried soldier aud patriot, Albert Sid
ney Johnston who FELL leading his to victory =
whose name will go down to the latest posterity allied
With the glorious achievement of the 9th of April 1867
Who in his DEATH gave the Dobest evidence OF the spirit
that had controlled him through e and Who dying as
soldier would wish to die best answered his snarllng
and garrulous detrsctos in Congress and through the
press All honor the christian soldier and gentle
man all honor too the brave whom be lead into
the thckest of the fight, and who With him foremost
fighting fell. Iu many home there is voice of
wall and woman's eye is wet, mans cheek is pale"
1t is true that We have yet heard little of this
great contest which may be called the Manassas OF the
West but we note points oil resemblance between
it and it, glorious predecessor Like Manassas 1t was
fought on Sunday Like Manassas too, it was fought
on our side by Generals Johnston and Beauregard and
as that battle, in this Beauregard was second 10
rank, vet circumstances made him virtually the
mander in much of both battles Would that could
carry out the parallel by adding THAT in this case as IN
that both of cherished leaders were safe and ready
to fight other battles for their country That In the
future in the past could point 10 the HiustriouS
trio,-" Beauregard and the tnco Johnstons " We
must take the bitter with the sweet but it is still bit
| ter.
| The loss of men like these is common loss ard the
great slaughter of leading soldiers leads to the re-
Fiction that our Generals prodga OF their lives,
which belong less them than to their country
and to their army We shudder to think what might
have been the result had Beauregard also have fallen
We know how much lost at the great battle at Pea
Ridge by the death of McCuoch, Mcintosh and Slack.
How it disorgarzed their commands and Wrested VIC
tory out of the very grasp of Van Dorm and Price.
We cannot but believe the statement which asserts that
the enemy have corps of practsed shapshooers armed
with the most accurate weapons with the longest ranges
and fitted with telescope sights, whose vocation 1t Is to
shoot our officers, especially best known Generals.
The disparity between the Generals and other officers
killed on their side and on ours must result either from
great difference of system, from the operations oil
regular organization for the purpose above referred to-
or from both.
No doubt the fighting more stubborn and the
loss much greater both sides than it was at Manas
sas for the army with which the Confederates had to
cope, was even better armed and equipped than that
which poured out from Washington under Mcdowell
while it was iDfaitey superior to that army in organ
cation and discipline, having been drilled and prac!iced
for months seasoned in skrmshes and contests flushed
with recent and numerous successes and made up of
IN oil md of
troops too were tried veterans, but whole they must
have been more newly raised than those of the enemy
but still mostly veterans compared with those. we had
at Manassas. Why, at the time when the battle of Ma
nassas was fought, neither North Carolina Virginia,
Tennessee, nor Arkansas had been more than two
months in the Confederacy, and their regiments all
newly raised.
We are not without fears that General Johnston,
brave and firm and wise man as he was. allowed the
attacks made upon him and the slurs cast upon bis
character and courage to influence too far naturally
sensitive and ardent temperament and that be went into
this battle with desperate determination to do or die,
to risk his fe perhaps too freely and too reckless
y and possibly he did do so, goaded by the stings Of
such wasps FOote and others of the Tennessee dele
cation, who if the truth to be plainly told not
fit to clean the shoes of such man as Albert s. John
gton.
From the later dispatches received this morning, ii
is evident that the defeat was indeed total one, COM
plete rout which cannot be without its influence not
only in military but also in what we may call political
point of view. 1t will have tendency to encourage
the true men Of kentucky and Tennessee to renewed
exerton it will excite hope in those who live in por-
lions that have bad to bend before the storm: 1t will
overawe traitors in those sections that still held by
our forces.
But with the Tennessee River open of course Haleck
and Buell. can bring down heavy reinforcements. il
they had at the battle of Sunday last thrty67e
thousand men, they have Of course abundant resources
to draw upon. This however, only enable them to
make some stand to the retreat of their routed
host, which no doubt the flower of the Western
army of the Federals. Beauregard Bragg Polk and
other Confederate leaders have also ample
within striking distance and will push forward the pur
suit which, being through country friendly to them
and hostile to the Federas will ensure the destruction
or capture of large portion of the defeated forces
the latter, who, il dispersed disorgauized, will find
neither guides nor sympathsers among the people of
Mississippi or South Western Tennessee.
1t is quite probable that trophies in the way of
arms, ammunition artillery and artillery stores, provi
sons and other things, will be found of decided value
and will help to make up for Doneson and some other
No doubt the number of prisoners which have been or
will be made must prove to be enormous. Nearly al
straggers will fall into hands Tennessee is up be-
hind them.
General Grant, the same who SO pompously insisted
at Fort Doaelson, on an immediate and unconditional
surrender" was in command of the Federal forces-
Buel came up after the defeat.
We are informed thai there is now telerranh direct