The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1862-07-11
The South Loarns what War Is.

As there Is no lesson 50 impressive as that
derived from personal experience. and as al.
most every rebel in tho Southern States has
recently received an education In that school,
it Is to be hoped that each will learn to
profit by the sweet uses Of adyersity. Among
other phaptasms which infected the South
ern Imagination was that which related TO
war. They accustomed themselves to duell
upon its pomp and circumstance, and amid
the tinsel and glitter which obscured its hor-
rid features they delighted to rcvcl in imag-
mary battles. Bedcckcd in martial frippery,
the legion Of slayeholding generals and col
onels dragged into mimic battle fields tho
Ignorant and unthinking poor whites, and
thus habituated them as fitting instruments
for any nciarious purpose which the future
might present.
Each village, squalld though It might DO,
and destitute Of any school edilce, had yet
its pigmy squad Of Tigers " or F" lnvinci.
bles"-cach town its regiment, each city its
battalion or division. These, aligned and
deployed, marched and countcr.marched,
fixed and vaporcd, until each captain i'm.
acined himself an Achilles, each colonel q
Napoleon, and the southern army In general
a match for the world In arms. The mag
mates of the plantations tilted with wooden
lances In makc-belicvc tournaments, and re-
ceived sham prizes from tho hands OF south
ern bellies.
But thesc people knew little Of real war.
They could not, from such holiday pastime,
realize its innumerable sacriiices-its painful
and wearisome marches over mountainous
roads, and under the trying yicissitudcs OF
incement weather. Starvation, exhaustion,
and disease, wounds and death, - tho
hospital, the prison and the graye-wero
ideas distastefsl and unromantio, and south
ern orators touched but lightly on that
shady side Of the picture.
In short, these people rated themselves as
very Paladins In arms. and confidently eI.
pected that the outside world would accept
| them at their own valuation. They took
| into their heads the frantic freak of breaking
up the great republic, Of which they formed
but the third part. at the imminent risk Of
their own pcrdtion, and, in case the fell de-
sign succeeded. of neverending trouble and
danger to their northern brethren. So these
unthinking and impulsiye men were induced
by bold and bad leaders to outrage aud deiy
the glorious flag which had protected them
for fourscorc years, and plunge madly and
cxcusclcssly into open hostilities with tho
mildest and most patcrnal OF governments.
They did this, indeed, not with full belief
that the northern States would resist force
by force, but with foolish expectation that
the old government would submit TO such
terms Of peace as southern Shareholders
might choose to dictate. The mass Of these
bcsottcd traitors seem never to have heard Of
Saratoga, Bennington or Lundys Lane.
Such ignorance could not bo imputed to
their chiefs, but mad ambition had rendered
them insane. They not only called evil
good, and worshipped Il, but they insisted
that all christendom should follow their ex-
ample.
they committed q fatal error. The north
rallied to the standard Of the great republic;
treason was confronted by an army Of free
men, not indeed, disciplined to war by pre-
yious preparation, hut bold, patriotic, and
apt " learn in all things pertaining to duty.
And now began the experience Of our south
ern braves in actual war. In twelvemonth
they have learned to estimate Alright the
tragic game. They find it no holiday pas
time Of gay parades, or pleasant cxhileration.
Instead Of all these they awake to the actual.
itics of an extinguished commerce, ruin,d
agriculture, and universal impoyerishInent.
| Hostile armies threaten their cities. desola-
tion broods over their frontier. Their male
population Is forced by tyrannical con-
scription into the ranks OF an ill.icd and i'll
paid army, whilst famine and despair too
often cit ut home in the deserted dwelling:
Thousands Of their young men are lying in
bloody graves. and thousands moro are likely
to follow them ere the snguinary strife
shall cease. Widows and orphans raise tho
wall Of lamentatiou, and few among south
ern households may escape the wide calam-
ity.
No wonder that the journalists Of rebel.
dom, who did 90 much to fan this Gre into
consuming blaze, have abated somewhat
their blatant boasting. and sink occasionally
into q piteous lament. Thus, Richmond
editor. the other day, dwelt with doloruus
whining on the untold horrors OF this war,
and endeayored TO fasten all the responsibil.
ity therefor on the unfortunate Mr. Seward.
II that gentleman. as the editor alleges, had
only uttered word to Mr.. Lincoln, against
coercion, and the President had given free
scope to secession and disruption, such
WOuIu uaNo pVeh eo AbnktSui cucCt on tho
generous susceptibilities of southerners that
the old Union nigh, have easily been recon-
structed, and all would have chimed In har.
nony like marriage bells.
This lugubrious editor goes on to ssy that
Mr.. Seward actually held out to the guile
less and con6ding leaders, hopes Of peace
ful acauiescenoe IN tSe design OF dismember-
ment, and thus dissuaded them FROM warliks
preparations. Now, Il is little adverrs
certainly, TO this theory, that southern trai.
tors never for moment intermitted their ac-
tivity in arming Tor the combst-thst they
began, in fact, o. early - John Browns
rad, and pursued their guilty preparations
with far moro energy than they had s,T
displayed in any honest Paryu'Is PsI -. n .h.Su. %.
Of a nretsIt wherswith tbey were eontsnt,
ssdi,ippal Industry was infused into their
sfE,r,. and every .rmsfsc.ory In The north
VA, vas running night and day on southern