The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-02-21
Rich, Rare, and Racy..C0x Of Ohio ON
Rev. DIR. Gurley and Civil Generals
Generally. -

Some days ago the Rev. John Gurley,
q leading malignant" who represents one
of the Cincinnati districts in Congress,
made ON ION to Richmond" assault en- Gen.
Mcclellan and everybody else in authority,
because the army was not moving as rapid
ly as in bis opinion it should. GurIey
was one of the disciples of ye Gallant Cap-
tain of the Retreaters at Bull Run, and
subsequently ornamented Fremont's staff,
until that officer was quietly placed where
he could do no further mischief. Mr.. Cox,
a colleague of Gurley, replied to his speech
Of much length, seriously Illustrating its
nonsense and facetiously stirring up its au~
thor and bis class. The latter portion of
Mr.. Cox's remarks is so racy and so appi.
cable to civil Generals generally, that we
quote literally from it /:
But. sir, my colleague compels me to
examine into his merits az military critic
particularly, and the prOpriety of military
movements here 10 Congress and elsewhere
by civilians. My colleague will admit that
he is not military man by education. nor
soldier, like Fa,staf, on Instinct. Laugh.
ter. His profession was that of gospeler.
Laughter. His studies do not fit him to
discuss martial subjects. We do not 90 to
the blacksmith to have our watch repaired,
nor to matchmaker to have our horse
shod. We do not 60 to Carolina for
cheese, laughter, nor to the Western Re-
serve for cotton. can we'll imagine how
fine scholar, as is my colleague, might,
like Beaumont's "Elder Brother" sit in bis
study, and mount upon the wings of spacu.
lation, and
'hourly converse
With kings and emperors, and weigh their
cOunsels,
Calling their victories. if npjustly got.
Unto strict account, and in his fancy
Deface their ill.placed statues.''
But, sir, criticism on the art of war. to
be valuable now, must be backed by spe.
cific study and experience. What has been
the experience and study of my col eague 2
The country was thoroughly Disguised
with the part Congressman played at Bull
Run. Laughter in the galleries 1t may
be remembered with what jocund Ievity the
House adjourned to 60 over to see our army
march upon Richmond. Not one of Us ever
got there except my friend from New York
Mr.. EIy]. [iaughter) who made his exile
so conspcu0usly honorable in the use he
made of it in behalf of bis fellow prisoners.
The House may remember that opposed
the adjournment then on the ground that by
going over the river, we would only get in
the way of the soldiers. It turned out that
the soldiers got 10 the way of the Congress-
men. Laughter
There will be, Mr.. Chairman, empyrics
in medicine, pretenders in religion, pettifog-
gers in law. mushroom in vegetables, seces-
siOnists in government, en0bs in society, and
we must not be surprised at military wise.
acres in Congress. Laughter
Since my colleague has hurled the glove
at Mcclellan, have right to examine his
claims as critic. He admits to being at
Bull Run. His mastery activity on the
retreat be admits. How that retreat was
effected l only know from rumor. l have
seen 1t repOrted-and perhaps it is as apoch.
ryphal as some OF the facts upon which my
colleague arraigns General McCleIlan-that
my colleague, after his fatigung race to
Centreville. and having passed that point
with the speed of Glpin-- and not having
the benef fit of a carriage like the Congress
men who kicked out OF it the cowardly and
tired soldiers besmutched with their cart
ridges in battle--was careering along like
the devil laughter] in Milton, where be is
described as flying
"O'er bog or steep, through strait, rough
dense, or rare,
With head, hands, wings, or feet pursues his
way.
And swims, or sinks, or wades, or creeps, or
hies"-
until luckily be met--what think you, noble
Representatives. herd of stampeded cat.
tie, who were from my own beloved dis.
trict--Texas cattle, sir, wintered in the
Sciota valley, and selected by their keeper
for their stampeding propensity [Iaughterl,
when, seizing upon the extreme rear of
noble OK be was borne from the field, hold
ing on with vigorous prehension to the tail
of the animal. Great laugbter.)
l was about to commend this strategy to
my colleague for this quick sense of its
commissary advantages. Ideprecate this
drawing on that or any experience at Bull
Run to read the gifted Mcclellan and this
Congress bomily on military affairs. The
aucieut warriors rode in their scythed char
lots; the warriors on the South American
pampas dash of with their lasso on horse
back and the ancient Germans went into
battle as our Indians do with terrific wells,
and in painted horror the courtly knight
dashed into the tourney with iron-clad ar
NOR and vizer down. Various as human
ingenuity are the modes of human warfare,
both in advance and retreat; but never,
sir, in the accounts of Xenopbon or Mar
shall SAKE; from the time OF Joshua to Gen.
Taylor 10 the contests of Achilles or Gar.
ibaidi have we so unique performance as
this suppostious race of my constituent
and my colleague on the fields from Bull
Run. Laughter. Does be claim that
this, if true, would make him military ex-
pert2
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 Guerly, of Ohio" was about to
assume the post of aid to General Fremont.
Fremont was then in the ascendant. Be-