The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-02-12

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lie opinion and public clanor, usrsus the judgment
of the officers in command Of the army, the first
Bull Run, and Fredericksburgh.
Now this war is only year and half old, and
| never expected, after it was fully demonstrated
that the rebel States meant secession, that year
aud half would end it. Why disguise the fact
that we have really formidable warfare on our
hands Wha, reason exists for supposing it will
De shorter than the Revolutionary war? Why
should one half Of this nation conquer and subdue
the other in less time than did England the Duke
Of Monmouth with few thousand Dutchmen.
And Old Papinau, in Canada, troubled the Eng
llsh Government almost as long as these Southern
rebels have US; though his rebellion was not quite
20 extensive in its proportions aud perhaps not SO
expensive.
Expea we : ah yes, there is the great point.
But what DO you propose to do ? VIII it be less
expensive to back down now, than to go forward ?
My opinion is that we had better 20 forward un-
Ill every loose dollar in the Northern States
has been scrapcd into the public treasury, than
back down. A peace Oh these terms would only
mean war, war long continued, war unceasingly
And then are we, twenty millions OF people with
all our boasted resources to succumb 10 less than
half our number, with inferior means? Win the
men who Aave thus far pereI their health and
lives ever want 10 walk in the light of day. after
returning to their home whipped, defeated, re-
pulsed, with these odds in our favor God spare
as from any such shame. Although | was Of the
party who claimed and insisted that the formation
OF sectional parties would lead TO war between the
North and South, war disastrous and long. and
although have been ridculed for entertaining
such Tears 10 days that are past, yet now those
things are upon us and notwithstanding nv
former preludices against Slavery were not so
strong as to be wiling to peril the lives Of our cit
lzens and the interests Of our country on account
of 1t, yet now, that we find it n direct resistance
to the authority Of our Government, hope am
not so pusilanimous cowardly, or selfish as
to be willing to lay down my arms, disgracing
myself and disgraciog Northern courage-and
this more especially, when the South persis,sntly
inform US that 9olAing short OF an overthrow of
our Government will now satisfy them.
AS to results, thus far, and the present situa- !
ton, the principal disasters that We nave me- (
with are chargeabIe to causes so apparent that we
ought to profit by them Whenever we have ex-
pereuced any great reverse, differences Of opinion
have existed in advance in regard to The Drcurety
or policy OF the move and am quite ssye that,
IN each case, the army officers and men were i'm.
pressed with doubts and n7isgiving for the result
IL advance. But the public with no knowledge Of
the situation of things said SIGHT, and fght the or
my did and defeat was the result. Did nog III o
pubic force on the battle of Bull run while the
army officers were insisting that it Yves prematpreo
l}d not the pubic imperatiyeIy demand Of Barn
side action at fredericksburg? And did not the
2uolcS say to Mcclellan on the Peninsula, through
heir Chief Magistrate, You must act ?" Bull rnn
was tallaTe, Fredericksburgh has the unenyi ole
'obriquet of The Slaughter Pen," and McCIsl-
an, for exercising his own judgment and avoiding
such caamltles, was superseded, and poor Nc.
Do"eH, for his misfortune, is calico traitor
and that is not all, our odess and best Generss
ere constantly leaving the service, or asking to be
'eieyed from duty because of the fact that North
'Fn sentiment only accords tt The position Of pass
ye machines.
But amid all these interferences and caIaDites
ne have made progress, and the rebels are in
more crippled and diSpirted condition now, than
ever before In fact, they are hemm~d in on al
sides, and the chains are drawing tighter and
ghter around them. The Northern army m ~