M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-03-05
Very truly yours /.
MIsslsslPpI RIVER, Jan. 81, 1853


80. B. W-Sir: II take this op
oortrnity for the purpose Of giving
you a full exposition Of my viows o.
this war. have hithertN rerrained
rom giving vent to my feelings, for
expected that there would be a change
in the war policy ; but in that | wa'
doomed to disappointment. SiXteeI
months ago, enlisted Tor the purpos,
OF surpreSsins this unhcly rebellion
| WIS then sanguine OF success. The
awful and appalling scenes Of cman
cipation had nCt then revealed them
selves in all Of their hidrous forms
neither had the officers shown them
selves in their true coIOrs. | wa,
blinded by those fantastic visions thai
fitted like spectres before my mind
Yes, those eternal principles Of SELF
government, that noltical demago
gucs pratod 50 much about, have van
ished Ike the sparkling dew drol
before the golden rays Of the coming
sun. But let ns turn to the scenes
that are more hcinous.
"Thcre have been three attempts to
take the Capita Of the Sou hvrn C.n
lvderScy, aud each attempt has proved
n worse failure than fepreceding one.
Gen. Mcclellan was removed because
he tailed to take Richmond and an
other was pu! in his place who was
supposed to be equal 10 the task. H..
had everything that he called for in
men, money and munitions of war.
When all was ready, his special cor.
respondent comes out with II piece
proclaiming to the void the power
and ability OF Gen. Burnside, the then
supposed hero Of Richmond. Well,
what thcni The vast army moves
and the people OF the North stand in
breathlrss expectation awaiting the
result Of that bloody and awful cou
Hict. Who can describe the feeling,
Of the people when the trme statement
WAS male public Every hear
throhed with emotion, but they thro
bed in vain for we see that there are
thousands more dOomed to die before
the Capital OF our nveterate enemies.
Gen. Burnside crossed tho Kappa
hammock with his army. Then with
out silencing any OF the enemy's guns,
he orders Gen Sumner, with his
Division,tO charge on the breastworks
but before they were within rife shot
OF the works, theTe were such ghastly
gaps made in their ranks that they
were obliged 20 fall back and form
again; and again they started for
death in all its hideous forms. Many
a brave fellow looked for the las. time
OH the sun in Heaven. When the
third attempt had failed, then The
General concluded that their works
were impregnable. Has there been
thirteen thousand and five hundred
men lost in any other battle during
this war,and not accomplish any more
than Was accomplished at Fredericks-
burga Every intelligent mind will
answer in the negative, Yet it is said
OF Gen, Burnside first, that he per.
formed an act that was considered
impracticable by military men, and
next that he performed an impossi.
bility, and, therefore, was a great
General; and this imprac;icability
and impossibIlity was crossing and
re crossing the Rappahannock with.
ont having his army annihilated =
Now, If that constitutes a great Gen.
eral, our army will soon be all Gen,
erals.
THE time has passed for whippinS
Tho South. There is not power enough
in the North to make them lay do WI
their arms and return to their allegi
ance.
There is an old proverb which is
applicable in this case, and that is
"fhe voice Of the people is the voict
God" The voice Of tue South is a:
the voice OF one man, and nothing but
death can conquer them. They turned
their cotton fields into corn fields, and
everything that eau be done for the
comfort of the people is being done
IHep are aetna on the principle ot