Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-05-28
A RETROSPECT.

A RETROSPECT
This day two years ago, in view Of the advance
made by our troops upon the territory of Virginia
on the oath of May, 1861, we took occasion to ex-
press the opinion that this movement was made
with simple reference to the protection of the Ma
tional Capital from the menaced attack of the in
surgents We were led to adopt and announce
this opinion by the fact that the President, acting
under the law of 1895, had called out only seventy
FIVE thousand men, whose term of service was limited
to three months, and with such evies we refused
to believe that he would attempt to advance into
" subjugaton of the insurrectionary States,
which subjugation" he had stated to be neither
within the purposes nor the means of the Govern
ment.
For rejecting these views, which at that time
obtained among the most enlightened friends of the
Government, in civil as well as military station,
we were harshly arraigned by few persons, who,
in the impatience of their heady enthusiasm, af-
fected to see in our prudential observations the
marks Of great lukewarmness, if not actual defec-
ton from the cause Of the Union. We replied to
these animadversions at the time, and intimated
that we should leave the history of impending
events to decide the issue made as to the compare
tive sagacity of ourselves or critics. We sup
posed ourselves to know something of the elements
belonging to the question, and We were very sure,
from the Aippant tone held by our censors, that
they knew nothing of what they were speaking.
A few weeks passed by, and the vocifcrous cry
of " On to Richmond" began to rend the air, and
it was under the pressure of this cry that the Co.
vernment, in an evil hour weakly yielded so far
as to order the advance on Manassas, with troops
whose term of service was SO near expiring that
some of the regiments actually turned their faces
Northward while the engagement was joining, and,
without much ef metaphor, were said at the time
to have marched home to the music of the enemy's
guns destroying their brethren in frutless battle
The result of the battle of Bull Run was generally
regarded at the time having pretty conclusively
demonstrated that the attempt to march into Virginia
and "put down the rebellion with three months
levies amounting to the number of seventy five
thousand men was an error Since that time
troops have been called into the field by the hun
dreds of thousands, and the progress made in SUP
pressing the revolt, even with such unexampled
forces, has not been as great as many dreamy en-
thusiasts promised to themselves and to the nation
from the operations of the three months levies.
We have REQUIRED to this fact for the purpose
Of asking the critics who two years ago impeached
our Judgment under this head, whether, in view
Of the past they entirely satisfied to the
wisdom of the Inspirations under which they spoke
We were we'll assured at the time that the passion
betrayed by their impatience at any advice that
did not jump with their prejudces was passion
fed by Ignorance and presumption. Within the
last two years the judgment of men on both sides
in this deplorable war must have been sobered by
the dispersion Of many illusions that formerly pre-
vailed among zeaOts in both sections Of the coun-
try with regard to the capacity of each to conquer
the other. With the premonition of the past two
years before them who believes that the insurgents
would have been so eager to provoke the fearful
arbitrament from which they have SO greatly suf-
fered, or that the people of the North in tax
ing up the glove thrown down at Fort Sumter,
would have entered on the inevitable conflict with
the frivolity Of children proceeding on holyday
excursion The whole country is passing through
a hard school, but the discipline was needed TO
scourge the passion and the pride which had alien
ated the hearts of the people from each other
before political discord had put in their hands the
weapons of mutual destruction.