The weekly Butte record., 1863-08-15
n O. A

a1ce Oi nearly three wears has been lla0ie q 4
few objections ard criticisms made principally
BY the " traitors and CopperheadS AZ the
North. stimulated no doubt. bv their svmpa-
thy fer the rebels. For instance, the obiec-
tion has been frequently urged that we were
acting upon the circumference Of a vast circle,
while the rebels were operating upon its rai6,
the advantage being immensely in their favor.
both SIS to celeriiy of movement. rapiditv Of
concentration ard facility Of transportation,
that often our armies were 50 far apart upon
the circumference that they could not support
each other when the exigency demanded ii,
and that by the advantage The rebels thus had
Of concentrating their strength at the threat
eaed point, they were enabled to mass superior
numbers in almost every battle. Bot this
SenseIeSs obi ction has been fully met by the
remark that the United States had men enough
two millions and more if ueceSsary-to carry
out the policy: the policy was excellent In it.
self where nation had the men ard resources
requisite To execute 1t. and. for the pFcScai,
perharS. q little over million IN arms would
be sufficient fOr its successful accomplishment.
And il was further urged that the eDcIrcliug
Of the rebellion would protect The adheriug
States from invasion. This mode Of argnmen-
tatiOn has proven satisfactory to all except q
few caviliug " Sympatb'zerS.' II j. u9Qlcs-
tiOnably true that the science Of war IS Of such
intricate nature. 81 far removed from the ordl-
nary methods Of reasoning and understanding,
as not to be comprehendrd by or subjected ia
the criticisms of those who have not made il
their special study: no civilians can under
stand or manage military operations, except
the civilians Of the Administration, placed in
power by the people for the express purpose.
And. besides our noble President had some
previous practical knowledge OF military sci
ence. having been a volunteer Captain in the
BlackhGUk war in active service.
The great Northwest however, about two
years after the commencement of the war. not
from any distruSi in the wisdom Of the military
policy prevailing. but. doubtless thinking lis
successful execution would require too much
tme-rose up en- nl1SSe and demanded the
opening Of the navigation of the Mississippi
not urging il. however, on account of lis Strale-
gic Importance in a military point OF view
having no right to interfere by suggestion or
Otherwise with the war power OF the President
they. nevertheless, were bold enough to Eiut 1t
to the " Government in commercial point
of view. Mr.. j. Davis. as soon he heard of
the restiveneSs of the Northwest on this sub
ject, tried 10 keep them quiet by a resort TO
( diplomacy. promising them the free navigation
of that great national highway forever, if they
would withdraw from all connection with the
governmental machine run by Mr A. Lin
/ coin, against whom he former individual ap-
pears to have considerable personal autipathv,
| and the dislike seems to be mutual. This little
| piece Of diplomacy had the effect Of attracting
| the attention of the wal power 10 the great
commercial importance of that river to the
/ Northwest and, as a commercial necessity It
was ordered to be taken. Mr.. Davis having
/ r., slal -, ~, ,1f, r. tho
erinr storm in the Northwest. sweeping down
the current OF that greatest river in the world.
began at once to address himself 10 the work
of resisting the tornado and preventing the
opening OF navigation. He saw, and TO inspire
the people with resistess energy TO hold ii, he
told them, that if the Mississippi were taken
and kept possession of by the Fedcrals, their
cause would thereby snstan a permanent and
irreparable injury.-an expression which ap
pears not to have been yet fully understood at
Washington. Well, the Mississippi has at
last. in the third year Of the war; been taken
by the army under General Grant, but wheth-
er it will be held by them is a matter Of grave
doubt when the limited number of the forces
there-not exceeding one hundred thousand
is properly considered the doubt is still
strengthened by the fact that General Lee, Of
Virginia, who has been threatening the city of
Washington for nearly three years past with
the sole object of burning the capitol buildings.
worth about five millions Of dollars, is again
lowering near there with his army keeping
General Meade's Federal army upon the front
iers of the Coufederacy, watching him and
covering the capitol. The Administration en-
tertain great respect for General Ice. as n
gallant foe, as has been frequently demonstra-
ted, but particularly so in the recent affairs
~. Ll,,ft.s-4 I,o. of
the war occurred if we except Fredericksburg
and Chancellogville, and where all the rebel
accounts concur in admitting that Lees army
was worse crippled than at any other time
So also was the Federal army. General Dix.
with a large. well disciplined army in the
peninsula of Virginia, might have been trans
ferred, in four days to the support Of Meade,
enabling him to renew the attack on Lees
crippled but still formidable forces before he
could cross the swollen Potomac, and giving
our army such decided superiority in numbers
as to have annihated the rebel army. But
Dix was kept pr0menadiug the peninsula with
hardly foe to encounter, for the purpose, no
doubt, Of threatening Richmond, and thus
gently bringing Lee back from the Invasion Of
Pennsylvania without doing him any further
violence and be it remembered that Gettys-
burg is in that State where Lee had succeeded
in crossing the Confederate rim and giving
battle on the loyal " side of it, which was
very serious provocaton ; it was adding in
suit to injury
The Mississippi, the soeptre of our Empire.
The taking of the Mississippi river and
holding it is so important an advantage as to
force Itself upon every intelligent mind as the
only great strategic position for conducting the
war with any prospect Of military success. 1t
lays the whole great and fertile valley Of the
Mississippi at the feet Of the Government. It's
possession splits asunder the Confederate EN-
pire. dismemberiug its parts as efectually as
an imrassibIe wall Of masonry a mile wide
and five miles high. It's centra, position affords
line and base Of military operations into the
very heart Of the dismembered parts lying east
aud west Of it. lis possession and retention
forever anuihilates the graud conception Of a
-asf rival nationality in the Cor+harn mart of