Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-11-13
syERsNDEES AND SURPRISES.

SUGRsNDEES AND SURPRISES.
Tic people aud army Of the Confederate
States lave been so much complimcnted upon
,I.c r,:awSs< aid gal!ant-y Of their arms, so
m..l battered upon what has been accom-
,!.h:! that they have los: sight OF the fact
:na. r..rc surrcuders hove been made by their
armies l!aa by the armies of any other IA
ton. Eh.: uaiicn in three years Of war ever
lowered their flag eleven times in suTen Ter!
Th-:, las been eleven Confederate surrenders
s::ace dis war began. Near Rich Mountain,
i: !!.,;er:.,. n Island No. 10, at Fort Henry,
mF,., nore!son, ct Roanoke Island, at Forts
Phillips uui Jackson, at Arkansas Psit, ut
Tics.l;:r:, at Port Hudson, and at Cumbcr-
i,ai lian AnI then there has not been IN
;ns;:nc: Of Punishment in this lsng list OF dis
s.,ers: hu:, On the contrary, promotion has IN
s3a, eases Showed sw;f. upon the surrender.
l.thehi-:pry # this wac will show as much gal
lanrry in the fight as that of any other war, it
will ais, exhibit more surrcnderS than ever be-
:sl the arms of ans other nation during the
SINE period o: time; end we-cannot point to any
Ss-:s,ssa, G;rona, Londonderry CT Genoa to
oG.eJ this lorg catalogue Of unsuccessful
sjog,s.
II orr rso,,Ic cannot understand why Euro
p,aa na,,:ls hesitate to recognise our n:sioI-
a:r, perhaps they may End the cause III the
;so: ;har the flag we seek to register en- onG
;.a na:i IS oc the Garth, though often crowned
with .:!,.iou; victory, has, unfortunately, been
low::eG: very often in tnmitigstcd Disgrace
AID ., long az foreign natious soc surrendcrs
So conplac ntlY made, and promotion so ot!en
:IlJwia: them they are uncertain whether
s,ne st:auc. may not bring the news OF our
uncjal;:i2nal surrende, to the terms OF our
elcmv. The nations Of Europe, accustomed
10 sus: defences as tho Spaniards made
in the Peninsula. Or thai OF The French at Ge>
n,a, Or that Of the English ut Londonderry,
cannot u2 'e7s;aad our style of defence.
Thy remember tho disgrace that was
agsi uqoa Dupont for. the capitulatlon OF
B.e'en, and upon Mack ior The Surrender Of
Tin, aal they cannot comprehend the wisdom
o iaat NIL ;a-y discipline that rewards with
promotion those who surrendered, and IT somo
instances, o7cr men who escaped from end
dil no, participate in the disgrace.
N.pa,eon never permitted any one OF
tha ciTcers who participated IN the ca"
si!Glston of Baylen to serve under hlm,
aHd even the Austrians condemned to
Death Mack for the surrender Of Ulm; and
": neither Of these srrrcnders was moro
ds-racctul than many of ours which have not
cal.e:l forth even IN official rep7lmana. We
Dc no. mean to intimate that all Of these sur
renders we're equally disgracefu', but we 90
saY that not one IF them conferred any honor
unnn the arms Of the Confederate S;stes. at
many Of them gallant 6shting was doas-s'
Ticks'urg and Port Hudson, at Doneison anu
Rancke Island, there were net wanting IN
stance. os great gal!an.ly, but to nono'ot them
asa we point with the pride of the Spanl"rd'
the French and the EngliSh a. places made
glorious By the obatiaacy and endurance o.
the defence.
The surprises of fKe'loysville, Brandy Sta
ti,n Williamsport, BrissoT Station, aud. no"
ID, late disaster on the Eaprahannock, rho"
how ienioacy to the first defcliction OF duty
may cn;a;l continued and repeated disasters
apd care.sssaess innicts lasting disgrace uper
the amy.
Notwithstanding tho grll.ntry Of the sriHJ
oFNorsheru Virginia, someshingi IS wantsd'e
csrrecs and prevent these frequent AFFAIRS. /
is but peer consolation to record how gal
hn..r the 6sht was made after recovering
from :jc surprise the officers and soldiers o.
tia; srmy Away, fight we'll, aad though these
frtqaert surprises may tend to dcreiore tha
Notwithstanding courage Q
waica N.p1:eon said ho found but few n'er
possessed, yet we very much dUabs
o7eH t.at rccompenscs for the loss u men arc
'aa;eri,.! row so much needed by our army.
/: has no: yet transpired where the brigade
OF llcse ani Hays we're when the enemy
r'Nnced upon them; it is not yet stated how
the5 came to hs so completely isolated from
'he main bcly CT the army that they coulc
10: cc reinforced, though the, agh: i, report
Ell to have lasted ''withcut intermission frcn
two o'clcek IL the afternoon till dark"
No explanation Lss been made why rein
ioFeencnts were not sent to their rescue; no
ore We informed how these two small bri
gaaes came 10 he Thus exposed, inviting O.
!n'>t t:cir aoture or annihilation.
Ne hHps ;hst :here are good and suffc;en
fe's'rs for all tAes strange circumstances, an
'hai General Lse will, upon investigation, b
sas:.isd that his two brigadss were lost in on