The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1863-03-10

Experience has taught the Enghsl
people that the progress Of war neveI
iulfils the popular expectations that al
though victory may be assured at last tc
patient and untiring vigor and energy ir
its prosecution, yet during the continu
ance of a long war, there can be no we'll.
founded hope of a uniform and constant
series of brilliant triumphs in the field
Illustrating the profound wisdom of the
policy of the Cabinet. y
We propose to illustrate the PROPOSE
tions which we have advanced, by a
study of the series of campaigns known
in English history as the Peninsula War.
We select this particular war because we
think that in many of its events, and in
the policy which sustained it, there are
TO be observed many important, almost
startling, paralleisms with our present
struggle. Il =
five, then, in our dark hours, are in
clining TO doubt and dependency as to
the final result, let us not forget the or
deal through which England successful
ly passed We shall find that, in the
commencement, there was the same wild
AMI unreasoning enthusiasm with which
we are familiar; the same bitter abuse
and denunciation of the Government at
the first reyerses the same impatient
and ignorant criticism of military opera
tons ; the same factious and disloyal op,
position on the part of powerful party ;
the same discouragement and despon,
dency at times on the part OF the true
and loyal the same prophecies of the ut
ter hopelessness of success the same
complaints of grieyous and burdensome
taxation, and predictions of the utter fl
nancial ruin of the country /; the same
violent attacks upon the Government for
its arbitrary DEGREES, and particularly for
the suspension of the writ of habeas cor.
pus; the same difficulties arising from
the inexperience of the army ; and the
same weakness on The part Of the Gov
erument in not boldly and energetically
supporting the army in the field.
The insurrection in Spain which fol
lowed Immediately upon a knowledge of
the intrigues of Napoleon at Bayonne, in
April, 1907, by which the royal family
was enrapped into an abdicaton of It's
rights TO the throne, aud Joseph Bona
parte made king of that country, reused
universal admiration and enthusiasm in
England. 1t VAS thought by all parties
that an obstacle to the further progress
of Napoleon's schemes of the most for
midable character had AT last been found
II was the first popular insurreetion in
any country against Nspoleon's power
and consequently, when the deputies
from the Asturias reached England, i'm.
ploring succor, their appeals excited the
popular feeling to the highest pitch, and
The opposite parties in Parliament aud
the country We'd with each other in de
manding that England should aid the in.
surrection with the whole of her military
power Large supplies were
voted by acclamation, and an important
expedition, afterwards operating in two
columns, one under the command Of Sir
John Moore, the other under that of Sir
Arthur Wellesley, was dispatched to the
! Peninsula to aid the insurgents. Ii Is
not our purpose 10 trace the progress OF
this expedition. but merely To notice the
effect which its immediate results, the
retreat 70 Coruuna, and the Convention
OF Cinua, produced upon popular feeling
+ in England. As we look back on the
history Of that time, the folly and mad
ness which seized upon the popular mind
when the terms of the Convention Of Gin
ira became known, can only be explain.
ed by recalling the high wrought and
Ioxtrayagant expectations Of Immediate
success with which the war had been
entered upon. By this Convention. and
as the results of a single battle, Portugal
was wholly evacuated by the French
vet such were the unreasonable demands
OF public opinion, that because the whole
French army had not been made prison
ers OF war. the Ministry was almost swept
away by the outburst, and il could only
control the storm by removing the two
generals highest IN rank. 1t required
all the family and poliieel influence oil
the third, Sir Arthur Wellesley, 10 ena
ble him TO retain his position in the ar.
my. The disastrous retreat of Sir John
Moore's army 10 Corunna, and the easy
triumphs of the French at that period
throughout all Spain, plunged the Eng,
lish into despair. Going from one ex.
treme TO another, men who, only three
months before, had quarreled with the
army in Portugal because il had not Civ
en- them the spectacle of French mar.
shal and twenty thousand Of his soldiers
as prisoners Of war AT SpiIhead. now
spoke openly of the folly OF any attempt
at all on the part of the English 10 resist
the progress of the French arms in the
Peninsula In Parliament there was I'll,
usual lame apology for disaster, an at
tempt to shi(t the responsibility from the
Ministry 10 the general in command
but the great fact, that all their hope:
had been disappointed, still remained
and after the explanations OF the Gov.
ernment the general dependency became
more gloomy than ever Ii is not ditfi
cult in the light OF history 10 see where
tho blame OF failure should rest. Any
one who is disposed now 10 sneer ant
casil at The shortcomings Of our owr
Administration. to impute 70 il views
short sighted and impracticabie in then