The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-01-13

ApRA0e WANEIe.l4ne h4oese e1nsCee Ig1cs
So ~ ~ e ~ II ~ \ s = ~ - : -
~ lsesssn u ~ i1sur.
There aro those Who regard this - thu
most aismal and disconraging period Of tht
whole war. The minds Of many are In con
souance with the sombrs aspect OF nature
The skies are overloaded, the trees orc
leAAess, the birds are silent, the earth h
ftosen and seemingly lifsless. We do moi
deny that this b serio1s and even solemn
cTssis, end No will admit that not even In
the gloomy days Of Fort Donelson and New
Orasans were there - much grounds fo'
grave and anxious feeling - now. But what
are the causes OF this solicitude! They are
to be found chieay In ourselves. 1t 10 not
that the enemy has gained great military adj
vAntages; these calamities can be repaired.
It's not that our soldiers have lost their 81 i.
cisnt courage; they are the same hrm ana
faithful warriors who have on hundred
battis-aelds borne the Dag Of the South In
victory and saved the freedom and indie
peudonce OF their country. But, alas the
harmony and mutual confidence that made
~ once band OF brothers have been radely
assAsled, and the demon Of discord seems to
have full possession Of the minds Of some
Of our public meu. There are those who.
seem more irtent upon fastening the re-
sponslbility and odium Of misfortunes upon
this and that public agent than upon devising
means Of remedy and relief. There are
thousands In private life who, instead of
devotiug themselves body and soul to the
salvation Of their country, are absorbed In
the pursuit Of private gain. gambling wildly
upon the deck of the storm-tost vessel, whilst
the hurricane u bowling dercely through
ia their ears. These are. the things, more
than the power Of the enemy, that oil the
minds Of active and rejecting men with sad
and serious thoughts.
We have never been tho Understanding
cnlogists Of men In power, nor blind TO
faults and errors, which they have undoub,-
edly committed. This journal was never,
unier the old Government, party journal,
and itS ancient freedom from party associa.
tfous n q Nbature In It which we do not pro-
pose to abandon. But to err Is human, and
We are therefore disposed to make all allow.
ances for the men at the head of our affairs,
upon whom such responsibilities have been
east a never before fell to the lot of public
msn on this continent, and rarely upon pub
JIG men In the history Of the world. The
American Revolution was mere d's-play
compared to the gigantic struggle which is
being waged on this continent. Its largest
army would scarcely have formed the ad.
vance guard of one Of our mighty hosts
The combined military and naval power
brought against it during the whole war by
Great Britain never eqnalied that which as
sailed the single town Of Vicksburg. A Ia.
ton has been born in day, and, at the In
slant of its birth, It has been called upon TO
do the work of giant. When we consider
the comparative strength of the two com
batants at the beginning of this war, when
we bear In mind not only the disproportion
OF population, and of military and naval
armaments, but the deplorable deficiency Of
mechanical skill and labor in the South, We
are filled with amazement at the results
which have been accomplished, and instead
OF dcspalring over the loss of go much of
our territory. wonder, and thank benignant
Providence, that any Of 1t 10 left. The peo-
pie and the Government Of the South have
accomplished more In this war than
any other people and Government
mentioned In the annals of mankind.
II we had possessed the men aud means, If
our people had continued patriotic, and IL
our rulers had been infallible and never made
mistakes, the war might perhaps have been
ended two years ago. But who can cay that,
II Il had thus ended, its fruits would not
have been LOST Who can say that We might
not even now be considering the question
Of reconstruction II we had found the IN
dependence 90 promptly and easily obtained,
It wsuld have been the 6rst Instance in the
history of the world where nation which
has obtained its Independence with facility
has not lost 1t - easily a. 1t was procured.
We do not make these remarks. to palliate
Che political and military blunders which
have caused our misf0rtunes, but to suggest
to our people that Providence may have
bene6oent desigu In protractIng this. strug-
gle, and intend thereby to render our sepa-
tion from tho North complete and eternal.
Bat, admitting that our Government has
committed errors, are not these errors ex-
cspttonals Are not ito Intentions patriotic?
Can We single ont in our own minds any
man Who would have done better than Pres.
ident Dayisi and who, even II he had avoided
the errors which be has committed, might not
have fallen into others of equal magnitude,
It h easy, after events have transpired, to
show what ought to have been Gone But,
II the Confederate Government has not the
gin Of foreknowledge as well q infallibility,
attributes which belong only to God, which
OF onr other citizens can lay claim to these
aaAlities? And, II the Government has been
at fault, can the people show clean hands ?
Are they blamelessi Have they preserved
the purity and patriotism which animated
them ct the beginning Of this struggle? p
On the contrary. has not q universal mad
A