Washington telegraph., 1864-06-08

danger is apprehendcd. Il he loitlest he
roism is that which contslnplat-s the dir
est calami,ies Us possible, and nerves the
soul to sustain aud oTercome them when
they can no longer be averted. Those
who console themselves with an uurea-
soning confidence ia their hopes, and
shut their eyes against all dark contin
gsucies, are often grievouzly di.appoiatod;
: aud stunned by bioss which they could
rot contemplate, fail of al tue manliness.
Unfortunately fur US and our cause,
there has been far too much of this blind
sense Of security, 1t would have been
better for US to have entertained a more
wholesome apprehension Of the power of
the enemy. We must confess to our.
selves that we INDUCED in much gascop
ade 10 the beginning, aud can look back
to the time when We really believed that
one Southern man Was quite = match for
three Yankees and Datcnmen. Our early
battles confirmed this delusion and whilst
the North was gathering her energies for
desperate campaign to retrieve her for.
tunes, We spent the best half Of tue first
year of the war quietly resting in the be.
lief that our armies We're already sufficient
! for ary emergency, aud that the war was
nsar It's close.
Our confidence in our strongholds was
no less unreas0uing We would not ad.
nit the thought that any place could
be taken. We would scarcely sllow any
one to express doubt Of amy of them.
He needed to be well known Southern
nan who dared it, and thcu only met
with tolerance and pity for his timidity.
The demoralizing effects of all this have
become long since apparent. The seasons
of depression which followed the fall of
New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis, and
Vicksburg, and the unmanly panic which,
upon the retreat Of Sidney johnson, at.
tackled the bosoms of thousands in the
border States, were the stunning effects
of calamities, which had been persistently
kept from view. Had they been contem-
plated calmly in advance, us possible con
tingencies, the minds aud hearts of all
patriots would have been Traced to NEE.
them, \ Lisher courage would have grown
from the mere familiarity Of the miEd
with danger, as men cease to fear death
from of,en looking in its face, and We
would have been prepared, hopefully and
vigorously, to repair the evils which we're
unavoidable, as the spiders repair their
webs. Another and sadder thing wsuld
not have happened Many we.kmiuled
men, noisy fer recession, and timid union.
lists. driven into secession by the thought
Of it's certain success, would not have
despaired and sold themselves to eternal
intamy, by abandoning our cause.
And so, whilst We have no patience with
men who croak and wear long faces, we dc
not consider it at all sure that those VINO
repudiate with the greatest indignation
the idea that any OF our Generals may
meet with defeat, or any of our strong-
holds be taken, are the wisest. We feel
ourselves, and would inspire in all others
the most unwavering confidence in the
success of our cause and the Independence
of our Government. That cannot fail
since it is based upon our knowledge o.
the comparative resources Of the countries
and the character of our people. Having
put their hands to tho plough they will
not look back, and could nos II they would
Over the head of all disasters, now rising
and now falling in their arduous course
as travellers dip into dark valleys aud rise
to high ridges with the glorious heavens
and blue horizon around them, the end /.
nevertheless sure of attainment. Never
people achieved freedom nor deserved it.
who could not under amy reverse. shout
"baffled but not conquered
But we do not consider any general In
fallible, any army invincibe, any place
impregnable. The uncertain fortunes o
war are proverbial. Accident may deter
mine the fate of any army or any place
Indomitable frmness, calm courage, pa
tient endurance, and persistent effort, are
beyond the reach of accident - neutralize
in time, all unhappy accidents.
1t will be rightly thought that we max
these remarks in view of the present con
dition of affairs in Virginia and errone.
ously supposed that We do so, believing
that Richmond will fall into the hauds OF
the enemy. We do feel au intense anx-
iety concerning the result, in view Of the
uncertainty of the life Of Gen. Lee aud
the fact that the powers Of endurance oi
his army ara not inexhaustible; but we
derive hope from the grand spectacle
which has been for two weeks already ex'
hibited on that great theater of events
and can honestly seud words of cheer te
our readers. The comparatively smal
armies of Lee and Beauregard, have hurled
back the concentrated forces of the Uni
ted States as the rocky shores hurl back
the waves of the ocean. The energies Of
the Northern armies also are not mex
haustible. If they continue to be repuls
ed Gas we believe they will,) they musl
succumb, and then our independence is
already achieved. What follows will be
but petty hostilities and forms of negotia'
ton. We have every hope Of it and as
full confidence as it becomes reasoning
man to feel of the uncertain future. Our
success there will be decisive of our inde.
pendence. That our failure there may
not be decisive also, it is we'll for us to
consider the event. "Semper pxratus'
| should be our motto.
| And in this consideration it is uncan.
| IA .orords ourselves to sunDose that the