Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1864-07-29
A Rema risabIc A rticIc from the Ricbmon,
Examiner.

a recent number of the Richmond Examiner
INDUCES in feeling Of wonder at Gen. Grants
persistency and condoes with itself and the
Southern public, in that they have ceased look
ing for great battles. 1t says:
The Southern public has long since given up
the traditional attitude of standing on ,ptoe in
anticipation of great battle, 1t rather plants
itself firmly on its feet, and sells its teeth close
~, the better to receive the shock. We have
proved our prowess on too many fields 10 require
the encouragement of one victory more; we
have met with too many disasters to have our
balance disturbed by single defeat; and by
this time we have attained TO a sad philosophy
which embraces both victory and defeat in the
ca,egory--loss.
Our loss seems always to outweigh the i'm
mediate positive gain, aud to parody the famous
line Of Ficaja, "the South appears to be doom
ed always" to lose, conque.ing or conquered.
Our adyersares see this clearly. and base their
calculations on it. They design to wear us away
piecemeal to reduce our armies by battle and
by capture, and then to break the backbone OF
the rebellion vertebra by vertebra, and extract
the marrow at their leisure. OF course we re-
gard this Yankee plan as an utter mistake-as
false application of mathematical principles
TO the workings OF organic structures. 1t is not
a question of substraclion. 1t is question OF
vitality One man loses both legs and both
arms, and lives another dies from the extrac.
tion of a tooth.
But, mistaken as the Yankees are in thinking
that the whole matter resolves itself into TIVE
diminishing series, of which the Southern Sc.
ries is to become infnitessimal, yet they are moi
mistaken when they glpnt over the suffering,
which our losses in battle OCCASION us. Thes,
losses have been great-have been sufficient tC
glut the appetite of any being but New Eng
| land ghoul; and these are the losses which
whenever battle is imminent, the public anti
cipate even before the skirmishers are driver
| in. As we look forward TO our struggles, W,
cannot indulge in any feeling of exul,ation a
the prospect We hope for viclory-we ma,
have some reason to expect it-but we know /
to be possible that somebody will be a few hour
too late; that some point of the enemy's lin,
will he pressed, in spite OF the explicit order
of the commanding general; that the ammu
nition will be exhausted Just ten minutes befor
| the Federa.s receive reintorcements that som
stupid courier will lose his way; that SOM
needless aid-de-camp will forget to deliver
message, and that the Yankee will retire il
good order, hotly pursued at respectful dis
tance by our cavalry, and fall back on a.stron
position which they will make impreg 11be il
twenty-four hours.
This has been the history of a great victor
on the Southern side, and it may be the histor
of other victories. And then the fight over, i
come first as single spies, and then in full bat
TALON, the casualties. 1t is said that the wa
has hardened us to the horrors OF death. 1t
well that we have become thus hardened, 70
otherwise nature could not bear the anguish
and we should he too much unnamed to carr
,uork Rnt AZ IN . ha
the first thought of the majority of people, VIII
have any claims to thought at all, turns TO tn
lists of killed and wounded. Fortune, like III
chary almsgver in Homer, hut puts the cup
ioy 10 our mouths and vets the lips, but doe
not wet the palate. The chalice of sorrow
drink to the dregs. Georgia may he saved, bl
will Fast Tennessee be regainedP Will ou
own fair soil ever be freed from the tramp {
the oppressor? On one thing we may count,
fearful catalogue of death and suffering n
longer can the London Times sneer at our sar
culinary bar-room difficulties, and our bloodei
internecine wars. The Generals OF both armit
are active enough in meeting the demands
tho loalhsome advertisement, WANTED, by Il
Cove nment, dead animals Of every sort"
is, on the whole, well for our cause that Il
people at large entertain such sober, we hu
almost said sombre, views on the subject
war. Our army has long entertained them.-
The soldiers know that battle means mutatio
Disagreement, pain and death, and they do n
rush into battle with the mad impetuosity
Jobs war.horse.
But their courage is Of far nobler, highe
purer and more enduring type than the swa
ger so common at the outbreak Of hos,iliIit
And the courage of the people will not be
minished if they bring themselves face to ia
, with the real character of the struggle. Libc
ty or death is no mere phrase to usi and it W
do harm il we look steadiaslly at the less agre
able alternative