Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-19
Am Idiotic Mode of Warf,,re.

We trust no one of our readers failed to
read the article we published yesterday
from The Richmond Dispatch, giving de-
tailed account of the execution of citizen
of Virginia named d. S. CREIGH, by order
of Gen. HUNTER. From the same paper we
reprint some comments upon the career of
HUNrHn, as q proper accompaniment to the
account of this execution. In view of this
execution and the many other atrocities
committed by Gen. HUNTER, it is not sur
prising that the brave and chivalrous Col
MULLIGAN should pronounce HUNTER "a
fiend," and every honest hearted and sound
minded citizen of the United States will
indorse the sentiment. All accounts agree
in stating that the people-the unarmed, lin
offensive people of Virginia-hate DAVID
HUNTER as implacably and as bitterly as the
Swiss people hated the tyrant GEsLER, or as
the Romans hated CALIGULA, and no
reasonable man will deny that their hatred
is justifable and well founded. Many
of the more ignorant and fanatical
of the Abolition prints regard it as
cardinal point in their creed of patriotism
to admire most the Generals who are most
hated by the people of the South. No man
whose ideas of morality are above those of
ajay-hawker would be governed by such
a standard; but morality aside, it can be
shown that the Generals who have concen-
trated upon themselves the hatred of the
South by system of war which inflicts so
much misery upon non-combatants, and so
little upon the armed enemy, are equally
deserving of the dislike of the people of
the North for the absolute injury such
Generals infict upon our army. The Cen
eral who allows his men to straggle, pillage
and burn as HUNTER did, in effect betrays
his army, violates his oath of Office, and
neglects his plainest duties. The able Cen
erals and statesmen who adopted the Army
Regulations and framed our Rules and Arti-
cles Of War, recognized this essential prin-
ciple by providing the death pen
atty for any soldier convicted of strag-
Cling, marauding, and plundering.-
Such conduct as was wisely under
stood, demoraliscs tho men, sets dis
cipline at defiance, destroys the organiza-
tion, deprives officers of their control
OF their men, and, in short, in the enemy's
country insures the defeat of the army in
which these offences are allowed. We have
had numerous examples OF the truth of
this during the present war, the last and
most conspicuous of which was HUNTERS
recent disgraceful and disastrous failure at
Lynchburg.
Yet there are fools and fanatics in the
North who make 1t test of patriotism to
applaud this crazy, ruinous and idiotic mode
of warfare. While their hearts in their
bellies are no bigger than pin heads, they
pretend to be fierce war men, radicals, who
declare the only way to conduct the war is
TO devastate, burn and exterminate. Hum
TER Is q model for such bloyiating poltroons.
They are looked upon by the ignorant and
thoughtless as patriots of the classic type
men among men--but among reasonable
people they are valued at their true stand.
ard, as ridiculous or wicked ignoramuses,
whose efforts to suppress the rebellion,
should they ever make any, would only lead
to the destruction Of our own army and the
triumph Of its foes.