Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-01-16
WHOLE NUMBER 1884,

4
that the current Revenue did not half de-.
ray the current expenditures, though no
preparation was being made for the swiftly
approaching war; the National credit SO
shattered that paltry. loan required to
meet the pressing exigencies of the Treasu.
ry was only taken at an interest of twelve
per cent.--double the rate in which several
OF the States could have borrowed money
and bad The loan taken at a prcmium-Y--
double the rate which the National loan
bore which the Treasury had been redeem.
ing, few months before, at sixteen per
cent. premium. Though all the more
Southern States, the Militia and Volunteers
we're ostentatiously mastering, arming.
drilling, for the approaching war; while
fully half the Press and People of the re-
naming States seemed to be Thoroughly in
sympathy, not with the imperilcd Republic.
but with those banded for meuacing her
destruction. Nowhere in the North were
soldiers being raised for the impending
crises; nowhere were even arms being pro-
vided for the struggle visibly at hand
The oracles Of Commerce and Wealth
Throughout the still loyal States appeared
TO prehend-certa aihIy to contemplate
!
than by surrendering it at discretion to its
wonld oe destroyers-no way to preserve
the Union but their abasement to its dead.
Iy foes and begging them TO do their will
with the whole of it instead of the Slave
States only. 1t was tremblingly hoped that.
by making scapegoat Of New England
and prehaps two or three of the more fana.
tcal States of the Northwest, the Slave
Power might be SO placated that II
would graciously pardon the remaining
States for their yast alterations and allow
them to crawl in at the back door of its
nnscent ConfederacY. Thus gioomily, men.
acingy, opened the year 1861. -
Little better indeed, was the dawn of
1862. For the loyal States had aroused
from their apathy, and pnt forth their
strength for the deadly encounter invoked
by the Slave Power, only, seemed, to en-.
counter defeat, disaster aud even disgrace
| From the treacherous surrender of the main
portion of our little army, with all its arms
and munitions, by Twiggs 10 Texas, down
through the triumphant bombardment of
Fort Sumter, and the betrayal of the Nor.
fork Navy Yard with its immense stores of
caunon, ammunition, and material, thence
through the Baltimore massacre. Great
Bethel, Bull Run, Patterson's shameful
campaign in the Shenandoah, Wilson's
Creek, Lexington, and the two insane re.
treats from Springfield, Mssouri-the first
after the lamented death Of Lyon; the sec.
ond after the NEST deplorable removal of
Fremont-down through the gallant but
mismanoged butcbery at Belmont, to that
mcst wanton aud inexcusable affiir at
Balls Bluff, the first year of couact had
been one of almost unbroken misfortune to
the National arms, relieved only by the bril-.
liant Naval achievement in the capture of
Port Royal. immense efforts had been
made-euormous expenditures Incurred
great and gallant armies had beer raised
and noble expeditions fitted QUIT would
seem only to increase the number of our
failures, the magnitude of our disasters.
Some malignant spell seemed to have been
east over the National arms, rendering
Patriotism important and Valor vain: SO
that the rebellion held nearly every foot of
ground over which it had ever unfurled its
flag, having Tennessee entirely in its pos.
session, aud drawing recruits nd supplies
in large measure from Missouri and Ken.
lucky, while the Mississippi was locked in
its embrace from Cairo to the Gulf aud its
main army held Washington 10 virtual
siege, with the Potomac closed to our com i.
merce on our side and the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad completely broken up and
INSTRUCTED on the other. so that al, the
subsistence and supplies of our Grand Army
aud of our thronged Metropolis must reach
them over single track Railroad from
Baltimore. - .s ~
Another year passed--ya year Of bloody
conflicts and strange mntalions-but with
no decided advantage. on The whole, to the
National arms. Missouri, in deed, had
been secured to US by the protracted.
saugunary, glorious struggle at Pea Ridge,
and by Gen. Curtis's uncontested march
through Northern Arkansas to Helena.
while the capture of Fort Donelson the
hasty abandonment by the Rebels of Bow.
ling Green and Of Nashville, the successes
of Burnside on th9 Atlantic cost of North
Carolina, the destruction of the Merrimac.
the rebel flight from Norfolk, the recovery
of the lower Mississippi from Cairo down
to Memphis aud beyond, but, above all,
the conquest of New Orleans aud of all the
center OF Louisiana and the mouths of the
MlSSlSofIpl, Huu uiiSu tbO ucuttc Vi TUG 10y
al people with exultation, aud for time
promised a speedy and complete overthrow
of the Rebellion. But the fearful carnage Of
: P,ttshurg Landing (Shioh) had most i'm.
portant conclusion in Beauregard's Juno.
Tested ret eat from C0rinth: the remem-
brance of Mitchel's rapid and brilliant
successes in Northern Alab INA had betn
i eifaced hy Butl's dfeary summer OF unac.
: countable if not treacherous inactiou and
d uusuccess; the tardy advance of Mcclellan
d on Richmond had eliminated in a discred.
itable (beeause partial and half hearted
struggle and an inglorious retreat-a re.
IS treat which the closing conflict at Malvern
Hills proved 10 have been pa1ic stricken
y aud wholly needless. Then followed Pope's
7; disasters on the RappahaDnock and around
T Centeryille, bringing the nation to the brink
d of rnin-disasters but partially compensat
d ed by the victory at South Mountain and
. the drawn fight that might and should
q have been decisive victory at Anlietam
l. Finally came Burnside's i'll judged assault
an and terrible reDnlse frOm the strOno