Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-07-21
MILITARY BUCOLICS.
subject.

senng the distinctive types of their respective ma
tonal characters, were required to prepare the most
accurate report on the sze shape nature and habits
Of the camel, they would each set about the per
Torrance of the task in differentway. The Eng
lishman would Immediately betake himself 10 Inc
regions inhabited by the quadruped, and there study
him in all his aspects and relations, preliminary to
the preparation of the required treatise. Inc
Frenchman with nice analysis and wide research,
would speedily collect all that had been written on
the subject by antecedent observers, and from
these resources compile, with rare ingenuity and
faultless method, mastery description OF the
ship Of the desert" The German, true to his
subjective nature would follow still another course.
He would ruminate long on the conditions OF the
proposed problem in the seclusion OF his closet,
and there, after much profound meditation on the
pro-established harmonies and anaogles VI the
animal world would gradually proceed to develop
the bulk, habits, figure, and qualities Of the camel
y5ons the depths of has internal consciousness
We have been reminded Of these several me-
thods of inquiry by the different specuations OF
some of cur contemporaries, with regard to the
size purposes and operations of the force recently
engaged for two weeks at different points in the
invasion Of Maryland The English methed OF
obser 'ation having been pretermitted (elther from
prudential considerations from want OF natural
curiosity on the part of our military authorles) until
the opportunity of testing scientifically the pro-
portions and aspects of the invading force OF the
| enemy was lost, it follows that all who are now
animated by love of knowledge on this subject,
aud who have sufficient energy to pursue 1t under
difficulties, are left to select one or the other OF
the two remaining methods-the French or the
| German Some there are who much affect the
French system of inquiry They gather coplously
all that has been seen said, or written by others
about the operations of the invaders, and, accord
ing to their means of correct information, and the
measure of their credulity, proceed from the data
| before them to determine the probable numbers,
movements, and designs of the invaders Under
these circumstances, is natural that the accounts
cleaned in this way with regard to the nom
descript Confederate camel recently wandering on
our borders should differ widely, according tc the
sources from which they are drawn.
But the German method of scientific deduction
is, after ALL the favorite one with few persons Of
| more philosophical and speculative turn of mind
| Abstracting their thoughts from the sublunary
things of time and sense, and placing profound
and implicit reliance on the inscrutable wisdom of
our military administration, they proceed, with
much assurance of faith and docility of under
standing, to argue the magnitude of the enemy
| from the magnitude of the panic into which our
authorities we're thrown. Where the fright was
so great it is natural to suppose they cogeny rea-
son, that it was created by adequate cause, and
as nothing less than fifty thousand veteran troops,
aiming to take the capital, ought to have sentsuch
terror before them into the hearts of our rulers,
erqo the recent invading force numbered fifty
thousand, and 1oas designed to take Washington.
This is the German method of developing the size,
movements, and objective points of an army,
@ from the depths of the internal consciousness"
and is, we need not say, the one most approved by
loyap and official minds.
1t we're useless to inform our readers that our
highly subjective and philosophical contemporary,
the Washington Chronicle, favors the Germanic
method Of inquiry with regard to the nature, mag
ultuut, ObJcGlS VI VIC lOOShe Va NAAJ
land In its number of Saturday last it says:
The rebels are hatered because they have put two
great capitals Washington and Baltimore, in terror, land
lei ms for our o,sn sas aocpl the assertion that they hare
done ruth peTy large foree that they will not hesitate
rep, the experiment and when they do enrench
enis should be filed with earnest, eager and disciplined
\ men"
We should like to crafty our confding neigh
Dor by accepting the plea which it makes to the
ndulgent consideration Of the people when it asks
them for own sakes" to accept "the assertion"
that it must have been ga very large force" which
could have "put two great capitals, Washington
and Baltimore in terror" The "terror," we cheer
fully admit, in the case Of those for which it is
entitled to speak, if it will be any satisfaction to
our contemporary, but we beg humbly to suggest
that il will require something more than asser-
tom to convince US that ca very large force" is
the only cause which could produce such an effect
| on certain persons not necessary to be named-re-
| siding in Baltimore Of course. We must have
more cogent evidence on this point. Especially is
such evidence necessary when the Chronicle devoes
itself daily to the insertion in its reporters columns
of facts and testimony which tend utterly to dis
credit the military theory projected under its edi-
toral head with regard to the extent and object Of
the invasion For instance, in its number Of Sat
urday, the reporter Of our contemporary, who has