Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-09-21
n.IEIGH: FRIDAY. SEPT. 1s. 1864.
Wilmington.
Wilmington.
The Confederate of "Wednesday is Of opinion that
,,..,rton will be speedily attacked by the enemy


wilmington will be speedily attacked by the enemy;
Nd in view of this it enters its protest against re-
..;r;rr Gen. Whiting in command. 1t says:
ave should tail to do our duty to the State and
o,r sense of right, if we withheld the fact that
.rv large portion of our people do not have conf
'anc. in this officer for that command and desire
S;,ber that one of higher grade should supersede
t;,n or that some other should be substituted Tor
mn. I!n' This is fact, we'll known and if Gen.
sntnp T" should be retained at Wilmington and the
p,r,. bslow are lost, there will 90 forth against the
l;r.tration fierce and general accusation. We
~ nat intend to discuss Gen. Writings merits or
Ss Ssnerts. nor to indicate our own opinion on the
sarts which VIC feel bound to notice If Whining
ion is worth defending, it is worth defending sue.
crssfully-worth defending to the death. 1t Will
rso,,re commanding officer of patient, calm, On
,rcItable temperament, who will not be liaoie 10
lose his balance by any sxtransous circumstance:
II will REQUIRE not only this patience camnsss and
,rscdom from excitement, but it will call for the
nossession not only of ordinary, but of indomltaole
nerve About the commanding officer there Will
rrore to he an Indifference to danger that Its pre-
,.nce cannot shade 1t will require sagaclous dis
cr;mnator and Judge of character, for the selection
If ncers within the Forts, and the men to Dc used
rnj.r them must be of the kind that will know no
surrender-of the stamp who will forget forts
Gaines and Morgan, and remember Fort Sumter.
We agree with the Confederate that the first mill
tary talent should be assigned to Wilmington and
that such lsfence should be made as will reflect
credit on North. Carolina and the brave troops at
and below that place. We also agree with that pa
per that Gen. Whiting is not the man for the occa
s;on and we do so without positively kno"'ng what
the "extrareous circumstance" is to which that
,oner refers "Extraneous -" extransous" What
does our contemporary mean! The word is defined
to mean "existhg without" May it not exist
withins We confess we do not know.
The Confederate adds, eff General Clingmsn's
wound will allow, Wilmington, in our opinion,
could not be in safer hands" Gen. Clingman will
fight and he would no doubt hold on to the place
with bull dog tenacity; but tho Confederate ad-
ms that Gen. Clinguan's "acts of usefulness in
the service "have not yet had their reward" sud
it is not likely, at this late day, that favorte off
Ger who is liable even to "lose his balance by any
extraneous circumstance" will be retired to make
room for North Carolina Brigadier. Has the
Confederate no fear of consequences before its eyes
when it thus taps the President, no matter how
gently, over the shoulders of Gen. Whitings
But the Confederate turns over new leaf in mil
tary tactics, by assuming that the best mode Of
saving Wilmington is by capturing Newbern. "
1t thinks the Gorernor and the commanding officer
of Reserves, that is, Gen. Holmes, "may organize
force sufficient to sit down before Newbern and
compel Its surrender! We doubt the feasibility
of the undertaking: In the first place, the Con-
edsran thinks that the best military talent is nee
essary to successful defence of Wilmington, while
it suggests the most ordinary military talent to save
Wilmington by capturing Newbern; and secondly,
while every citizen Of the Ssase would be glad to
see Newbern captured and re occupied by oul
troops, yet it is hardly to BE- expected that Gov
Vance and Gen. Holmes, in command of some
thousands of unframed Reserves, could accomplish
what Generals Hill and Hoke have failed to do with
siege guns and regular troops.
We will tell the Confederate what will save Viii.
nington and Petersburg, and the State of Georgia.
Desperate fighting! No giving back, no strategy,
no waiting till We get stronger, but desperate fight
ing That is the key Of steel, tipped with fire
which must unlock the door that conducts to vic.
tory.