Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-04-04
whar a Fremont 5ournar rninxs or
The AdministratiOn, Generals and
Iron wilkes Spirit Of The Times. |

People.
From wilkes spirit Of the Times.
Thus far. Grant has certainly beepa most for
tunate man; aud Il may be, he will carry his luck
with him 10 the future, to the advantage of the
country; but we cannot repress a serious concern
at the manner in which he has opened the Lieu
tenant Generalship. nor resist feeling,of dis
couragement at the names OF the commanders he
has chosen to support his operations If it be
really true that he is himself man of merely
middling qualities, whose good chance it has been
to lead the only army not corrupted by dssen-
sons. then indeed has medOcrity been inaugural
ed in both branches of the State, and this great
people delivered over to hazard which no pa
trioJ can scarcely contemplate without shudder.
IL was misfortune enough. tbst men who do
not represent the ard0F or resolution OF the peo-
pie. should be at the helm Of the civil govern
ment; but it IS deplorabe indeed, nay. utterly
alarming that the great issues OF the impending
conflict should be confded TO Generals of feeble
natures and INFERIOR ability. not one of whom re-
sDects that popular sentiment which is the aUant
courier Of destiny. and which1s pressing on this
We cannot close enr eyes to this salient
fact in relation to both BE Administration and
the army In cOunterpart~to conservative
Executive. supported by Nessrs. Seward Blair
and Bates, we find first our voiceless chieftan
and a run of Generals, who do not represent four
per cent. of military quality
First Sherman, who commenced this war by
stating his belief it would last thirty years next
"Baldy" Smith, unknown to the record of sin
gle victory; and then Mcpherson, tolerable
soldier, but not warranted for the large grasp to
which he has been assigned. To Sherman, who
has been an unvarying failure, Grant, with whom
he IS first favorite has assigned the vice royalty
Of the Mississippi-and this in the face of his
faseO at Chattanooga. his ridiculous pursuit of
Longstreet and the complete miscarriage of his
recent raid at Selmal To Mcpherson, a CON-
~. a. ~ a,rN
he has donated the Department Of East Tennes-
see; thus ignoring the paramount claims of
Thomas Rosecrairs aud Hooker. Rosecrans
restored that region to the domain of the Re-
public: Thomas defended it to our possession by
his combined genius and heSQism at the battle of
Chickamauga; and Hooker finally saved il by
his mastery operations in Lookout Valley, and
his subsequent magnificent hanking of Mission
ary Ridge, (Which Sherman bad butted at una
VailingIy for two days. by the capture OF Look
out Mountain. Were not certain that envy
dwelIs not in celestial minds, we might suppose
that Grant. doubtful of bis own superiority, had
determined to surround himself only with mill
tary inferiorties, by whom he is sure not to be
out-dazzed But the most glaring wrong which
has been attempted, as incidental to this new
military phase. Is the nomination by the Presi-
dent (Of course at the instance of Gen. Grant,)
Of Badly Smith, TO the Major Generalshp in
the regular army made vacant by his own pro-
motion
When we first heard that Badly Smith, who
never signalized himself for ANYTHING but the
worship of Mcclellan. was to be named for the
great Ommand on the Potomac, we thought the
suggestion was put forth in derisiOn-indeed. only
extreme sarcasm on the utter inefficieDcy
of Meade; but when we learned that Badly had
been preferred by Grant as the most proper man
be heir of his own unbelted sword. felt the
apprehension we have expressed ut the outset of
this article and saw that for some unseen pur-
pose MediOcrity to be purpoSely installed in
all the superior positions in the field IF il be
thought that this is strained, a glance over the
list of conservative W est Pointers, who now hold
the crisis in their hands will perhaps Obstinate
such protest Accepting Grant without question,
what shall we say to "A string OF vicerOys and
marshals such Sherman, Meade, Badly Smith,
Sedgwick. franklin. Sykes, Newton. Schofeld,
French. ID genus OmReS and reverting back again,
what can we hope for from the feeble. if not per-
verse, Administration which sustainS themI
What shall be thought, in particular, of the hon
esty of the President. which, with all due desire
TO let Grant have his way, should have consented
10 recommend the name of Badly Smith to the
United States Senate as worthy, By his record in
this war, OF the two stars and a marshal's baton7
Whatever Lincoln might be willing TO coRcede
to Grants wishes in assigning Badly to command,
he had no right to administer this deliberate in
justice TO the host of soldiers who have served
the country better Mr. Lincoln, if net Gene
raj himself has at least looked on the progress
of the war. and while presenting Badly for a
Major Generals rank in the regular service, his
cheeks should have blushed leaving the hero
of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Glendale, Ante
tam. Wauhatehe, Pea-Vine Creek. Ringod and
Lookout Mountain simple Brigadier. He
ought to have blushed TO crimson at the same
time If be thought of Thomas. the victor of the
bloody fight at Chickamauga.
Iii the observation Of these things, the re-
Election on their gross Injustice and the fear, that
il the medOcrity which perpetrates such outrages
should fail again this spring to administer a de
cisive blow 10 the rebellion, the resolution of
the country may die out-that makes US almost
tremble to look forward Never before have we
felt depression equal to that which assails at
this moment. Three years have now elapsed
since the commencement of the A debt of
sixteen hundred millions stares in the face;
and nearly half million of our soldiers have
been utterly used up. The elastic hope which
buOyed the earlier stages of the struggle has
largely faded out. while. so far as the Confede-
rates are concerned, they are better off to-day,
to sastain three wears more of contest, than at
any previous period Of the war. The manufac-
tories they at 6rst required are now constructed
agriculture and the science of subsistence have
taken settled shape; and all the suferngs and
sacrifices which are necessary to season people
TO exploit. have been endured. Moreover they
feel That the period of probation which foreign
powers limit for struggling populations TO earn
the name OF nationality, Is very nearly up Is il
not. therefore. painful. nay. alarming. that, at
such a crisis, mediOerity and doubtful purposes
should WELD the entire sway? Yet such is the
case; and we dwell upon IL. we are almost
driven TO believe that God not only is not it'll us
but against He has cOnfOunded our udg-
ments, divided councils, and delivered US
into the hands Of the feeble, the faint. hearted
and the blind
And who should he be with Us. base, groveng,
and corrupted we arel We are not with himl
We n goddess, cOnscenceless. religionless
people. There is no honor, virtue, no devo-
ton, except among the masses, while ninety per
cent Of all who range above the thousand dollar
incomes mere IynxeYed sharpers. who are
watching every neighbor with suspicion. and who
subordinate every sentiment to self. Debauched
by an extravagant prosperity, and spared merci-
fully from MI sacrifices, we have ungratefully
forgotten due reliance upon heaven; and the
result Is that, except in the of the simple,
yirtuOus laboring people, we have practically
become a community of atheists. There is no
conscience attached TO the intelligence and wealth
Of the community; and laymen ~ are. and of
the world, we say unto you, fellow countrymen.
that there can be no lasting government without
public virtue; no enduring nationality without a
universal sense Of God. Handled as our country
has been in the Geld. and stupefej il is by the
tricksters Of the Cabinet, il would seem that we
are only 10 arrive At the stage when we may be
permitted 70 rebuild, by suherBgs and sacrifices,
and. perhaps. through preliminary chaos which
Il il dreadful 10 anticipate. This mournful des-
tiny would seem to be foreshadOwed in the fact
that. impatient Of our folly. He has allowed US
In Of L.oa