The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-08
\ CONTRAST.

Pres ne Tmes.
A few days since, Rebel leader, McCauslaud,
was burning an undefended village in Peunsyl-
vania, which had never offered resistance, turn
Eng half make d women and babes out from their
flaming houses, destroying churches and hospi-
tails, aud violating, with his robber crew, all the
laws of honorable warfare Acknowledged among
civilized nations. Two weeks earlier, Union
General = Rousseau was ia the heart of the
Rebel country, in Alabama; be found in a GER
taly village. named Loachapoka, a depot Of
p stores and factory.
The were very properly burnt, but the ada
cent houses OF the citizens were saved by The
personal exertions Of the General and his soldiers
the latter putting their own wet blankets on the
roofs in Talladcga, Confederate gun factory
was broken up rather than burned, for fear that
private houses might also suffer. Again at another
station, the bospi ais and tents for the sick ReDes
were carefully spared.
We like eHch contrasts and we arc not sur
prised nc them. General Rousseau Il the public
ofnotr of a great nation, and he is gentlem IN :
AcCRutl0nd Is a vulgar brigand and Rebel,
serving a horde of robbers.
We have from the beginning, MS our readers
viii testify, objected 10 the destruction of private
property on either side, any further than 1t con-
tribuied directly to the support Of the war IL is
q q the last degree uuwise and useless to tue
, attacking parry. So far from bringing people
to subjectiOn it arOuses them TO teniOld despera-
tlOn. We nave only 70 Abhr Ourselves now we
should feel towards Govern lent whose soldiers
had bu' ned the roof over wife and children, and
I turntd us out, without penny, on the world.
We should lose henceforth all thought Of any
interest, except hate and revenge. We should
have passed the limit in vhicn q man cures for
anything, except TO retaliate on his enemies and
every Northern man wOu d certainly choose "the
last ditch" or eternal exile, before submission TO
such a conQuerOr.
:, Then such barbarities strike quite as often
Z The disAffected, or those half in union with the
Invaders, rs any other, and, Of course, they
make them enemies instead of half friends. We
have no doubt that every Invasion Of Maryland
4 produces a strong accession of loyalists 70 the
Union party. And in like manner, every un-
necessary abuse or violence in our raids con-
Terts numbers TO the Confederacy. Moreover,
such brutal attacks as those at Cbambersbuf2 do
not serve the invader His object SHOULD he to
supply his forces to extort all he can from the
population, and to destroy the puDlic stores.
BonapaTte understood the art of Invasion.
He never permitted any such bungling opera
(. tons as burning villages and destroying private
homesteads, OF pluldering cities. When he en-
tertd a wealthy district or rich city, he at once
I established a system of exnct levy aud forced
z contribution, In return for which be protected
the cultvators and the citizens from abuse and
. plunder. II was this system which enab cd him
so many years to support war by war, without
, bufdening France beyond her power. II was
= often, indeed, deviaied from, but wherever vio-
I lated-as in Spain-it proved source of endless
trouble and disaster TO him. In the latter
country, he converted whole people into que
rillas, who might otherwise have patiently sub
!, mitted ~ him.
I The destruc ion and plunder of private pro-
perty Is, besides, tho most fatal thngto good dis
cipline The military historian of tue Peninsular
War remarks, that one OF the great causes of Sir
John Moore's disaster was the permission given
the soldiers, during portion of the retreat, to
enter private houses which they plundered, and
where they lost all the restraints of their OFF,
GERS. We believe the remarkable moderation
chn hy RRhgla N inVQgiOn n
sylvania last year, was due TO this cause more
than any other the fear of their experienced
officers That the bonds of discipline would be
slackened.
The sweeping off of the crops. and supplies, and
cattle of q country by raids, are of course a
: cecessarF part of war, aud must be accep'ed by
MA aries. When, also, any important mill
ID ration must he carried out-in siege or
IsfO THU rivaie properly, houses and everything
y TO- be regarded. When General Sherm An,
,tSyIyasis pressing haste 70 join Burnside in East
t.sD q, and the pontoons being delayed,
destTOt 4 a whole village, 10 make his bridges
he was perfectly justified. In like manner, the
Rebels have perfect right, according 10 the laws
Of war, TO shell IIarper's Ferry village, If that
will effect the evacuation OF the Heights.
But what we object TO il, the wanton plunder
and devastation of priVa,e property along the
march, by soldiers without orders. II General
Hunter did burn the residence of the Governor
of Virginia, we hold it an act unworthy of q
Federal officer, just as we expect the act of burn
, ing Governor Bradfords house from rutiiar
" ike Gilmor
We do not believe that great number of such
~ffenses rest on our cscutcheon. We believe the
adyance of our armies South has been attended
with as little useless destruction as the circum
stances would admit of. The great devastation
: has been of houses and felds abandoned by thei
owners and in such cases scarcely any discipline
can project them. We know OF no single instanc
like this of Chambersburg, and we never expec
to hear of any. Humanity will always be mari
OF the superior civilization Of the North.