Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-01-08

l SHAH TeceiVe IL to'nignt, ana the DAY alter
tomorrow you will have my answer
Sire, know not how to express my graf.
i,ude.'
Prove It then he replied, by telling no
one that you have presented petition and
escaped punishment Good day to you, SIR
With these words, and gracious but mel.
ancholy smile, the Emperor pursued his
walk. did not fail to follow his advice, and
put my letter into the post The Emperor
was true to his promise and two days af.rr
wards received his reply
1t was my commission M fencing master
to the imperial corps Of engineers, with tho
rank OF captain.
From the Atlantic Monthly for January
TxxE BEGINNING or THE END.
A Greeting for the New Year.
ny c. G. HAZEwELL
We are at the close of tho third year Of
| the Secession War. lis customary to speak
of the contest as having been inauguratcd by
tho attack on Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861 :;
but, in strotness, il was begun in December,
| 1860, when the Carolinians formally seeded
from tho Union, which was as much an act
of war as that Involved in firing upon the
national lag that waved over tho strongest
of the Federal forts at Charleston. Even
those who insist that there can be no war
without the use of weapons must admit that
the act of firing upon the Star of the West,
which vessel was seeking TO land men and
stores at Sumter, was an overt net, and as
significant OF the purpose Of the Secession.
lists as anything since done by them. That
occurred in January, 1861 and because our
Government did not choose to accept it as the
beginning Of those hoStilities which had
been resolved upon by tho Southern ultras,
it does not follow that men are bound to shut
their eyes TO the truth. But we all took the
insults that were offered TO the flag in Prcsi
dent Buchanan's time rs coolly as if that
were the proper course Of things, while the
attack on Sumter had the same effect on us
that the acknowledgment of the Pretcndcr
as King Of Great Britain and ireland by
Louis NV. had on the English. War was
then promptly accepted, and has ever since
been waged, with that various fortune whicl,
is known to oil contests, and which will bs
so known while wars shall be known on
earth, i'm other words, while our planet shall
be the abiding place Of man. We have had
victories, and we have had defeats, which is
the common lot but, taken as whole, VIC
If We compare our situation row with what
1t was at the close Of 1869. Great things
have been done in 1868, such "a place tho
military result of the war beyond oil doubt
and permitting us to hope for the early res
toration OF peace, provided thc people sha'
furnish their Government with the human
material necessary 10 infict upon the enemy
that grace stroke which shall put them ou
OF their pain by putting an end 10 their cx
istence; and That Government itself shal
not be wanting in that energy, without which
men and money are worse than useless IN
war, for then they would be but wasted.
The year opened darkly for us /; for no
even the success Of General Rosecrans or
the well contested field of Murfrcesboro'-
success literally extortcd from brave and
stubborn and skillful foc--coud altogethe,
compensate for the Union defeat at Fredricks
burg, defeat that gave additional force tc
the gloomy words Of those grognaras who
had adopted the doctrine that 1t was impos
sible for the Army Of the Potomac to accom-
plish anything worthy of its numbers, and
Of the position and purpose assigned to Il ia
the war. Months rolled on, and little wa.
done, the military losses and gains being no
far from equally shared by the two parties
but that was positively loss to the enemy
whose position it has been from the first
that they must have so large proportion o.
the successes as should tend to encourag.
their people at home and their advocate:
abroad, and so compensate for their inferior
ity in numbers and in property. NOTHING
has tended more, all through the war TO show
the vast difference in the parties to il, thar
the little effect which serious rsyerses have
had on the Unionists in comparison with IN,
effect of similar reycrses On The Confederates
No blow that we have reccivetl-and many
blows have been dealt upon ns-has been fol
lowed by any loss Of territory, and decreas,
Of the means OF warfare, or any diminutior
OF our purpose 10 carry on the contest TO tn,
last piece Of gold and the last greasy green
back. The enemy have taken of our men
Our cannon, our stores, and our money. NOR,
than once, but not one Of their victories pro
duced any ''iruit beyond what was CLEANED
from tho battle. field itself. Our victories or
the contrary, have been fruitful as the posi
ton Of cur forces on the enemy's coast. anc
on inu'h OF their territory, and in many o
their po 'ts, most satisfactorily proves. A.
an English military critic said, the Rebels
might gain battles. but all the solid advanta
ges were with their opponents. A Unior
victory was SO much achieved toward Gina
and complete success a Confederate victory
only operated to postpone the snbjugation o
the Rebels for few days, or perhaps weeks
We could afford to blundcr, while they could
not; and the prospect Of the gallows made
the brains OF Davis and Lee uncom,nonly
clear, and caused them to plan skillfully and
to strike boldly in order that they might gc,
out and keep out Of the road that leads to II
the road to ruin
Tho movement in April, under Genera
Hooker, which led to the battle Of Chnncet
lorsyille, was failure, and for some time tho
country was much depressed in consequence
but our failure, there and then, proved to b,
great gain. Had General Hooker succeed
ed in defeating General Lee in battle. N,
latter would, il is altogether probable hav.
succeeded in retreating to Richmond. behind
the dcfences Of which he would have beld
our forces at bay, and the Peninsular earn
paign OF 1862 might have been repeated 70,
we mad not men enough to render the cap
'nre OF Richmond certain through the eficc
oi regular and steady operations The death
OF Stonewall jackson, ono Of the incident.
oi me April advance, was a severe loss TO th,
enemy, ana promises to be as fatal 10 theil
cause ss was that Of Dundee to the hopes o.
the House OF Stuart. General Lees success,
was really fatal to him. X compelled him &c
make movement in his turn, in June. snd
at gettysburg we had ample compen pensator
for Chanccs'orsville; and the capture Of Nor
gan and his men, in Ohio, following hard up
on Lees retreat from Pennsylvania, put ar
end to all attempts at invasion on the part Of
the Rebels. while we continued to hold sI
L q At..k L.