Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-07-08
The Army Of the Potomac.

the Army of the Potomac, its morale, its
leader and its destiny Times.
"lf there be one term which will at
once pointedly and comprehensively char
acterize the fixed moral quality iuto
which the Army of the Potomac has
grown, it seems to me to be a world which
has lost much OF its primitive force from
frequent and iuapplicable use-the word
indomitaWe. 1t cannot be broken; it
cannot be overcome it cannot be reduc-
ed to despair; it has no thought but OF
continuous struggles, through cloud and
through shinc-no prospect other than OF
ultimate success. You feel this every
where, in its ranks and under the most
inauspicious circumstances. You sec it
among the private soldiers, and among
the officers. You notice it in the fore
front of the battle line, and around the
nightly campfire. You see its deep im-
press in all faces ; you hear its express
ion universally; and you behold it work
ing itself out practically. asked, the
other night, a youthful but veteran brig
adler, upon whose little frame are I'M
printed the scars received in thirty bat
tles-near the close of not very sue
cesslul contest in which he had just been
engaged, and while the stray bullets OF
the waning fight were yet whzzlng or
falling around-I asked him, what would
you, what would the army say, if the
North were to give mp this struggle hope
less of ever achieving success 2" o. said
he solemnly, while his eyes flashed indig-
nantly at the thought, 'Oh, | do not
know aohat we would say! But the North
dare not, shall not give it up
This indomitable spirit of the army
springs in part from the reteran charac-
ter. Its patriotic sentiment has become
compact, solid and undivided ; its war
like nature has grown from the gristle
into the bone. 1t has acquired definite
Less unity, and fixedness Of purpose from
its long and many struggles and from the
circumstances and necessities Of military
life. 1t has been hardened by time,
toughcncd by experience, rendered i'm
perturbable by constantly confronting
danger, freed from vanity by its varying
fortunes, capable Of enduring hardship to
the extent of moral capacity, and always
expcctant and corfdent of a glorious
issue to its efforts. it has q practical
knowledge, not possessed by the people Of
the North of the power and pluck Of the
Toe in front but it has no such dread Of
that enemy as have the Northern people.
The soldiers know themselves to be a
match, in fair field, to the rebels whom
they have so often fought. They know
it, not from the newspapers, but because
they have experienced it again and again.
The officers feel the same confidence"
The writer notes some Of specific traits
Of the army as they presented themselves
to his observation, closing his communica-
tion as follows -
Il. Its earneStneSS-its terrible earn
estness. The soldiers Of the Army Of
the Potonsc are perhaps now even too
mach in earnest. They attemted too
much, and can hardly be restrained
They are eageT to achieve what is i'm
possible for them There is nothing at
which they will fnch-as has been prov
ed but lately at Spottsylvania, on the
Chick ahominy and on the Apponattox.-
Their whole souls are in the work. All
tkeir mental faculties and physical powers
are concentrated upon it. Danger is
nothing ; death is but an incident. II
ever, under any Commander, there has
been time when it could be said that
the army was not in deadly earnest, that
time is certainly not now, unde. 1t Gen.
Grant.
ii. The absolute fxedness of purpose
the resoluteaess of the army, l have
already incidentally signalized.
Ill. Its patience under all circum-
stances, its endurance under all fortune.
No complaining, no growing is beard
Wounding and pain are not followed by
whining. In the hospital, on the sod,and
among the mailncd Men trudgng along
the road to City Point, have seen an
amount OF patient, heroic endurance that
will forever glorify the Army of the Po-
tomac in my eyes. Discomforts and hard
ships of all kinds-and only those who
H0Nc pClH Win tHO aim oh 'hio N"'i-
paign can realize its hardships-are borne
with a cheerfulness that could not be sur
pissed.
". It's solidity, compactness, umity
in devotion. The army is thoroughly
knit togethc, by the fmrest bonds. It's
feeling, as already remarked, is one and
universal its purpose is one and definite /;
its general life and action those simply Of
warlike patriotism.
V. Its elastic strength. This is now
the most elastic and mobile OF armies, as
is shown by its marvellous movements and
marches; its operations. fractional and
in the large ; and its entire history since
the opening of the present campaig gn.-
This is consequent. in great measure, up
on the high standard of intelligence that
distinguishes this army from all other ar
mics Of the world.
vi. The mutual respect between Off
GERS aud men, aud their confidence i'll each
other.
There are many other characteristics
which might be noted and dilated upon !;
but if those given convey Il general idea
of the true spirit Of our army, they are
sufficient From time to time ever since
the war began and this army was formed,
the public nave been RECALLED with tcle-
graz phic information that they were in
splendid spirits" in "high enthusiasm, "