Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-05-18
ws.t Point osnsrsl.nrp vlpale.,.a.


10 the early part Of the rebellion ,Soo
deal OF fault Vas f0uEd with the policy n,
Ihe Government 10 asEigCiug near!y all
the high commAnds 10 graduates Of West
Point il vas msiuuiiuEd that The crush.
lug Of the rebellion did rot dcbena so much
uPou science as upon aptitude add en-
ergyi aDd tbe SLOW progress made Hss, wjtb
considsrabie pitas.biiIiy, attributed 70 The
pTecise aud sdh habit III mibd lbat aye 80
tpt 10 De cups induced By book training.
J. became soTt % popular demaud that
some, &c lessi, cf HE leaders should b.
tnkeH ifesG IRON the people, au1 sbnu i ne
:IiD"ed to operate EItn 81! rhc popular
hte aud eneFsy. TITUS. Patterson, Backs
Butler, fremont, Stck.et, AcCo1k. Lew,s
WaiiHce, AcCieruaud, Preutss, Shields
Carl SGbuTz, aud other civilians OF less
noTs, were made Major Generals. Ii il
curious TO no'e the result OF that popular
dslusiOn. Not a civilian, VI whom SO much
WAS then hoped, fulfilled expectations; aud
many OF them are Responsible for come
serious damage 10 the CAUSE.
To Major General Patterson, more than
any other man, was attributed. the loss of
Bull Kun. His failure to move his eighteen
thousand men upou Johnson, aud thereby
prevent the junction OF the latter WIN
Beaursgard. WAS what mainly pro 5uced our
defeat. Major General Prenuss 1t was
whose division was so badly surprised bY
the first attack at Pittsburg Landing aud
the terrible losses of the first day were
largely due to the failure of Lew Wallace
to get mp bis strong division. eight miles
distant, until nighliall twas Major Cen
erai McCook's ana Critte6deu's forces that
gave way at ChickamanRa, aud nrectpitaIed
| upon as that direInl disaster To tbe fail.
ure of Major General AcClernand to corpe
mp TO time, vas chiefly due the calamitops
result Of GRANTS first great assault upon
V'cksbuTg. By the same sort of faiIpre
MGj Gen. Shields lost US the battle of port
Republic. il was The division of Major
General Carl SchurZ, of the Eleventh
Army Corps, that first gave wayIn panic
at ChanceIlorsville, which occasiCned the
general retreat. Msjor General Sickles
aceoTdlng to the official reports of General
aSade' commanding, aud General HaIleck.
SeneraI-in- Chief, seriously misplaced his
corps at Gettysburg, and thereby came
near bringing general defeat. Mai0r Gen
Fremont, all admit, never accomplished
anything OF valne, though it is disputed
whether this was due to any fault of his
| MAJOR General Butler made serioua
mistake At Great Bethel, and has seen
little military service since until
this last expedition SjuIh of Rich.
mond, the generslship of which baa
yet 10 be proved. OF Aajor Gen. Banks
probably, more was expected than of .any
other civilian who received the donbie
STARE The greatexeculige abilities which
he hsd shown in civil life-his energy. his
qnickness of perception, his methodicsI
directneas, his great powers Of adaptation
I-created an almost universal belief thai
he Wonid speedily become pre-. eminent ss
military ccmmauder The manner In
which be was surprised, aud in which he
managed his retreat up the valley of the
ShenAndoahiD the Summer of 1852. BEGAN
to excite doubts in the minds OF the dis
corning. The needless and bloody attack
upon tie fastncsses of Cedar Mountain in
creased these doubts.
The assaults upon Port Hudson. 10 like
manner needless aud bloody for Port HOd.
son was bound to fall of itself as soon az
Vicksburg should surreuder,) CHANGED
these doubts Into very decided opinion
AID now, At least, tho overthrow 10 Louis.
lana has made it plain to everybody that
Major General Banks is practically no gen
eral At ALL
All this tells very badly against civil
commanders. West Poiat officers have
made their mistakes, bnt nothing in IKE
proportion; aud all the great reinforcement
oil the war have been performed by them |
alone. = 'ueAi