Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-08-18
A MILITARY REVIEW WANTED.
We find the following article in the Wash
ington Chronicle of Sunday last:

/ we unu IOHOWlnS III lno w ASH
| ington Chronicle of Sunday last
1.-THE National Inelrgencer has fred several broadsides
of late into the military administration has pointed out IT'S
failures and its bundes and exhibited to The world such
melancholy picture 0i the situation as to leave upon the
public mind in this country and in Europe, or it's articles
will be copied and circulated by our enemies abroad)
impression any thing but favorable to the Union
The age and respectabilty of that journal its immemo
rial character for candor and moderation, its knack OF
being considered, in all weathers almost If not alto
gether, semi official will give to ts utserances an mpor
lance and diffusion il not far beyond at any rate fully
equal to their intrinsic merits That we are not overat
ing the magn influence of the Inteligencers sombre
views Of the situation, especially Foreigners Is
shown by what read in that journal Friday last The
Courier des Etats Uns is French paper published in
New York under the patronage OF Louis Napoleon HIM
IT. who has very recently conferred upon its editor the
distinction of member of the Legion of Honor for his ad
vocacy Of French interests in this country This French
newspaper printed American sol, which has been in
existence for perhaps twenty years. and oitea inter
changes court ses with venerable neghbor last
week synopsis of the Inellgencers long aud very
friendly criticism upon Gen Grants campaign OF the pre-
sent summer, which is characterized failure; and
added that this sally of the Inteigencer is remarkable
for more than one reason In the first place, because
proceeds from Republican journals and secondly, bs
the official relations of this journal mystery to
nobody The laegencer copies this statementln order
to dsclam the character Of official organ. But,
time, the Courres resume of its severe critque and sum
mary judgment upon Gen Grants campaign is far on ts
way Europe 1t will be copied into all the Ministerial
journals of Paris into the London Times and other jour
nails unfriendy to the United States, accompanied with
the Courrer's endorsement of the Intellgencer as an
| official organ.
Following upon the heels of the Courier another class
of French readers-tbe Lberalsto their sorrow, will
receive lie Messenger Franco Amercan of perhaps day
or two later, containing the similar resume OF
the INTEL article coup with the editorial state
ment that the National lntelgencer Washington jour-
nal entirely devoted to The Administration, has made re-
view OF the military operations OF Gen Grant 10 Virginia
The length OF the article will not admit of complete
tra sGtion, but present its most salient points This
conrr alton from liberal journal of the Courriers state
ment viii leave for doubt, and the European
world will receive the Intellgencors article as semi
ocia admission of the failure of the Virginia campaign
The articles of the same Journal upon the invasion OF Ma.
rand and Pennsylvania and ta silence 10 regard to sue
other quarters will also find their to Europe
through the channels and the effect cannot BIO other
wise than Injurious to the Unon and credit and
highly beneficial to those OF the rebels
Now there is way, and but one, 10 which the III
teigencer degree atone for the injury 1t has IN
fcted upon the of the country by persseny pre-
senting the dark aide of the picture Let it devote at
least five columns to general review Of the progress of
the from the day that Fort Sumter fired upon TO
the present tmeor it should 20 little beyond that date
to the first which made Of forts and arsenas
aud tothe surrender of the army Texas by the bas
traitor of them ALL Twiggs. We know OF journalist IN
the country who better gused tbaa the author OF the
recent military articles in the Integrncer to make such
review. We not what he thinks of the War Depart
ment, or Of the successive commanders OF our armies
That which demand is statement of the SITUATION of
the parties to the cont st at its beginning and at the
sent moment. We wish spec fc balance made OF the
gains and losses each sdenot history of battles aud
sleRes nvasons and counter nvasons, but the results
accomplished Let him nothing extenuate, nor aught
set down 10 malice What did the Government. holt
three years age, and what does it hold now What did
the rebels hold three years ago and what do they hold
noW2 What the relative resources Of the parties in
men and supplies three and what are they now
We ask that the Integencer will give the same
degree OF earnest thought aud careful research t. the
hbtlon g the us Of the that ii has often dis
played in the exposure of s tge ment side
Such article would be- widely copied by the friends and
foes of the Admnstratonn not by the foes of the Gov
enmentcertanly at home, and probably abroad and It's
author might then claim to have done the State
vice, an Offset to the manifest injury he has inflicted"
1t is the misfortune, it would seem, of the cha
racter which this journal has acquired, for the
qualities ascribed to it by the Chronicle or for
some others, that the views of its editors should
sometimes be supposed to be worthy of the pens of
men distinguished enough to hold high places
under the Government 1t is thus, as we learn,
that our recent article Of the 18th utimo, entitled
fThe Late National Humiliation" was ascrbed
in certain quarters to a member Of the Cabinet,
who, we suppose from such an ascription, is pre-
sumcd not to think much more highly of the mill
tary administration than we do. And still more
recently our review of the military operations Of
Gen. Grant has, by some Of our contemporaries,
with equal truth and probability been attributed
to Gen. IIalleck.
| As the Chronicle acquits US Of being party to
these dclusions with regard to the official author
ship or inspiration Of our articles, we beg simply
to suggest that it is not our fault, if, for any
reason, more distinguished writer's are reputed
the authors of our humble ucubrations, while, if
the moderation of our military criticisms in their
severcst estate is such as to excite the sus-
picion that they proceed from ogiciat sources, VIC
may at esst see in this fact an enviable tribute to
their candor and fairness.
SO far az regards the particular suggestion with
which the Chronicle concludes the foregoing cta-
ton, We may say fo- the information Of our neigh
Dor that we had proposed to ourselves the task Of
preparing, at any early day, in the interest of
truth, if not Of our military administration, such
an extended review of military operations as it
describes, but we we're never convinced OF its in
slant necessity until we read the following alarm
ing and dispiriting representations, made in its
number of yesterday where, speaking Of the steps
now taken to arm aud drill the Department clerks
in this city, the Chronicle proceeds to viDdicste
not only its propricty but It's necessity in terms
presagipg long continuance of the present de-
plorablc war. 1t says:
ro bo.e who are opposed to drilling because 81 their
belief that they will be compelled to practice aught