Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-07-02
Daily guteIIigeuter
THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
A Glance at II I'm the FIeId--Its Spirit
and Character.

What is the spirit, what the feeling, wha
is the condition OF the grand army as
stands under arms here to-day in front o
Petersburgh? 1t is in the heat OF cam
paign now of nearly two months duration
pa campaign of varying fortune, of gi
gsntic battles, of signal successes, of vas
losses, of cesseless activity, of uusurPass
able hardships, of great marches, which
can in no wise be computed by the hun
dred miles it has traversed since the day il
crossed the Rspidau-a campaign charac'
teriZed by cousummate generalship on the
part of its leader, as well as of his subor'
dinates-a campaign demanding the con.
stsnt exercise of every military and manly
quality on the part of every soldier en-.
gsged in it-a campaign of large and
hopeful results, but whose end is not yet
Are the spirit and the feeling of the army
its abiding spirit and permanent feeling
properly or approximately represented by
the spirit and feeling of the people in the
country at large? Is it frothy, boastfulr
sordid, gloomy-now indulging in a hair
Drained and jubilant frenzy that its work
is done, and it's struggles are over; now
overwhelmed with despair because its tolls
are fruitless,- and it's labors impossible of
Accomplishment; now in ecstsoy that the
power of the enemy is utterly and finally
crushed; and now terrified at his might, or
paralyzed by his defiant front, aud ready
to give up the contest as hopeless.
These are vital questions. This is really
the most important consideration at the
present crisis. For upon the spirit and the
bayouets of the great army now in the field
upon this army here by the Appomattox,
under Lieut. Sen. Grant-rests in large
measure the hopes of the nation and the
80 nj
might make great campaigns and win brill
liant victories without ultimately achiev-
ing the object for which battles are fought.
But if its soul be really indomitd6le, aud it's
purpose and courage be such as cannot bc
broken or cowed, then, whatever temporar-
lily may be its fortunes, its final triumphant
success, by the blessing of Heaven, may be
accounted as firmly assured. It is not hard
for one fresh from the crowded cities and
from the bustling activity of civil life, to
form an estimate of this matter, and it re-
quires but brief period of actual contact
with the army to arrive at definite con-
cIusion regarding it.
The army, then, has its lights and shad-
ows, as has the country at large. It is un-
doubtedly more elate of sole and elastic of
step after achieving triumph than after
a discontinue. But the thing that above
all others has astouished and delighted me,
on & view and upon knowledge of this
army-the thing that is stronger, grander,
and more impressive than all its external
show of strength-the thing upon which
my hopes for the future are immovably
fxed--is'the permanent character now i'm
pressed upon this army, and the high, Ee-
roic attributes that apPertain to 1t. Pass
ing from the City of New York to the Ar
my of the Potomac, you do not witness a
greater difference in external circumstances
and surroundings than you discover in the
dominant elements of feeling and the per-
vading aud eu.uring purposes of SOUL
Broadway has its glitteriug variety, and
so, after another fashion, have these forest
camps but the varying and uncertain
voice, the feeble tone and discordant jangle
that one finds existing almost perpetually
in the Metropolis aud elsewhere among the
people, has no place here.
If there be one term which will at once
pointed1y and compreheDsively character
ize the fixed moral quality into which the
Army of the Potomac has grown, it seems
to me to be a word which has lost much of
it's primitive force from frequent and inap-
plicable use-the word Hdomitdbte. 1t
cannot be broken it cannot be overcome !
it cannot be reduced to despair; it has no
thought but of continuous struggles,
through cloud and through shine-no pros
meet other than of ultimate success. You
feel this everywhere, in its ranks aud un-
der the most iususpicious circumstances.
You see it among the private soldiers, and
among the officers You notice it in the
forefront of the battle line, and around the
nightly camp FIRE. You see its deep i'm
press in all faces you hear its expression
universally and you behold it working
itself out practically. asked the other
night, a youthful but veteran brigadierr
upon whose little frame are imprinted the
scars received in thirty battles-nesr the
close of not very successful contest in
which he had Just been engaged, and while
the stray bullets of the waning fight were
vet whizzing or falling around-I asked
him, "what would you, what would the
army say, if the North were to give up this
struggle, hopeless of ever achieving sue
cess 7" "Oh," said he sOlemnly, while his
eyes flashed Indignantly at the thought,
TOh, do not know whdt we would say |!
But the North dare not, shall not give II
up"
This iudomitable spirit of the army
springs in part from its UeterdH character
lis patriotic sentiment has become com
pact, solid aud undivided; its warllke ma
ture has grown from the gristle into the
bone. 1t has acquired defniteness, unity
and fxedness of purpose from its long and
many struggles, and from the oircum'
stances aud necessities of military life. II
has been hardened by time, toughened by
experience, rendered imperturbable by
constantly confronting danger, freed from
vanity by its varying fortunes, capable OF
enduring hardship to the extent OF mortal
capacity, and always expectant and conn
dent of a glorious issue to its efforts. II
has practical knowledge not possessed
by the people of the North, of the power
and pluck of the foe in frouti but 1t has
no such dread Of that enemy ss have the
Northern people. The soldiers know them.
selves to be match, man for man, and
more than a match, in fair held, to the
rebels whom they have SO often fought
They know II, not from the newspapers
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