Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-06-24
OUR NEXT FOURTH OF JULY.
Bv HORACE GREELEY.

July 4th, 1861, was q day of hopeful
though anxious expectation. Oar National
armies had crossed into Virginia, and ere
from all sides advancing, or about to ad
vance, on the Rebel levies; 10 the West,
they bad already encountered, both in
| Virginia and Missouri, the foes of our
Union, who had fed in dsmay before them.
Onr rulers were resisting Stubborny the
importantly of Governors, Mayors and
fuuctionaries Of all degrees, that they might
be allowed to raise or accept aud send for
ward more regiments, more batteries, more
force Of every kind SO as to insure success
beyond doubt in the impending struggle
near Wabington. The Administration felt so
sure of easy and conclusive victory that it
grudged the cost at which others would
! have placed i: beyond contingency; aud CT
the rs, 600 men within two days march of
the Capital. but 1000 were concentrate ed
for the advance upon aud battle near Ma
uassas which resulted in such utter and
needless disaster. A joyous, proud, exulting
Fourth was that of lS6l----our last day of
National stivity for many anxious months
-ay, for years.
July Alb, 1862, called us to very
different entertainment. Oar grand army
beesguering Richmond had becu suddenly
and strangely assailed, worsted, rolled up,
driven of, aud, abandoning its pre.estab
| lisbed communtca tioDs, bad been driven TO
! he bank Of The Jam es, where it was 1--WE
hopcd) holding at bay the Rebel alutitudes
silently gathered fom all quarters, aud in
tent on its capture or distraction. The is.
sue was still in doubt at our then latest ad.
vices; but these left the woeful chance of
its complete discontinue aud consequent
ruin at least equally probibe with any
other. A dark, a fearful day wheteon to
celebrate the anniversary of our National
Independence was that Of 1862
Nor was the opeuing Of our rext Fourth
much less doleful and dscooragiug. Trne,
Grant had at last achieved some conSidera.
bic successes in Mississippi, but Vicksburg
Steruly defied bis power, and Johnston
with an army Of very considerable though
unascertnined strength was advancing 10
its deiverance. Banks was besegiug
Port Hudson, aud no reason had been
given to the public for expecting its speedy
reduction. And in Virginia, Hooker's
mock to Charlottesville had been so
sgpully foiled and bbfTled that be had re.
crossed with heavy loss in men, ma. erial,
and prestige; and the exuting Rebels
had thereupon commenced crcptous but
determined advance which had brought
them into Pennsylvania, where our main
army, under an urtried commander, had
been struggling against them since the lst,
with heavy losses at tue outset; with du
bions fOrl unes afterward; SO that it was
generally aed reasonably appreheDded, over
most of this broad lapd when The bells
rang out the opening of another Iudepen.
dence Day, that the Army Of the Potomac
had again been worSted that ano her had
nen added to The days which tried the
firth of Americans ~ho loved their whole
| country and demanded Liberty for all her
people. Before noon, guar ded telegram
from the President justified the joyful trust
that our Army had not been beaten; but
it was not yet known nor probable that
! Lee bad accepted the result as decisive and
commenced his fnal retleat from the soil
OF the loyal states. Could We have kuown
this on that day-and not this only, bur
hat L mberton had that morning surren.
deTed Vicksburg, with % 600 men and
$50 cannon, to Grants inyiucib army,
lille Port Hudson was preparing soon TO
follow the ex ample, restoring TO tho Re.
public the exclusive control and free use
Of the mighty Missi,ippi. with what
d iierent AID morej yously.g' atcful emotions
wou d that day have been celebrated from
Madow oska 10 San Francisco and from
Lake Superior to New Orleans!
Another year passed, aud gloom had
again settled down on loyal faces aud
hearts. Grants determined, persistent nd.
vance from the north of the Rappahanpock
to The south Of the James bad involved des.
pers,e fighting and tremendous losses; bis
last struggles at Coal Harbor, in front of
Petersburg, and especially the sanguinary
faSco at Fort Fisher, had diffused dscour-
agement and dependency through the
land. He had failed to cut or clutch the
Railroads stretching southwark aud south
westward from Richmond through Peters.
burg; while SheTman's gallant advance
through Northern Georgia had encountered
bloody checks at Resaca aud other difficult
passes, and had not yet been rewarded by
the fall of Atlanta. In the Shenandoah
Valley, Sigel had been defeated, while
Huuler, though successful, had reaped no
fruits from his victory, being repulsed from
before Lynchburg and forced to all errratc
and wasteful retreat No one eau have
fairly inferred, from our impartial survey
of the situation on the 4ih of July last,
'he aunihilating triumphs that have since
crowned the Efforts of Grant, Sherman,
Sheridan, Candy, Wilson and their heroic
armies .i' odd
AT length, The clouds have vanished
from our National sky. Victory un.
questioned and complete-Peace, which
hardly highway rob6er ventures to rufle
by proclaiGng himself a Confederate
gnerTllla-our Union restored aud its au-
lhoIity acknowledged from the ST, John
to the Rio Grande--Slavery so dead that
no one even dreams Of its resurrection =
our soldiers returning by ten of thousands
10 the homes where their footsteps have
been listened for so fervently aud so long
Trade reviving; Enterprise beckoning In
dustry TO so many fields where Thrift is
sure TO reward wise aud manful endeavor
If ever a people had cause for signal
gratitude TO God and for unprecedent re-