M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1865-03-23

Of the Potomac will be in motion 10y
the 18Th Of this month. That army
is now in as good a csndtion for an az
gressive campaign as it will be a
any time during the present year ltc
ranks are as full as when it settled in
to winter quarters. and its spirit as
good as if II had never suffered a de-
feat. It has faith in Gen. Grant conf,
dence in Gen. Meade, aud a compla
cent belief in its own prowess. What
ever a., of hardship. lrivstion, hard
fighting or repuse NAV be iu store for
it, will be endured and accepted by il
during the four years Of battle aud
slaughter in which it haa borne it's
share, add should il be again nncuc
cessfnl. it will retire to it5 former or
present camp with the same mochan
icaI resignation that has marked it
under every failure: ready to marh
forth again Whenever 50 ordered by it's
commander.
But the Army Of the Potomac is
not what it was three years ago. It
may still possess the sam9 spirit as
OF old but the body has changed. 1t
Ie the Army OF the Potomac only in
name. OF the sixty five or seventy
thousand men in its ranks, not one in
twenty marched from YQrktown-to
the Chickshoniny with Mcclellan. OF
it's Old commanders, scarcely one in
thirty remairs Many Lave beenkiIled
many have been wounded almost TO
death, many have resigned, many
have been transferred to other fields,
and many have been dismissed the
service When its fame was greatest,
the General VIII now com mands it
aud all other Federal rmes was al
most unknown. Its present commands
er was then General OF a brigade un
der Mcclellan, Its glory then circled
the browslof Sumner, and Kearuey and
Porter, and Hooker, aud Heitzelman,
but these are all gone-the brave to
their last reward and strange faces
and strange voices are seen and heard
in its camps. The men, who sprang
to its ranks ia the Wild ilver that
ragged in the an mer of 'ii are now a
their homes or in their graves.
1t is no longer regarded as an hor
or tobelong to tha Army ofthe Poto.
mac They arc men who have no
heart for the cause which they bar
gainded. to fight for. Some have been
cheated asd smuggled into it; these
desert wneuever they can. Some
were drawn TO it by Offers of large
buunties, these have no stonachs foI
a battle, and will shrink from it when
they can Some havJ hal tn IL man
hood crushed by the tyranny of offii-
GERS: these are mere machines and
would as'soOn die on tho gallows as
on the battle field. In short, the
army now commanded bv General
Meade, although brave enough when
bravery is compelled, bears no n pro
resemblance to the army whose name
it inherits, than the present generation
Ui sham patriots an1 money worship
ers bears to the past generation OF
true patriots and honest prom )terest
Of human liberty.
On this army will devolve the work
OF closing the war. 1t is pow the Gus.
tom to turn all eyes OF the Caruliuas
and there seek the hero on whose
rest the maEte OF all mill
tary glory. But although Sherman
has done great deal tOwarl the at
taipment Of the Northern purp rse,
aud deserves all the praise acc 1riel
to him, yei tho heaviest part OF the
labor will tall to the lot OF lhj army
now bsiOre Petersburg. Sherman
may be left to dispose OF Johnston as
best he eau, out Grant must grapple
with the strongest army aud the ab |
lest Generals in thu service of the
Uonfederacy. 1t is the fashion to say
that the approaching contest will be |
a death grappel; that General Less
army cannot possible survive the ter.
rible blows in store for it, and that
when autumn comes there will no
longer be an obstacle to the march oil
the Northern soldiers through the
territory Of the South Whether this
prediction shall be fulfilled is ques
lion that must be left to events
Grant has struck many blows % poV.
sw:ul an crushing as any he is capble
oi striking now, aud the army that
received them is still alive and full of
yigpr. His army will never again be
Is strong as when it osseG the Rap.
idan in May last; aud the best life If
then had has lett it forever. It NAV
win fresh Iaurals, and dig more graves
but it must pay in blood Tor every leaf
Of laurel, and for every soldiers grave !
= -, IL, -, 1 oh,ll .z.k -