Washington telegraph., 1865-03-08


the enemy almost out OF louisiana, within the
cover OF their gun-boats, and to-day'tlIe Sarn-
ers from the Ouachita to Brownsville, are plnnt-
ing their crops in hope to reap the harvest
Our resources have been developed, oar armies
organized, kept together and supplied by the
use OF Trans Mississippi material. The, enemy,
bafied at every point, have ceased any system
attic attempts to overrun US. We to-day are the
envy of our fellow citizens OF the Cis-Mississip-
pi portion of the Confederacy. They look TO
us with longing and murmur that we, who
atoretime needed help so sorey, are not
sending help to them.
All homer to The able and gallant Generals in
the field, through whose bra We soldiers under
their lead, these things have been accomplished \
They have won their laurels and. can proudly
wear them. Without their ability and gallant
ry, all would have failed. To name them would
make a roll of honor, but space viii not permit
and distinctions would be inyidious. But does
any one suppose that they could have done
themselveT this justice, cOnterged these glo-
ries upon their hoops, had they been thwarted,
trammeled. and countermanded by an incompe-
tent chief; or that thei! joint operations would
have eveutuatcd in such results, without some
competent head surveying all the field and
causing them all TO cooperate towards the
grand EVENT.
The commander of this department. must be
not only General sut more than that He
The cabinet duties are more than enough OF
themselves for ordinary men He cannot gain
distinction IN the field. : Except and i'm
pOrtant occasions il is not his place. The pop
ular mind cannet be fascinated with his CON
duet as in the ease of victorious Generals, who
have directed the movements hard foaght
fields. fHe must quietly direct general opera
lions from the centre. being himself almost
Unseen and unknown to the soldiers and citi-
zens.0 Briareus-lke he must from his position
reach forth hundred arms in ali directions
and strike with each -Hercules-hke, h. fights
a many-beaded Hydra, one Of whose heads he
ing Topped, two grow in its place. Hydra far
more terrible to our wives and children than
that which ravaged the country from the marsh
es of Lerns. One arm may fail here, another
there. 1t is only by general results that he can
be judged He must see at once the Rio Grande
anu the Miss ouri--thr Indian Nations, and the
Balize-ths Mississippi and the coasts. aud
(sometimrs weakening himself at pont) act
in all, may best subserye the interests OF the
whole. Has he not done SOL Lat us raise our
eyes above the confines ef some particular sec
ton. look over the vast extent of the depart
ment, compare now with then. and answer To
us v no move upon the surfaces OF the glo be, il
is ragged sight--broken into cliffs, corrugated
with Iidges, suslken into valleys, aud yswniug
with ehaSms. To the inhabitants of ether plan
cts who see it as a whole, IL il n symetTieai orb.
With such enlarged comprehensions should We
judge those whose sphere If rctioni is extensive.
and duties innumersble.
Were Gen. Smith not Sighting for our very
homes and firesidrs. Could we behold him as
some patriot hero of another people. surrounded
by his difficulties aud embsrrass Inents, and bur
dened with his vast responsibilities, struggling
for their liberties against fearful odds and ae->
gressions every hand, we could not withho ii
from him our anxious sympathy 1t exceeds all
that reused the American heart in favor OF Boi-
ivar. Why should it lessen our charity that he
is struggling for ourselves, aud under the con-
| troll aud direction of our beloved Conederacy
| ( Let us sustain him thom, heartily and cheer
fully, and listen to no idle talk, OF captous crit
icism. He may have his faults, but have