Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1865-06-10
TIE GREAT CIVIL wAES--A III
TORlCAL REVIEW Or THEM.

The late conflict in this country is ore
of these which are usually called "civil
wars ); and though nothing of the kind
has ever before been carried on on the
same stupendous scale, yet there are plen'
ty of preceden,S for it.
One of the earliest OF these is the
famous Pc!oponnesan War; which began
b. c. 4o2, anI lasted - years, between
States o! Greece, which, Lad they adopted
the idea Of Pcrices aud been united under
one general head, might have formed
nation OF marvellous grandeur and intiu-
ence. But the doctrines of State Sever.
eighty or autonomy" prevailed, and
after twenty.seven years Of warfare foreign
Invasion closed the combat
In the Monthly Religious Magazine for
February. there is all interesting historical
review Of civil wars; on the subject of the
Poloponnesiau war, the writer says:
This long and deadly warfare could not
have been prolonged Throughout, twenty.
seven years. except for the fact, that both
Sparta and Athens were based on slavery.
The slaves TILED the soil-the citizens
waged war. Slavery not only supplied the
munitions, but i, gave TO the war savage
ferocity and brutality Athens alone had
four hundred thousand slaves to sixty
thousand ireemen.
But Sparta was made pre- eminently
barbarous and inhuman by the habit o.:
domineerin: over slaves. During the pro-
gress of the war, fearing an instruction
amoog hsr He;oi. ii home, sas proclaim.
ed liberty to such As would come forward
and join her armies. Two thousand brave
men sprung up to the word "hberty,' and
we're never heard Of more. They were led
of secretly aud massscred; aud by this
method the oligsrchs rid themselves OF
such slaves as would be most likely to
prove dangerous element at home.
II 10 curious to contrast the numbers
engaged in our war with those engaged in
the great wars of the past. We select two
decisive battles. One Of these was Tough.
in the harbor Of Syracuse. In an exped.
ton against Sicily, Athens had strained
every nerve and equipped a magnifcen.
feet and army. They sailed out of the
Pirpas with sound of trumpets, pans and
libations Of wife from gold aud silver
cups. This great army consisted Of 9, 900
heavy armed infantry, natives Of the island
and slaves who we're iigh. armed and only
employed AZ skirmishers--20, 900 men,
This, in the language Of Thucydides,
made her power appear "s,upendous," and
her resources beyond calculation. .:
The final and decisive battle was that
Of Aigospotami, when Athens lost her
feet, and nearly her whole army was sur
prised and taken prisoners. The numbers
engaged in battle Is not told, but the num-
Der Of prisoners who were native A,heni-
aus is recorded Is three thousand, which
seems to have made up the bulk Of her
army in the last decisive engagement.
@ NOW AND THEN.
As to the number engaged, the little
State of Massachusetts, has furnished mora
men in our present struggle than fought
on both sides in the great English rebel.
lion. 1t has sent more men into the field
than Ju!as Caesar commanded to gain the
empire OF the world more than all the
.rccra 81 Hel'ss put together in the long
struggle that rent her in pieces, whes her
sun went down in blood, The State of
New York has equipped more soldiers
than oil the troops Of Caesar aud Pompey
put together, though drawn from every
province, from the Euphrasss to the pillars
] Of Hercules. The whole ARM ef Crorn.