New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-27
HISTORY no ORDER,

Much has been said in recent years about
making history" Mcdowell made history at
Manassas; Mcclellan on the Chiokahominy Rope
at the second Manassas; Banks at Mansfield ;
Burnside at Fredericksburg Butler atDntoh cap
| Hooker at Charlottesville, and Roseoranz at
/ Chiekamauga. The chief object of the colossal
preparatinns Of the North, as might have been in-
ferrea from the perusal Of the papers of the day.
was toamske history regardless of expense.
II vas sufficient palhston for a serious check or
disastrous defeat that the discounted army,
whatever else it may have failed to do, had GER
tsinIy succeeded in making history; and the names
even Of unsuccessful leaders were commended for
their achievements in adding to the vast volumes
Of the public archives.
When we consider that no pains nor expense
were spared in this persistent purpose of making
history it is with the more surprise that we learn
the recent action in Congress. We notice that its
proceedings reveal purpose of furnishing history
to order, at the cheap rate of twenty-five hundred
dollars year Are my deserts no more !"
might exelaim, with the dusky prince of Morocco,
each of those two heroes of Massachusetts,
chiyalrous knight of Mansfield and he who was SO
securely bottled up . on the peninsula Are
our achievements to be recorded also slight cost
to the treasury? VIII the genius which can be
purchased for that paltry sum suffice to gloze over
our shortcomings, and blazon us forth as the true
heroes of the war? And will an ncredulous world
nut implicit faith in the variations of pen which
ID controlled in its movements by the annual sti-
pend which barely suffices to keep it in motion?
Alas, they might well exclaim, it Is true we
have made history, but who will credit its record
wien made to radical order at only twenty-five
hundred dollars year,
It's certainly praiseworthy in any government
to preserve faithfully the records on which its his
tory is based. They should, as nearly as possible,
be placed in an imperishahe form, SO that future
generations may judge inteligently of the actors of
to-day, and profit by their wisdom OF their errors
But when q country has been torn by civil conyul-
sons, and the successful party makes indecent
haste to put forth under tesanction Of its author
ity, narrative Of events which will be tinged
with the oolors Of partizanahp It speaks little for
their confidence in the justice of their own course.
Tt is not from the partial accounts Of hired
pen that posterity will form its Judgment Of the
struggle through which the country has passed
and Of that not less nomentous struggle which is
new agitating the land. The ephemeral works,
styled +" histories" which are now being put
forth, will furnish material for the future bistor-
ian but colored as they are by the prejudiees and
passions Of the hour they will be viewed yfuture
generations as curious evidences of the degree OF
blindness with which the intemperateness of DO,
litieal passion may cloud the perceptions Of the
intellect. What carieature on history would
that be considered, even a quarter Of q century
hence which vas written under the Inspiration OF
the present radicals Of Congress, and sent forth in
annual instalments at the rate Of twenty FIVE hun
dTed dollars, paid to the partzan who would m
dertake 70 assume the paternity Of such found
ling e
Il Congress desire in reality tile completion Of a
work which shall merit the name Of history, let it
freely open the archives of the country to eminent
writer's in England and in France, who are free
from the preiudices and passions which pervade
American minds on the subject Of the recentwar.
Let it select from amongst men whose character
viii insure perfect impardality, true historian Of
the. greatest conflict of modern times. Let it re-
ward his genius By the most ample compensation
and let itithus pat forth work by which the pres
emit as well as the future generations may profit
Let it, by such an act. say to the world Behold
10 the archives Of our government the record of
our official actions. 1t is open to your inspection,
md in that record you may see our sincerity, our
consistency oar patriotism, and our regard for the
sacred rights guaranteed by our Constitution
Read and judge and Justify before the tribunal
Of thegHorld, and the Judgment of posterity, The
actions which are recorded in our name" If tie
'adicals must write as well as make history, we
commend the above suggestion as more worthy
he dignity Of an American Congress, than to put
orth a narrative to order, which can excite only
he lerisian Of the present generation and the
of posterity.