The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-18
.IL1TERATU-RE.
REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.

The story of the great American Rebellion,
that stupendous wickedness, which, under tue
providence OF God, was the means OF putting III
end to that still greater crime, human slavery
is too familiar to us of the present generatiou
who have participated in the CONNECT lor US W
reouire the services of the historian to impress
the facts upon our memories. The history OF tne
war is vet to be written, for the man is not Vlng
now who is equal TO the task. win our eyes
atill smartng with the smoke of battle, with
the noise of the guns still ringing in our ears,
and engaged as we are in the great labor OF re-
pairing the devastations OF d civil war of four
wears, 1t is impossible that the work
of recording events and drawing the proper
deductions from them can be approached in that
calm, impartial, and philosophical spirit which
is necessary for the historian when discussing
great crisis like that which was precipitated
when old Edmund Ruffin fred the first shot on
Fort Sumter. The railroads, the telegraph, the
press, and other appliances of modern life which
bring the confines of the continent nearer
together than the boundaries OF State were
hundred years ago. offer facilities, however, for
collecting and disseminating information which
were unimagined by the old time chronicler.
The labors of the future historian will therefore
be increased as we'll as lightened, and his great
est difficulty will be to digest the mass of intor-
nation which has been collected.
With full appreciation of the importance OF
the subject, care has been taken to collect the
materials for the history of the war, and to put
them into shape; but, in the archives of the
Confederate Government, and among the sol
diers and people of the Southern States there
are records of facts and statements OF events
from rebel point of view which would throw
much light on doubtful points, and which it is
essential that the historian should be acquainted
with before he can be properly fitted for his
work.
Contemporary history, however, has value
of its own as being the testimony OF eye-wit-
nesses and DR.. Draper's work is the most elabo-
rate, and the most satisfactory account Of the
rise, progress, and final downfall of the
Rebellion that has vet appeared. In
the volume before us the narrative
includes the period between the 4th Of March
1861, and the 1st of January, ls63 or from the
first Inauguration of Mr.. Lincoln TO the issuing
OF the Emancipation Proclamation.
1t is too much the fashion of the present day
to speak fppanty about the judgment of those
who previous TO or even after the battle of Bull
Run failed to appreciate the magnitude Of the
impending conflict. The fact was, however,
that there were only few far-seeing men who
were impressed with any adequate idea of the
real nature and objects of the battle which was
to be fought. The attack on Fort Sumter
aroused the loyal portion of the nation to arm.
but the numerical strength of the North
was so great that the general impression
was that the contest would be short,
sharp and decisive, and it required
such disaster as that of Bull Run
to bring about realizing sense of the greatness
of the work which had been undertaken. The
downfall of slavery was hoped for rather than
expected by a comparatively small number, and
the main idea with those who volunteered their
services after the proclamation of the 18th of
April, 1861, was the preservation of the Union
at all hazards; and if the annlhllation of the
slave system had been announced as the policy
OF the Government at that time ii would only
have given strength to the Southern cause. 1t
was not until defeat after defeat had taught US
what war really was that the Northern people
began to appreciate properly the fact that
slavery was at the bottom OF the trouble, and
that the appointed time had come for
removing that blot upon our escutcheon.
MIR. Lincoln understood the real issue al little
as any one, and Mr.. Lincoln, as the repre- .ent-
ative man of the nation, was extremely reluc-
tant to take decisive action in this matter; but
in the fullness OF time he grew in knowledge aud
SidSc lihO luduy Otuole, anu WuSu Iu0 pIOpeI
moment arrived he issued the immortal docu-
ment which for the first time in our history
made the words of the Declaration of Independ
ence, that 'all men are created free and equal,n
anything more than empty mockery. Generals
Hunter and Fremont were sharply rebuked for
their interference with the slavery question, and
on the occasion of an interview with delega
tion from Chicago, who urged upon him the
necessity of emancipation, Mr.. Lincoln ex-
planned his views of the matter as follows:-
what good would q proclamation of eman-
cipaton from me do as we are now situated?
do not want TO issue document which the
Whole world Will see must necessarily be nope
raltve, like the Pope's Bull against the Comet
Would my word free the slaves when cannot
even enforce the Constitution in the Rebel
States? Is there single court, or magistrate,
or Individual that would be influenced bv IT,
there? And what reason is there to think 1t
would nave any greater ehect upon the slaves
than the late law OF Congress which approved,
and which oilers protection and freedom to the
slaves of Rebel masters who come within our
lines? Yet cannot learn that that law has
caused single slave to come over TO US
NOW tell me, II YOU please, what possible
result OF good would follow the issuing of such
proclamation as you desire. Understand, |
raise no objections against IL on legal or consti-
tulonal grounds; Tor, as commander-i in Oh ief
OF the army and navy, In time of war suppose
nave right To take any measure which may
best subdue the enemy; nor do urge objec-
lions of q moral nature In view OF possible con-
sequences OF insurrectiOn and massacre at the
South. view this matter as practical war
measure, TO be decided on according To the ad-
Yantages or disadvan tages IL may offer to the
suppression OF the Rebellion.
Il ADMIT that slavery is at the root of the Re-
peiIion. or at least its sine qua non. The smbi-
tion OF politicians may have instigated them 10
act, but they would have been impotent With