The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-06-08

in large numbers, and gave him incessant
employment. But the defence of Virginia
soon became merged in that of the Cppfed-
eracy which she Joined Formally 10 Mays
Her capital was declared che capital Of the
South. The Southern C0pgress soon met
there. New meu pressed In to take the
lead in the. affairs Of what claimed to be a
nation, 7GnA for q time Gen. Lee was rele.
gated to dpties Of o secondary character.
His immediate charge for the present be-
came that OF certifying Richmond. 10 is
natural enough chat the works be raised
should have cxtorted admiration from the
Northern generals whom they so long de-
fed; but their best eulogy Is contained IN
| the simple fact that thong often threaten
ed they were never seriously attacked.
From the time that he. thus girdlsd Rich
mond with the full resources OF the engi-
neer's art, aided by the use Of that "eye
for position for which he had been ad-
mired in Mexico, tue capital was destined
to fall only with the Confederacy lkself.
To other commanders, however, Davis
| assigned the first hoaors of the war, evil
IDENTITY at that time regarding Lee more as
an engineer than as o soldier.
Whilst the certifying of Richmond went
on, the battle Of Bulls Run, the first great
encounter of the war, was fought and won
by BeaEregard, aided by Johnston, who
had marched to join him from the Shensn-.
doah Valley. Though this event concerns
us little here, it is right to say that the.sur--
prise of the Confederates on their flank
was real one, aud their defeat at one time
very near, being only averted by the supe
riority in steadiness of Jackson's troops to
their comrades. And as we laughed SO
loud and long at the behaviour of the raw
militia Of Mcdowell when once in retreat,
it is we'll to add that there is net the least
mony of Southern officers, that their men
would have behaved one whit better had
the reverse been on their side. More than
this. Those among ourselves who knew
most of war are agreed that, however high
ly one may think of the spirit of the levies
we call our Auxiliary Forces, there is NO
ground whatever, hey ond vulgar national
vanity, for the common belief that mass
of these, once beaten and panic stricken,
would show conduct very different from
that Of McDowelPs volunteers,sor Of the
Mobiles of the Army of the Loire. "Na-
matter OF their unframed troops" was the
remark recently made by the chief of the
Swiss army-one composed wholly of mill
tiamen, And what is true Of FrenchmeR,
Of Swise, and of our own kith and kin in
America, would hardly be greatly faisified
| II misfortune fell upon ourselves. What
ever may be thought Of this deduction,
| certainly nothing could be more mistaken
than the Judgment hastily passed by oar
press on the conduct. of McDoweif's raw
| troops, sent as they were into the field un-
trained, and through the ignorance OF Con-
gress left unfurnisbed even with staff
| Nor was the general result Of the battle at
all as favorable to the Confederacy az was
then supposed. For,in fact, the Northern
army had been hitherto composed only of
| three-months volunteers and though not
in proper lighting order, 1t was absolutely
necessary to employ them, before they dis
persed to their homes, In checking the hos
| fila fnrNaa which hoo
Washington. And although completely
defeated in his attack, Mcdowell yet left
his enemy 30 shattered as to be not only
quite incapable of advancing upon the
capital Of the Union, but according to the
confession Of the best Southern officers,
unit for some time later for any serious
operations. Brave as the Confederates in
dlvidualiy were, there was not at this time
any real power of discipline In their com
manders' hands which could enable the lat
ter to reap the fruits of victory. And what
10 more surprising, the best Of their gem
erals never wholly established this moral
force over them. But discipline on the
other side, though fur from ever being es.
tahlished according to the European stan
dsrd, was certainly Improved during the
war; and TO this difference, hardly less
| than to the greater resources of the North.
her final triumph was due.
Poor As the military results of the battle
VI Duii = huu were, anu serious as Its poll
tical effects proved in rousing the North
ana her leaders to real earnestness, it
naturally caused great rejoicing for the
honr at Richmond. Johnston, WHO was the
senior officer from the time of his arrival
on the ground, was confirmed in his com
mand OF the whole army of Northern Viz
ginia, and Lee still remained at the capital
completing it's defences. But attention
was soon directed to Western Virginia.
the part of the stste beyond the Al
ieghanies, which had from the first show
ed its Union sympathies. Into this Nc
Clellan, ahitherto unknown Federal oficer,
had been pushed from Pennsylvania. By
July his forces were augmented to 20, 600
men, giving him large numerical superb
ority over the Confederate troops of Car
nett, who attempted to hold it against him.
In series of skirmishes which followed
Mcclellan and his active lieutenant Rose,
Grams routed the Confederates, killing their
general. The officers who succeeded 10 the
latter, meeting with further disasters, began
to quarrel among themselves. On this the
Southern President dispatched Gen. Lee to
the scene of action with reinforcemepts.
and instructions to bring into one common
plan the movements along the scattered
hal lyxyN t,a a. ca