The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-23

an army of slowly moving crippled heroes;
grave-yards populous cities; they were all in
the clouded horizon, though he saw them not!
Let US look upon the scene on which he was
soon to exert mighty energy.
This continent lay waiting for ages for the
| seed of civilization. At length sower came
| forth to sow. While he sowed the good seed OF
| liberty and Christian civilization an enemy.
| grew together. The Constitution Graded both
| slavery and liberty While yet ungrown they
| dwelt together in peace. They snarled in youth
/, quarreled when half grown. and fought when OF
| full age. The final catastrophe was inevitable
| No hnesse, no device or compromise could With
stand the inevitable. The conflict began in
Congress; it drifted into commerce; AZ rose into
| the very air, and public sentiment grew hot ana
| ragged in the pulpit, the forum, and In politics.
The South like queenly beauty grew I'M
Derious and exacting; thu North, like an oose-
quious sutton. knelt at her feet, only to receive
| contempt and mockery.
| Both parties, Wing and Democrat, drank of
| the cup of her sorcery. 1t killed the Wing
| party. The Democrat was tougher, and was only
| besotted. A few, like John the Baptist. were
| preaching repentance; but. like him. they were
| IN the wilderness, and seemed rude and shaggy
| fanatics.
If wise moderation had possessed the South
| If they had conciiated the North, if they had
met the just scruples of honest men who, hating
| slavery. dreaded the dishonor of breaking the
compacts of the Constitution. the South might
1t was not to be. God sent strong delusion
upon them.
Nothing can be palmer than that all parties in
the state were drifting in the dark, without any
comprehension of the elemental causes at work
without prescience or sagacity, like ignorant
physicians, they prescribed at random. they
sewed on patches, compromise upon old
| garments, sought to conceal the real depth and
danger of the gathering torrent by crying peace
| peace, to each other. In short they were seek
n M cd ta vol CT hon hoe
| by administering political quinine. The wise
| statesmen were bewildered and politicians were
| juggling fools.
| The South had laid the foundation of her in
| dustry, her commerce. and her commonwealth
| upon slavery. 1t was slavery that inspired her
| councils, that encorged her philanthropy, that
corrupted her political economy and theology,
| that disturbed all the ways Of active politics;
| broke up sympathy between North aud South
As Ahab met Elijah with art thou he that
troubleth Israeli" so slavery charged the senti-
| ments of freedom with vexatous meddlipg and
| unwarrantab!e interference.
The South had builded herself upon the rock
of slavery 1t lay in the very channels of civil.
lzation like some Flood Rock lying sullen of He'll
| Gate. The tides of controversy rushed upon it,
| and split into eddies and swiriing pools bring
ing incessant disaster. The rock would not
move. 1t must he removed. 1t was the South
| itself that furnished the engineers. Arrogance
| in council sunk the shaft, violence chambered
| the subterranean passages, and lnfatuatlon load
| ed them with Internal dynamite All was secure.
| Their rock was their fortress. The hand that
| fired upon Sumter exploded the mine, and tore
| the fortress to atoms. For one moment it rose
into the air like spectral hills for one moment
the waters rocked with wild confusion, then
settled back to quiet and the way of civilization
Was opened!
The spark that was kindied at Fort Sumter
fell upon the North like fire upon autumna
prairies. Men came together in the presence of
this universal calamity with sudden fusion.
They forgot all separations of politics, parties,
or even OF religion itself. 1t a confagra-
ton of patriotism. The bugle and the drum
rang out in every neghborhood, the pillow stood
still IN the furrow, the hammer dropped from
the anvil, book ard pen were forgotten, pulpit
and forum court and shop. felt the electric
shock. Parties dissolved and reformed. The
Democratic party sent forth a host of noble
men, and swe.led the Republican ranks, and
gave many noble leaders and irresistible energy
| to the hosts of war. The whole land became a
military school, and officers and men began to
learn the art and practice of war.
When once the North had organized its
armies, there was soon disclosed an amiable
folly'~of Cancellation. it hoped for some peace
able way out of the war; generals seemed to
fight that should be hurt; they saw
the mirage of future parties above the bat
tle-feld and anxously considered the political
effect of their military conduct They were
fighting not to break down rebellion, but to Sc
cure a future presidency-or governorshp The
South had smelted into a glowing mass 1t be-
leved in it's course with infatuation that
would have been glorious if the cause had been
better! 1t put its whole soul into it and struck
| hard
The South fought for slavery and independ-
ence. The North fought for Union. but for po-
litical success after the Thus for two years.
not unmarked by great deeds the war fingered
Lincoln, sad and sorrowful, felt the moderation
of his generals. and longed for man of iron
mold who had but two words in his military vo-
cabulary, victory annihiatiOn
He was coming. He was heard from at Henry
and Donelson.
Three great names were rising to seht-Sher-
| man. Thomas, Sheridan; and. larger than either
Grant. With his advent the armies. with some
repuses, went steadily forward from corquering
| to conquer. Aside from ali military qualities
he had one absorbing spirit-the Union must be
saved, the rebellion must be beaten the confed
crate armies must be threshed to chaff as on a
summer threshlng-foor. He had no political am BIZ
ton, no Imaginary reputation to preserve or
gain. A great genius for grand strategy. COM
prehension of complex and vast armies Caution
prudence and silence while preparing an endless
| patience an indUmitable will and a real down
right fighting quality
Thus, at length, Grant was really born! He
had lain in the nest for long as an inferte egg
| The brooding of war Matched the egg, and an
| eagle came forth!
It Is impossible to reach the full measure of
Grants military genius until we survey the
greatness Of this most extraordinary war of
| modern days, or, it may be said of any age
For more than four years there were more
than million men on each side, stretched out
upon u line of between one and two thousand
| miles. and blockade vigorously enforced along
a coast of an equal extent During that time,
counting no battle in which there were not FIVE
| hundred Union men engaged, there was fought
more than two thousand gngagements-2,2 6l of
record.
Amid this sea of blood, there shot up great
battles that for numbers fighting and losses,
will rank with the great battles of the world.
In 1862. the losses by death. wounds and miss
| ing on each side, as extracted from government
| records, were:
Union. Confed. Total.
| l. Shiloh .---....-.-.. Is 500 1O.699 24199
q Seven Pines and F. O. 5739 1897 l3 TAG
g. z d. Retr't and NJ. II. 15.249 1888 80 $40
4. second Bull hun 800. $500 300 IL 100
O. Antletam - 12,469 % 500 38, 367