Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-11-02
The Two Armies nj Charlottesville.

General II. j. Hunt, chief OF artillery
Of the Army Of the Potomac at Gettys'
burg, describes the battle OF the first day
in the November Century, lie prefaces his
narrative with short reference to Chan
cellorsville, from which we make this
extract: "The morale Of the Conieder-
ate army was, however, much higher al
this time than that OF its adversary. 1t
was composed OF men not less patriotic,
many OF them having gone into the war
with reluctance, but who now lelt that
they were defending their homes. They
were by this time nearly all veterans,
led by officers having the confidence OF
their Government, which took pains to
inspire its soldiers with the same feeling.
Their successes were eXtolled and mag
niied their reverses palliated or ignored.
Exaggerations as to the relative numbers
of the troops had been common enough
on both sides, but those INDUCED in at
the South had been echoed, sometimes
suggested in the North by port ion OF
the press and people, so that friends and
enemies united in inspiring in the Conied-
crate soldier belief in himself and a
contempt for his enemy.
"In the Army of the Potomac it was
different; the proportion OF veterans was
much smaller; cessation OF recruiting
at the very beginning OF active operations,
when men were easily Obtaipable to sup
ply losses in existing regiments, had
| been followed as emergencies arose, by
new levies for short periods OF service,
and in new organizations which could not
readily be assimiated by older troops.
And there were special difficulties. The
Army OF the Potomac was not in favor ut
| the War Department. Rarely, ii ever,
had it heard word OF official commen-
dation after a success, or OF sympathy or
encouragement after n defeat. From the
very beginning its camps had been filled
with imputations and charges against its
| leaders, who were accused on the streets,
| by the press, in Congress, and even in
| the War Department itself and after vic
tories as we'll as after defeats, not only OF
| incapacity or misconduct, but sometimes
of 'disloyalty' to their superiors, civil and
military, and even to the cause for which
they fought. These accusations were fol-
lowed or accompanied by frequent
changes OF commanders OF the army
army-corps, and even OF divisions. Un'
der such circumstances, but little conf
dence could be felt by the troops, either
in the wisdom Of war office which
seemed to change its favorites with the
caprice OF IL coquette, or in the capacity
of new generals who followed each othel
in such rapid succession. But it is due t
that patient and sorely tried army to say
that the spirit of both its officers and meI
was OF the best, and their devotion t
duty unconquerable. The army itsel
had originally been so admirably disci
plined and tempered, that there alway
remained to it firm self-reiance and ;
stern sense Of duty and honor that wa
proof against its many discouragements
In battle it always acquitted itself well
and displayed the highest soldierly quail
tiles, no matter who commanded it o
when he came. Charlottesville fur
nished no exception to this assertion, no
evidence OF inferiority Of the Northern t
the Southern soldier, but it does furnisl
striking illustrations Of Napoleon's we'll
known saying, In war men are nothing
a man is everything. "