Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1915-11-11

x1uO AAORO ShO AVoO . A0ctat0kn Will NC
the best. Henry Van Dyke.
"When That Object Is Attained"
Of all critics of the military misfor-
tunes or errors of the Entente Allies.
Americans should be the most lenient,
Of all persons they should be the last
to believe that even the bitteEest Dis
appointments at and criticisms of the
campaign, divisions of public opinion,
hostility of part of the press. jars of
politicians. col apse of Cabinets, mean
anything more than a firmerspurpose to
carry on the war more resolutely and
more effectively. And of the British
''muddling" those who saw, and those
who have read the history of our civil
war, will not be too impatient judges.
How many dark days the North had
in the struggle! Boys of the COS can
vaguely remember their grand fathers
and relatives, long past the mil airy
age on some Sunday after a disaster
to the Northern arms. loudly denoupc-
ing ''incompetency" and "treachery"
and eager to shoulder musket and
march against the enemy.
The fall of 1862 was bitter season
for the North, just as the Fall of 1915
has been for Entete Allies; and it fol-
lowed bitter summer The advance
on Richmon r. d not advanced. The
army of the Potomac had fought err
gagement after engagement with small
visible fruit Mcclellan had be en- or
dered back from the Peninsula. Pope
had been beaten ignominic usly at Man
assas, Maryland had ben invaded Lee
had threatened Washington. Lincoln,
placing Mcclellan in command OF the
troops about Washington. pleased the
army, but di+gusted the Cabinet and
dissatsf d the country. In September
Mcclellan at Antietam relieved Wash
ington and forced Lee to retreat. His
inaction. necessary or not, stirred Mr..
Lincoln to remove him in the first week
of November Result. in little more
than a month. Rurnside's wild. d:sas-
trous assault at fredericksburg
So the struggle went. General after
General found wanting Inteigues
jaalousies, political I'd military favor
ties. great expectations, broken hopes
turtle emit rprises, the Cabinet pitiless
| " recorded in its dissensions, cross
purposes. and selfseekirgs by old
Gideon Wells, the North sorrowfal and
angry, every BODY blaming every thirg
on Lincoln. The South could not BE-
subjugat"d. The peace. mongerers
| were ciamorous.
In 1868 the same story Mr.. Greeley.
hunting for Mr. Lincoln's successor
The Abolitionist assaling him as too
conservative Conservatives irritated
by the Emancipation Proclamation ard
the enlistment Of coiored regiments.
Practically no Lincon me1 in Congress.
But the real trouble was, as Mr.. Linz.
coin told Wendell Phillips. TT e mass-
es Of the country generally are dis-
satisfied chiefly at our lack of mill
tary success Defeat and failure in
the field make Everything seem
wrong. Joe Hooker. Number Four
among commanders of the army of the
Potomac, ''going straight to Richmond,
if | live, meets Lee and Jackson at
Charlottesville. Another costly and
shocking defeat. you are on the
road to hell, Sir, with this Govern
ment, +" is the remark attributed to Ben
Wade, asking Lincoln to r, move Grant,
who was soon to capture Vicksburg.
And the year Of Gettysburg and Vicks-
burg was also the year Of the draft
riots. Even in the summt of 1864, the
year of Lincoln's denomination, long
doubtful to himself and bitterely op
posed. the year when the official Demo-
cratic Party was sure that the war
was failure, Early's cavalry cut off
Washington railroad communication
with the North.
This old history, and much more than
is here briefly glanced at, has its les
sons 1t reminds Americans ofdefeat,
and chickering's and divided counsels
and heart sick with hope deferred. 1t
reads like stories from the land Of
spirits that attempts were made by
some of Lincoln's familiars to dissuade
him from calling for 500. 900 additional
soldiers in July, 1864. on the ground
that such MEASURE would imperil his
reelection, He was unpopular enough
alread..
While no statesman of the Lincolnian
calihre is visible in Europe, is is we'll
to recall the popular impatieuce with
Lincoln. 1t is will to recall also these
words of his: ''We accepted this
war for an object, worthy object.
and the: war will end when that Job
jected is attained. Under God, hope
it never will end until that time. !"
New York Times,
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