; Mi Vit arrrrt.
BY S. J. ROW.
CLEARFIELD, PA., WEDNESDAY, JULY, 31, 1861.
VOL. 7.-NO. 48.
THE WAR FOR THEUNION.
IHI GREAT BATTLE NEAR MANASSAS.
DETAILS Or TH1 E-VOAflEMEXT.
TVe have gathered the following particulars
of the battle of the 21st July, near Manassas
Junction. It seems that oar loss is compara
tively small; first reports Having exaggerated
ihe number of killed and wounded. The Reb
'l loss can only be conjectured.
SCENE OF THE UATTLE.
Ccntrerille is a small village about four
miles from Bull's Run, and within seven or
cigbt miles of Manassas Gap Junction, the
centre of General Beauregard's position as
commander-in-chief of the rebel forces. It
commands a magnificent view one seldom
een in the eastern part of Virginia. The ap
proach lrom rairlax Court House is through a
succession ol mils, covered in many parts with
.dense forests of timber, and occasionally show
ing evidences of civilization in large wheat
fields, small, aristocratic mansions, and un
gathered crops of new mown hay. The plain
beyond OentreviIIe is an extensive one, and
will be memorable in history as the scene of
the greatest battle ever fought on the Ameri
din continent. It is bounded by the Blue
Judge, whose shelving and uneven summit
faintly lines the horizon: It is watered by
streams which rise in the mountain and flow
into the Potomac, and is divided into fields of
grain, pasture, and meadow. At almost regn
lit intervals the plain itself ascends into gradu-
aiiy-sioping unlocks, most of winch are cover
ed with timber. Towards Occoquan especially
tne country is densely wooded, and we can
but occasionally see a road or a field, even with
the aid of the most powerful glass.
In this romantic and beaut if ol district, the
it-be is had determined to show their first or
a inized opposition to the Federal Government.
Fairfax, Alexandria, and the intervening
points were but mere picket stations, as it
were, intended only as a menace and a nioni
tor. Their occupation by tbe Government
forces was but weakly contested, and they
were illy defended. Tho great body of the
S outhern levies have been centered ai Manas
sas, skirting Bull's Run, Brcntsville, Butler's
ford, (Jentreville, and the Occoquan River.
.Nature has been lavish in strengthening this
district as a defensive position. Immediately
befoie Manasas there is a succession of equi
distant hills, in front of which there is said to
be a ravine so deep and so thickly wooded that
it is passable to an army only at two points,
And those two, gorges which a company of
men con Id almost defend against a whole ar-
wr. Months of preparation have enabled Gen
eral Beauregard to add to these natural defen
ces others of a more important nature. These
it-fences were said, by Southern journals, to
be a liue of forts, two miles in extent, zig-zag
in form, with angles, salients, bastions, case
mates, and everything properly belonging to
the art of fortifications. In addition to this,
the country is admirably adapted to tho sub
sistenoo and entrenchment of troops in num
bers as large as they can easily be manceuverd
on the battle-field.
To drive the rebels from this position has
ifen tbe intention of the Government in all
iU operations along the Potomac shore. Such
a course has been a necessity, as at Manssss
the commanding officer holds the key to tbe
surrounding country, and so long as the rebel
tug is floating over it, the n ig of the Union
could Lever be respected in western Virginia
The duty of driving these traitors from this
position had been assigned to General McDow
ell; and, in pursuance of this purpose, Gen
cral McDowell has extended bis base line of
operations toJCentreville. The assault on Bull's
Kun was a part of his plan, and a prelude to
the great engagement ol Sunday. Bull's Run
is nothing more than a small stream which
crosses the road from Centrcville, constituting
a kind of ravine, and is buried between dense
Masses of forest and shrubbery. In this wood
land a powerful battery bad been constructed
to oppose any attempt of tbe Government for
ces to tbreateu Manassas. It was the advanced
battery of the great line of rebel batteries ex
tending to the Junction. The action onFri-
day did not succeed in its capture, and in or
der to avoid tbe great and unnecessary loss of
jiie wnicn tne success or such an eflort would
entail, it was determined, in the operations of
Sunday, to avoid It as much as possible to
extend the line against Manassas by a more
northerly route from Centreville, and to take it
by a flank movement, or compel the enemy to
auanuon ms position.
PLAX OF THE ATTACK.
It appears that on Saturday night a council
of war was held, when it was determined to
make a combined attack on the Rebel lines at
cull s Run on Sunday morning. In accor
fiance with this decision, tho troops were put
in motion at z o'clock A. M. from about Cen
treville, where they had all previously concen
trated. This point appears to be seven miles
to the northward from Manassas Junction,
itti Bull's Run, a narrow and shallow stream,
coursing through a deep ravine, almost paral
lel to the railroad, lying about halfway be
tween it and tue entrenchments of the enemy
t the J unction. The route of our army lay a
cross this stream and ravine, all the crossings,
Whether by bridge or by ford, being obstruc-ty-J
by the destruction of the bridges, or by
concealed batteries, so posted as to enfilade
&3d rake all the approaches. But it had to bo
passed in order to attack or turn tho fortified
position of the Rebels at Manassas. This was
"ie work to be done : now for the plan. The
army was ordered forward in three divisions
general Tyler's to advance straight along the
Viarrenton turnpike to the bridge by which
that road crossed Bull's Run Col. Heintzle
roan's to move somewhat to the left of this,
directly towards Manassas Junction and Col
onel Hunter's division was to move by flank
"'e r'ght to cross the run about three miles
th stream aQd thence get to the rear cf
lie Kebei batteries, and between them and the
wuroad. The first two of these raovemcuts
"We feints to engage tbe attention of the ene-
y while Colonel Hunter, who was command
ID8 the real attack, should get far enough for
to attack the Ball's Run batteries in the
io as to enable both Tyler and Helntzle
4I to cross. All three divisions were then
.'"jfte and march down between the Run
nathe railroad, sweeping the field before
.aa aa they advanced. This plan teems to
j"e eerf laid in .ignorance of the fact that
ODoton bad come down from Winchester.
. ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE.
on J "ecution of the order of the day, Col
cr. 5unter'' Division moved to tho right,
rtw? Bul,'a Run ab"ut threo miIcs t0 lh0
,l of tru 7arrT)tn Rod- completely out
flanked the left wing of tbe enemy, and drove
him back towards Manassas nntil be arrived
at the Warrenton Road, at a point about two
miles south of the Run. In the meantime
General Tyler had moved forward on tbe War
renton Road until he got to the bridge over
the Run, where ho was informed of the exis
tence of the concealed batteries. He threw
some shells to uncover them, without getting
a response, but ho prudently held back for a
more favorable moment. Not so, however
with General Schenck, who was in comman
of a brigade of this division. He was order
ed forward, but a little to the left of the War
renton road, and arriving at Bull's Run, he al
so threw a few shells to discover any conceal
ed batteries, and getting no response, conclu
ded-none were there, when he rushed forward
but only to fall into an ambuscade as he did
at Vienna.
We have now arrived at the point where
Colonel Hunter's division, having successful
ly turned the left of the euemy's position, was
ariving him before him towards Manassas, and
wnen lyler, under cover of this manceuver
was to cross to the south of Bull's Run bv the
Warrenton road to join Hunter. To do thi
be was obliged to storm the batteries guarding
tne pass at this point. Here it was that the
gallant charges were made bv the New York
Sixty-ninth, Seventy-nineth, Seventy-first and
mirteenth. I he batteries were taken. Hun
ter was sweeping on, and everv part of the or
der of battle appeared to be in successful! pro
gress, and triumph certain. This was about
two or three o'clock on Sunday afternoon, and
u was at tins time that the couriers of the
press correspondents were sent to Washing
ion, announcing the victory at Bull's Run.
Now, however, the tide of battle turned
Gen. Johnston though this is not absolutely
clear seems to have come out from his posi
tion on the railroad, still further west than
Hunter had gone, and attacked that officer's
victorious column in the rear. This of course
changed the whole face of tho conflict, and
made it necessary for Hunter to extricate
himself, instead of allowing him to open the
way for Tyler and Ueintzleman's Divisions.
Then reinforcements from the Junction
forced Tyler's troops from the captured batte
ries, and drove them back then, also, or a
bout the same time, General Schenck fell into
the ambuscade before mentioned, and his
brigade being very roughly handled, turned
and fled. Here and a little way to the right
was the scene of the bloodiest work of this
fearful day here were made those desperate
charges which Russell, the correspondent of
the London limes, says surpassed anything
he saw at Solterino or in the Crimea and
here, (the pen almost refuses to do its office
as wo write it,) victory was turned with disas
ter and defeat.
ANOTHER. ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE.
By daybreak Bull's Run was reached. The
batteries were placed in position, and our guns
opened on tne enemy's works. The firing was
responded to by three batteries, and was kept
np on ootn sides till 11 a. m. The enemy's
ore then slackened, and afterwards entirely
ceased. It was supposed, therefore, that their
guns had been silenced, and a charge was or
dered to carry the batteries. Tbe charge was
made at a run. I here was a little, though not
much, resistance made by the musketry of the
toe, and, in a lew minutes the batteries were
ours, the few gunners were bavonuted at their
guus, tbe Confederate rag torn down, and the
Stars and Stripes raised. It was then that M'
uowen seni uie despatch to lieu. Scott an
nouncing a glorious victory and the batteries
in our possession. But our triumph was of
short duration. The enemy had abandoned
these batteries in order to lead us into a snare.
In half an hour after we had taken the batte
ries, and while the men were resting from their
fatigue, a terrific fire was opened upon them
with musketry and cannon. The latter were
in other masked batteries, the very existence
of which was unknown. The riflemen who
were firing at us were also unseen.
Ihe fire was so hot that our men found it
impossible to stand it, and were compelled re
luctantly to abandon the batteries. 1'hey re
tired in good order, however, under cover of
our artillery, which now again began to open
upon the enemy, throwing shells towards their
masked batteries, but without effect. Colonel
Cameron and Col. S locum had been killed.
General Schenck and Col. Hunter wounded.
Many other of our officers had been killed and
regiments decimated. The enemy had not
once showed himself up to this time. At
three, however, having silenced many of our
guns, the enemy charged upon ns in an over
whelming force. Ihe troops stood gallantly,
but the charge was irresistible, and we were
compelled to retire. The artillerists spiked
their guns. Uur troops retreated to Centre
ville, pursued by the enemy. At Centievillo
the army made a stand, tho pursuit ceased,
and the enemy retired out of range. The reb
els had most decidedly tho -advantage in po
sition and guns, and they used it with fearful
effect. The bravery of our troops was super
human, but what bravery could meet the un
erring and unceasing cannon which came
sweeping lrom almost every tree or heap of
brush ? Uur men unmasked them, battery
upon battery, only to find their lessened ranks
were unequal to the task. A retreat was com
menced by a New York regiment, and very
soon became general. In vain Gen. McDow
ell endeavored to rally his forces. They re
treated up the Centreville road in good order
until charged upon by the Secession cavalry
and artillery, when they broke their lines and
pushed towards Fairfax Court House in a dis
orderly column.
Tbe disaster was not near so great as report-
ported at first. Our loss is estimated at from
1,000 to X.UOO killed and wounded : in fact,
some say it will not reach 1,000. The num
ber of Union troops, actually in the battle, was
only about 30,000, whilst the rebels had at
least 70,000 in the engagement. With such
odds, it is surprising that the result was not
still more disastrous to the Union forces.
Four months since the sloop of war Wyo
ming left tbe Pacific station for tbe east.
Since her departure nothing has been heard
of her. ,
It has been decided by government that no
fugitive slaves be allowed in our camp.
Howell Cobb is organizing a regiment in
Georgia for tbe Confederate army. .
The salary of tho
Assistant Secretary of
War is to be $3000
Ohio hai now fn the fild oypr 2fi,000 men.
Another Broadside for the Union.
SPEECH OF HON. JOSEPH HOLT,
(SIR. BUCnAlf ax's secret ary-of-war.)
Delivered at Louisville, Ky., on July 13th, 1S01.
A welcome was extended to Mr. Holt on his
arrival at Louisville. Judge Pirtle in a few
brief, pithy and pointed remarks, greeted Mr.
II. in the name of Kentucky, who then arose
and addressed his neighbors as follows :
J I'dge Pirtle : I beg you to be assured that
I am most thankful for this distinguished and
flattering welcome, and for every one of the
kind words which have just fallen from your
lips, as I am.for the hearty response they have
received. Spoken by anybody and anywhere,
these words would have been cherished by
me; but spoken by yourself, and in the pres
ence and on behalf of those in whose midst 1
commenced the battle of life, whose friend
ship I have ever labored to deserve, and in
whose fortunes I have ever felt the liveliest
sympathy, tney are doubly grateful to my
leehngs. 1 take no credit to myself for lov
ing and being faithful to such a government
as this, or for uttering, as I do, wilh every
throb ol my existence, a prayer for its preser
vation. In regard to my official conduct, to
which you have alluded with such earnest and
generous commendation, i must sav that no
merit can be accorded to me beyond that of
having humbly but sincerely struggled to per
form a public duty, amid embarrassments
which the world can never fully know. In re
viewing wnat is past, I have and shall ever
have a bitter sorrow, that, while I was enabled
to accomplish so little in behalf of our be
trayed and sufleiing country, others wereena
bled to accomplish so much against it. You
do me exceeding honor in associating me in
your remembrance with the hero of Fort Sum
ter. I here is about bis name an atmosphere
oi ngni mat can never grow dim. Surround
ed with bis little band, by batteries of treason
and by infuriated thousands of traitors, the
fires upon the altar of patriotism at which be
ministered only waxed the brighter for the
gloom that enveloped him, and history will
never forget that it was from these fires that
was kindled that conflagration that now blazes
throughout the length and breadth of the
land. Brave among the bravest, incorrupti
ble and unconquerable in his loyalty, amid all
the perplexities and trials and sore humilia
tions that beset him, he well deserves that ex
alted position in tbe affections and confidence
ot the people that he now enjovs ; and while
none have had better opportunities of know
ing this than myself, so 1 am sure that none
could have a prouder joy in bearing testimony
io u man i nave to-night.
x eli,ow-ijitizen8 : A lew weeks since, in
T., n -
another form, I ventured freely to expres-i ray
views upon those tragic events which have
brought sorrow to every hearthstone and to
every heart in our distracted country, and it
is now my purpose on this occasion to repeat
these views, or to engage in anv extended
discusion of the questions then examined. It
s not necessary that I should do so, since the
argument is exhausted, and the pupular mind
is perfectly familiar with it in all its bearings.
will, however, with your permission, sub
mit a few brief observations upon the absorb
ing topics of the day, and if I do so with an
earnestness and emphasis due alike to the
sincerity of my convictions and to the magni
tude of tho interests involved, it is trusted
that none will be offended, not even those
who may most widely differ from me
Could one, an entire stranger to our history.
now look down upon the South and see there
hundred or a hundred and fifty thousand
men marching in hostile array, threatening
tbe capture of the Capital, and the dismem
berment of the territory of the Republic ; and
could he look again and sue that this army is
marshaled and directed by officers recently
occupying distinguished places in the civil
ana military service of the country, and fur
tlier, that the States from which this army has
been drawn appear to be one vast, seething
cauldron of ferocious passion, be would very
naturally conclude that tbe Government of
the United States had committed some great
crime against its people, and that this upri
sing was in resistance to wrongs and outrages
which had been borne until their endurance
ws no longer possible. And yet, no conclu
sion could be further from the truth than this.
The Government of the United States has been
faithful to its constitutional obligations. For
eighty years it has maintained the national
honor at home and abroad, and by its prow
ess, its wisdom, and its justice has given to
the title of an American citizen an elevation
among the nations of the earth which the cit-
zens of no republic has enjoyed since Rome
was mistress of the world. Under its admin
istration tho national domain has stretched
away to the racihc, and that constellation
which announced our birth as a people has
expanded from thirteen to thirty-four stars,
all. until recently moving undisturbed and un
dimmed in their orbs of light and grandeur.
The rights of no State have been invaded j no
man's property has been despoiled, no man's
liberty abridged, no man's life oppressively
eopardized by the action of this Government.
Under its benign influences the rills of pub
ic and private property have swelled into riv
ulets and from rivulets into rivers ever brim-
Luing in their fullness, and everywhere, and at
11 periods of its History, its ministrations have
fallen as gently' on the fJeople of the United
States as do the dews of a Summer's night on
the flowers and grass of the gardens and fields.
Whence, then, this revolutionary outbreak ?
Whence the secret spring of this gigantic con
spiracy, which, like some huge boa, had com
pletely coiled itself around the limbs and body
t the Republic, before a single band was lif
ted to resist it 1 Strange, and indeed start
ling as the announcement must appear when
it falls upon the cars of tbe next generation,
the national tragedy in whose shadow we
stand to-night, has come upon us because, in
November last, John C. Breckinridge was not
elected President of tbe United States, and
Abraham Lincoln was. This is the whole sto
ry. - And I would pray now to know on what
was John C. Breckinridge fed that he has
grown so great, that a Republic founded by
Washington, and cemented by the best blood
that has ever coursed in human veins, is to be
overthrown because, forsooth, he cannot be
its President 1 Had he been chosen, we well
know that we should not have beard of this
rebellion, for tbe lever with which it is being
moved would have been wanting to the hands
of the conspirators. Even after his defeat,
could it . havo been guaranteed, beyond all
peradventure, that Jefferson Pavis, or some
other kindred spirit, would be the successor
of Mr. Lincoln, I presume, we hazard nothing
in assuming t'uat this atrocious movement a
gainst tbe Government would not have been
set on foot. So much for the principle in
volved in it. This great crime, then, with
which we are grappling, sprang from that "sin
by which the angels fell" an unmastered and
profligate ambition an ambition that "would
rather reign in hell than serve in heaven"
that would rather rule supremely over a shat
tered fragment of the Republic than run the
chances ot sharing with others the honors of
the whole.
The-conspirators of the South read in th
election of Mr. Lincoln a declaration that the
democratic party has been prostrated, if not
finally destroyed, by the selfish intrigues and
corruptions of its leaders ; thev read. too. that
me vicious, emaciated, and spavined hobbv of
oiavery airuauon, on wnicn inev had so
olten rode into power, could no longer carrv
them beyond a given geographical line of our
territory, and that in truth this factious and
treasonable agitation, on which so many
them had grown great by debauching and de
nationalizing tLe mind of a people naturally
generous and patriotic, had run its course, and
hence that from the national disgust for this
aomagoging, and from the inexorable law o
population, the time had come when all those
wao had no other political capital than this
would have to prepare for retirement to. pri
vate life, so far at least as the highest offices
oi tne country were concerned. Under the
influence of these grim discouragements, they
resolved to consummate at once what our
political history shows to have been with them
a long cherished purpose the dismember
mentof tbe Government. They said to them
selves : "Since we can no longer monopolize
the great offices of the Republic as we have
been accustomed to do, we will destroy it, and
build upon its rums an empire that shall be
all our own, and whose spoils neither the
North nor the East nor the West shall share
with us." Deplorable and humiliating as this
certainty is, it is but a rehearsal cf the sad
sal story of the past. We had. indeed, sun
posed that under our Christian civilization we
had reached a point in human progress, when
a republic could exist without having its life
sought by its own offspring ; but the Catalines
of the South have proved that we were mis
taken. Let no man imagine that baeause this
rebellion has been made by men renowned in
our civil and military history, that it is there
fore the loss guilty or the less courageously to
bo resisted. It ia precisely this class of men
wto have subverted the best governments that
have ever existed. The purest spirits that
have lived in tbe tide of times, the noblest
institutions that have arisen to bless our race,
have found among those in whom they . bad
most honored, men wicked enough, either se
cretly to betray them unto death, or openly
to seek their overthrow by lawless violence.
The republic of England had its Monk; the
republic of x ranee had its Bonaparte ; the re
public of Rome had its Ctesar and its Cataline,
aim the Savior of the world had his Judas I
scariot. It cannot be necessary that I should
declare to you, for you know them well, who
they are whoso parricidal swords are now un
sheathed against the republic of tho United
States. Their names are inscribed upon a
scroll ot infamy that can never perish. The
most distinguished of them were educated by
me cnanty ot the Government on which they
are now making war. For long years they
were led from its table, and clothed from its
wardrobe, and had their brows garlanded by
its honors. They are the ungrateful sous of
a fond mother who dandled them upon her
knee, who lavished upon them tbe gushing
love of her noble and devoted nature, and
who nurtured them from the very bosom of
her life ; and now, in the frenzied excesses of
licentious and baffled ambition, tbey are
stabbing at that bosom with the ferocity with
which the tiger springs upon his prey. The
President of fhe United States is heroically
and patriotically struggling to baffle the ma
chinations of these most wicked men. I have
unbounded gratification in knowing that be
has the courage to look traitors in the face.
and that, in discharging tbe duties of his
great office, he takes no counsel of bis fears.
He is entitled to the zealous support of the
whole country, and, may I not add without
offense, that he will receive the support of all
who justly appreciate tho boundless blessings
of our free institutions I
If this rebellion succeeds it will involve ne
cessarily the destruction of our .nationality,
the division of our territory , tho permanent
disruption of the Republic. It must rapidly
dry up tbe sources of our material prosperity,
and year by year we shall grow more inipover-
shed, more and more revolutionary, enfeebled.
and debased. Each returning election will
bring with it grounds for new civil commotions,
and traitors, prepared to strike at the country
that has rejected their claims to power, will
spring up on every side. Disunion once begun
will go on and on indefinitely, and under tbe
nuuence of the fatal doctrine of Secession
not only will States secede from States, but
counties will secede from States also, and towns
and cities from counties, until universal an
archy will be consummated in each individual
who can make good his position by force of
arms, claiming the right to defy the power of
the ijovernnient. Thus we should have
brought back to us the daysot the robber Bar
ons with their moated castles and marauding
retainers. This doctrine, when analyzed, is
simply a declaration that no physical force
shall ever be employed in executing the laws
or upholding the Government, and a Govern
ment into whose practical administration such
a principle has been introduced, could no more
continue to exist than a man could live with
an angered cobra in his bosom. . If you would
know what are the legitimate fruits of Seces
sion, look at Virginia and Tennessee, which
have so lately given themselves up to the em
brace of this monster. There tbe schools are
deserted ; tbe courts of justice closed, public
ana private credit destroyed ; commerce an
nihilated ; debts repudiated : confiscations
and spoliations everywhere prevailing; every
cheek blanched with fear, and every heart
frozen with despair ; and all over that desola
ted land tbe band, of infuriated passion and
crime is waving, with a vulture s scream for
blood, tbe sword of civil war. And this is tbe
andemoniuni which some would have trans
ferred to Kentucky. '
But I am not here to discuss this proposition
to-night. I wish solmnly, to declare before
you and tbe world that I am for this Union
without . conditions, and indivisible, now
and forever. - I am for its preservation at aDy
and every cost of blood and treasure against
all its assailants. I know no neutrality be
tween mycountry and its foes, whether they
be foreign or domestic ; no neutrality between
that glorious flag which now floats over us and
the ingrates and traitors who would trample it
in the dust. My prayer is for victory, com
plete, enduring, and overwhelming, to the ar
mies of the Republic over all its enemies. I
am against any and every compromise that
way be proposed to be made under the guns
of the rebels, while at the same time I am de
cidedly In favor of affording every reasonable
guarantee for the safety of Southern institu
tions which the honest convictions of the pea-
pie not the conspirators of the South may
demand, whenever thev shnU lav dotcn their
arms, but not until then. The arbitrament of
the sword has been defiantly thrust into the
face of the Government and country, and
there is no honorable escape from it. All
guaranties and all attempts at adjustment by
amendments to the Constitution are now
scornfully rejected, and the leaders of the re
bellion openly proclaim that they are fighting
for their independence. In this contemptu
ous rejection of guaranties, and in this avowal
of the objects of the rebellion now so auda
ciously made, we have a complete exposure of
that fraud which through tbe Slavery agita
tion has been practiced upon the public cre
dulity for the last fifteen or twenty years. In
the light of this revelation, we feel as one a
waKened from tho sutlocatlng tortures or a
nightmare, and realize what a baseless dream
our apprehensions nave been, and ot what a
traitorous swindle we have been made the vie
tims. They are fighting for their indepen
dence ! Independence of what 1 Indepen
dence of those laws which they themselves
have aided in enacting; independence of that
Constitution which their fathers framed, and
to which they are parties and subject by in
heritance ; independence of that beneficent
Government on whose treasury and honors
they have grown strong and illustrious
When a man commits a robbery on the high
way, or a murder in tbe dark, he thereby de
clares his independence of the laws under
which he lives, and of the society of which he
is a member. Should he when arraigned a
vow, and justify the oHence, he thereby be
comes the advocate of the independence be
has thus declared ; and, if he resists by force
of arms the office when dragging him to the pris-
on,the penitentiary, or the gallows,he is thereby
fighting for the independence he has thus de
clared and advocated ; and such is tbe condi
tion or the South at this moment. It is no
longer a question of Southern rights, which
have never been violated, nor of security of
Southern institutions, which we know perfect
ly well have never been interfered witb by the
General Government, but it is purely with us
a question of national existence. In meeting
this terrible issues which rebellion has made
up with the loyal men of the country, we stand
upon ground infinitely above all party lines
and party platforms ground as sublime as
that on which our fathers stood when they
fought the battles or the Revolution. I am
for throwing into the contest thus forced up
on us all the material and moral resources
and energies of the nation, in order that the
struggle may be brief and as little sanguinary
as possible, it is hoped that we shall soon
see in the field half a million of patriotic vol
untecrs, marching in columns which will be
perfectly irresistible, and borne in their hands
for no purpose of conquest or subjugation,
but of protection only we may expect with
in nine months to see the Stars and Stripes
floating in every Southern breeze, and bear
going up, wild as the storm, the exultant
shout of that emancipated people over their
deliverance from the revolutionary terror and
despotism by which they are now tormented
and oppressed. The war, conducted on such
scale will not cost exceeding four or Ave
hundred million of dollars ; and none need be
startled at the vastness of this expenditure.
Ihe debt thus created will press but slightly
upon ns; it will be paid and gladly paid by
posterity, who will make the best bargain
which has been made since the world began if
they can secure to themselves in its integri
ty and blessings such a government as this at
such a cost. But if, in this anticipation we are
doomed to disappointment : if the people of
theU.States have already becmae so degenerate
may I not say so craven in the presence of
their foes as to surrender up this Republic to
be dismembered and subverted by the traitors
who have reared the standard of revolt against
t, then I trust the volume of American his
tory will be closed and sealed up forever, and
that those who shall survive this national hu
miliation will take unto themselves some oth
er name some name having no relation to
the past, no relation to our great ancestors,
no relation to those monuments and battle
fields which commemorate alike their heroism,
their loyalty, and their glory.
But with the curled lip of scorn we are told
by the disunionists, that in supporting a Re
publican Administration in its endeavors to
uphold the Constitution and laws, we are
'subnnssionists," and when they have pro
nounced this word tbey suppose they have
imputed to us the sum of all abasement.
Well, let it be confessed ; we are "submission
ists," and weak and spiritless as it may be
deemed by some, we glory in the position we
ocenpy. For example : the law says "Thou
shalt not steal ;" we submit to this law. and
would not for the world's.worth rob our neigh
bor of his forts, his arsenals, his munitions of
war, his hospital stores, or anything that is
his. Indeed so impressed are we with the ob
ligations of this law, that we would no more
think of plundering from our neighbor half a
million of dollars because found in one of bis
unprotected mints, than, we would think of
filching a purse from his pocket in a crowded
thoroughfare. Write us down therefore "sub
missionists." Again : The law says "thou
shalt not swear falsely ;" we submit to this
law, and while in tho civil or military service
of tbe country, with an oath to support the
Constitution of the United States resting up
on our consciences, we would not for any
earthly consideration engage in the formation
or execution of a conspiracy to subvert that
very constitution, aDd with it the Government
to which it has given birth. Write us down
therefore "submissionisls." But again :
When a President has been elected in strict
accordance with the forms and spirit of the
Constitution,' and has been regularly installed
into office, and is honestly striving to discharge
his duty by snatching the Republic from the
Jaws of a gigantie treason wbicb threatens to
crash it, we care not what his name may be or
what the designation of bis political party, or
.........
wbat the platform on which he stood during
the Presidential canvass ; we believe we fulfill
in sight of earth and heaven our highest obli
gations to our couutry, in giving to bitn an
earnest and loyal ttupport ia the struggle In
which he is engaged.
Nor are all disturbed by the flippant taunt
that in thus submitting to tho authority of our
Government wo arc necessarily cowards. Wo
know whence this taunt comes, and wo esti
mate it at its true value. We bold that there
is a higher courage in the performance of duty
than in the commission of clime. Tho tiger
of tbe jungle and the cannibal of the South Sea
Islands have that courage in which the revo
lutionists of the day make their especial boast ;
the angels of God and tbe spirits of just men
made perfect have bad, and have that courage
which submits to the laws. Lucifer was a
non-submissionist, and the first secessionist of
whom history has given any account, and the
chains which he wears fitly express the fate
due to all who openly defy the laws of their
Creator and of their country. He rebelled be
cause the Almighty would not yield to hici
the throne of Heaven; the principle of tbe
Southern rebellion is the same. Indeed, in
this submission to the laws is found the chief
distinction between good men and devils. A
good man obeys the lawa of truth, of honesty,
of morality, and all those laws which have
been enacted by competent authority for the
government and protection of the country in
which be lives ; a devil obejs only his own fe
roucious and profligate passions. The princi
ple on which this rebellion proceeds, that laws
have in themselves no sanctions, no binding
force upon the conscience, and that every man,
under the promptings of interest, or passron,
or caprice, may at will, and honorably, too,
strike at the Government that shelters him, is
one of utter demoralization, and should be
trodden out, as you would tread out a spark
that has fallen on the roof of your dwelling.
Its unchecked prevalence would resolve socie
ty liito chaos, and leave you without the slight
est guaranty for life, liberty, or property. It
is time that, m their majesty, the people of
the United States should make known to the
world that this government, in its dignity and
power, is something more than a moot court,
and that the citizen who makes war upon it ia
a traitor, not only in theory but in fact, and
should havo meted out to him a traitor's doom.
The country wants no bloody sacrifices, but it
must and will have peace, cost wbat it may.
Before closing, I desire to say a few words
on tbe relations of Kentucky to the pending
rebellion ; and, as we are all Kentuckians here
together to-night, and as this is purely a fam
ily matter, which concerns tbe honor of us all.
I hope we may be permitted to speak to each
other upon it with entire freedom. I shall
not detain you with observations on the bos-
tile and defiant position assumed by tbe Gov
ernor of your State. In his reply to the re
quisition made upon him for volunteers under
the proclamation of the President, be has, in
my judgment, written and finished his own
history, his epitaph included; and it is prob
able that in future tbe world will little con
cern itself as to what his Excellency may pro
pose to do, or as to what he may propose not
to do. That response has made for Kentucky
a record that has already brought a burning
blush to the cheek of many of her sons, and is
destined to bring it to the cheek of many more
in the years which are tocome. It is a shame.
indeed a crying shame, that a State with so
illustrious a past should have, written for her.
by her own chief magistrate, a page of history
so utterly humiliating as this. But your Leg
islature have determined that during the pres
cnt unhappy war the attitude of the State shall
be that ot strict neutrality, and it is upon this
determination that I wish respectfully, but
frankly to comment. As tbe motives which
governed the Legislature were doubtless pat
riotic and conservative, the conclusion ar
rived at cannot be condemned as dishonorable ;
still, in view of tbe manifest duty of tbe State
and of possible results, 1 cannot but regard it
as mistaken and false, and one which may
have fatal consequences. Strictly and legal,
ly speaking, Kentucky must go out of the U
nion before she can be neutral. Within it she
is necessarily either faithful to the Govern
ment of the United States, or she is disloyal
to it. If this crutch of neutrality upon which
her well meaning but ill-judging politicians
arc halting, can find any middle ground on
which to rest, it has escaped my researches,
though I have diligently sought it. .Neutral
ity, in the sense of those who now use the
term, however patriotically designed, is, in
effect, but a snake in tho grass of rebellion,
and those who handle it will sooner or later
feel its fangs. Said one who spake as man
never spake, "he who is not with us is against
us ;" and of none of the conflicts which have
arisen between men or between nations, could
this be more truthfully said, than of that in
which we are now involved. Neutrality ne
cessarily implies indifference. Is Kentucky
indiflerent to the issues of this contest 7 Hat
she, indeed, nothing at btake 1 Has she no
compact with her sister States to keep, no
plighted faith to uphold, no renown to sus
tain, no glory to win ? Has she no horror of
that crime of crimes now being committed
against us by that stupendous rebellion which
has arisen like a tempest cloud in the South 7
We rejoice to know that she ia still a member
of this Union, and as sucb sho has the same
interest m resisting this rebellion, that each
limb of the body haa in resisting a poignard
whoso point is aimed at the heart. It is her
house that is on fire ; has she no interest in
extinguishing tbe conflagration ? Will she
stand aloof and announce herself neutral be
tween the raging flames and the brave men
who are periling their lives to subdue them 1
Huudreds of thousands of citizens of other
States men of culture and character, of
thought and of toil; men who have a deep
stake in life and an intense appreciation of its
duties and responsibilities; who know the
worth of this blessed Government of ours, and
do not prizo even their own blood above it
say, hundreds of thousands of aucn men navo
left their homes, their workshops, their offices,
their counting-houses, and their fields, and
are now rallying about our flag, freely wffering
their all to sustain it, and, since the days that
crusading Europe threw its hosts upon the
embattled plains of Asia, no deeper or more
earnest or grander spirit has stirred the souls
of men, than that which now sways those
mighty masses whose gleaming banners are
destined ere long to make bright again the
earth and sky of tbe distracted South. Can
Kentucky look upon this sublime pectaclt of
patriotism Tiamoved," and then say to herself:
St