north america-1-第35章

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ization　and　knowledge。　　That　he　has　considerable　talent；　immense　energy；　and　strong　self…confidence；　I　believe。　　He　is　a　frontier　manone　of　those　who　care　nothing　for　danger；　and　who　would　dare　anything　with　the　hope　of　accomplishing　a　great　career。　But　I　have　never　heard　that　he　has　shown　any　practical　knowledge　of　high　military　matters。　　It　may　be　doubted　whether　a　man　of　this　stamp　is　well　fitted　to　hold　the　command　of　a　nation's　army　for　great　national　purposes。　　May　it　not　even　be　presumed　that　a　man　of　this　class　is　of　all　men　the　least　fitted　for　such　a　work？　　The　officer　required　should　be　a　man　with　two　specialtiesa　specialty　for　military　tactics　and　a　specialty　for　national　duty。　　The　army　in　the　West　was　far　removed　from　headquarters　in　Washington；　and　it　was　peculiarly　desirable　that　the　general　commanding　it　should　be　one　possessing　a　strong　idea　of　obedience　to　the　control　of　his　own　government。　　Those　frontier　capabilitiesthat　self…dependent　energy　for　which　his　friends　gave　Fremont；　and　probably　justly　gave　him；　such　unlimited　creditare　exactly　the　qualities　which　are　most　dangerous　in　such　a　position。　I　have　endeavored　to　explain　the　circumstances　of　the　Western　command　in　Missouri　as　they　existed　at　the　time　when　I　was　in　the　Northwestern　States；　in　order　that　the　double　action　of　the　North　and　West　may　be　understood。　　I；　of　course；　was　not　in　the　secret　of　any　official　persons；　but　I　could　not　but　feel　sure　that　the　government　in　Washington　would　have　been　glad　to　have　removed　Fremont　at　once　from　the　command；　had　they　not　feared　that　by　so　doing　they　would　have　created　a　schism；　as　it　were；　in　their　own　camp；　and　have　done　much　to　break　up　the　integrity　or　oneness　of　Northern　loyalty。　　The　Western　people　almost　to　a　man　desired　abolition。　　The　States　there　were　sending　out　their　tens　of　thousands　of　young　men　into　the　army　with　a　prodigality　as　to　their　only　source　of　wealth　which　they　hardly　recognized　themselves；　because　this　to　them　was　a　fight　against　slavery。　　The　Western　population　has　been　increased　to　a　wonderful　degree　by　a　German　infusionso　much　so　that　the　Western　towns　appear　to　have　been　peopled　with　Germans。　　I　found　regiments　of　volunteers　consisting　wholly　of　Germans。　　And　the　Germans　are　all　abolitionists。　　To　all　the　men　of　the　West　the　name　of　Fremont　is　dear。　　He　is　their　hero　and　their　Hercules。　　He　is　to　cleanse　the　stables　of　the　Southern　king；　and　turn　the　waters　of　emancipation　through　the　foul　stalls　of　slavery。　　And　therefore；　though　the　Cabinet　in　Washington　would　have　been　glad　for　many　reasons　to　have　removed　Fremont　in　October　last；　it　was　at　first　scared　from　committing　itself　to　so　strong　a　measure。　　At　last；　however；　the　charges　made　against　him　were　too　fully　substantiated　to　allow　of　their　being　set　on　one　side；　and　early　in　November；　1861；　he　was　superseded。　　I　shall　be　obliged　to　allude　again　to　General　Fremont's　career　as　I　go　on　with　my　narrative。　At　this　time　the　North　was　looking　for　a　victory　on　the　Potomac；　but　they　were　no　longer　looking　for　it　with　that　impatience　which　in　the　summer　had　led　to　the　disgrace　at　Bull's　Run。　　They　had　recognized　the　fact　that　their　troops　must　be　equipped；　drilled；　and　instructed；　and　they　had　also　recognized　the　perhaps　greater　fact　that　their　enemies　were　neither　weak；　cowardly；　nor　badly　officered。　　I　have　always　thought　that　the　tone　and　manner　with　which　the　North　bore　the　defeat　at　Bull's　Run　was　creditable　to　it。　It　was　never　denied；　never　explained　away；　never　set　down　as　trifling。　　〃We　have　been　whipped；〃　was　what　all　Northerners　said；　〃we've　got　an　almighty　whipping；　and　here　we　are。〃　　I　have　heard　many　Englishmen　complain　of　thissaying　that　the　matter　was　taken　almost　as　a　joke；　that　no　disgrace　was　felt；　and　that　the　licking　was　owned　by　a　people　who　ought　never　to　have　allowed　that　they　had　been　licked。　　To　all　this；　however；　I　demur。　　Their　only　chance　of　speedy　success　consisted　in　their　seeing　and　recognizing　the　truth。　Had　they　confessed　the　whipping；　and　then　sat　down　with　their　hands　in　their　pocketshad　they　done　as　second…rate　boys　at　school　will　do；　declare　that　they　had　been　licked；　and　then　feel　that　all　the　trouble　is　overthey　would　indeed　have　been　open　to　reproach。　　The　old　mother　across　the　water　would　in　such　case　have　disowned　her　son。　　But　they　did　the　very　reverse　of　this。　　〃I　have　been　whipped；〃　Jonathan　said；　and　he　immediately　went　into　training　under　a　new　system　for　another　fight。　And　so　all　through　September　and　October　the　great　armies　on　the　Potomac　rested　comparatively　in　quietthe　Northern　forces　drawing　to　themselves　immense　levies。　　The　general　confidence　in　McClellan　was　then　very　great；　and　the　cautious　measures　by　which　he　endeavored　to　bring　his　vast　untrained　body　of　men　under　discipline　were　such　as　did　at　that　time　recommend　themselves　to　most　military　critics。　　Early　in　September　the　Northern　party　obtained　a　considerable　advantage　by　taking　the　fort　at　Cape　Hatteras；　in　North　Carolina；　situated　on　one　of　those　long　banks　which　lie　along　the　shores　of　the　Southern　States；　but；　toward　the　end　of　October；　they　experienced　a　considerable　reverse　in　an　attack　which　was　made　on　the　secessionists　by　General　Stone；　and　in　which　Colonel　Baker　was　killed。　　Colonel　Baker　had　been　Senator　for　Oregon；　and　was　well　known　as　an　orator。　　Taking　all　things　together；　however；　nothing　material　had　been　done　up　to　the　end　of　October；　and　at　that　time　Northern　men　were　waitingnot　perhaps　impatiently；　considering　the　great　hopes　and　perhaps　great　fears　which　filled　their　hearts；　but　with　eager　expectationfor　some　event　of　which　they　might　talk　with　pride。　The　man　to　whom　they　had　trusted　all　their　hopes　was　young　for　so　great　a　command。　　I　think　that；　at　this　time；　（October；　1861；）　General　McClellan　was　not　yet　thirty…five。　　He　had　served；　early　in　life；　in　the　Mexican　war；　having　come　originally　from　Pennsylvania；　and　having　been　educated　at　the　military　college　at　West　Point。　During　our　war　with　Russia　he　was　sent　to　the　Crimea　by　his　own　government；　in　conjunction　with　two　other　officers　of　the　United　States　army；　that　they　might　learn　all　that　was　to　be　learned　there　as　to　military　tactics；　and　report　especially　as　to　the　manner　in　which　fortifications　were　made　and　attacked。　　I　have　been　informed　that　a　very　able　report　was　sent　in　by　them　to　the　government　on　their　return；　and　that　this　was　drawn　up　by　McClellan。　　But　in　America　a　man　is　not　only　a　soldier；　or　always　a　soldier；　nor　is　he　always　a　clergyman　if　once　a　clergyman：　he　takes　a　spell　at　anything　suitable　that　may　be　going。　　And　in　this　way　McClellan　was；　for　some　years；　engaged　on　the　Central　Illinois　Railway；　and　was　for　a　considerable　time　the　head　manager　of　that　concern。　　We　all　know　with　what　suddenness　he　rose　to　the　highest　command　in　the　army　immediately　after　the　defeat　at　Bull's　Run。　I　have　endeavored　to　describe　what　were　the　feelings　of　the　West　in　the　autumn　of　1861　with　regard　to　the　war。　　The　excitement　and　eagerness　there　were　very　great；　and　they　were　perhaps　as　great　in　the　North。　　But　in　the　North　the　matter　seemed　to　me　to　be　regarded　from　a　different　point　of　view。　　As　a　rule；　the　men　of　the　North　are　not　abolitionists。　　It　is　quite　certain　that　they　were　not　so　before　secession　began。　　They　hate　slavery　as　we　in　England　hate　it；　but　they　are　aware；　as　also　are　we；　that　the　disposition　of　four　million　of　black　men　and　women　forms　a　question　which　cannot　be　solved　by　the　chivalry　of　any　modern　Orlando。　　The　property　invested　in　these　four　million　slaves　forms　the　entire　wealth　of　the　South。　　If　they　could　be　wafted　by　a　philanthropic　breeze　back　to　the　shores　of　Africaa　breeze　of　which　the　philanthropy　would　certainly　not　be　appreciated　by　those　so　waftedthe　South　would　be　a　wilderness。　　The　subject　is　one　as　full　of　difficulty　as　any　with　which　the　politicians　of　these　days　are　tormented。　　The　Northerners　fully　appreciate　this；　and；　as　a　rule；　are　not　abolitionists　in　the　Western　sense　of　the　word。　　To　them　the　war　is　recommended　by　precisely　those　feelings　which　animated　us　when　we　fought　for　our　colonieswhen　we　strove　to　put　down　American　independence。　Secession　is　rebellion　against　the　government；　and　is　all　the　more　bitt