y matured and understood by all who may be
called upon to execute the orders of the government.

It now seems to me amazing that the affairs of an enlightened nation
could have been so badly managed as to leave the secession issue
in doubt almost to the last moment of a four years' contest, as it
is now well known it was. Probably the one saving fact in all
those years was that the young soldiers of the republic--and they
were nearly all young then--knew little and cared less about the
wrangling of self-seeking politicians and visionary doctrinaires
in the rear, but fought steadily on to the end, never doubting for
a moment the final triumph. I have never been able to recall a
single instance of doubt manifested by any soldier in the field,
though I did know a very few cases of officers of considerable
rank, who thought they ought to have had more rank, who went to
the rear and said something about failure in the field.

I believe now that it required only some _real_ emergency, such,
for instance, as the capture of Washington in July, 1863, to call
forth the power of the North and crush the rebellion in six months.
If any man thinks a great disaster would have disheartened the
North, he knows nothing of the people of our country. It was the
slow waste of enormous resources and of latent military strength
that at length made many even of the stoutest hearts begin to feel
despondent. I do not believe there was any time when the people
would not have responded with unanimity and enthusiasm to an appeal
to put forth all their strength and end the rebellion at a single
blow.

The one lesson of reason and experience that I would impress upon
my countrymen in every possible way is, when war or insurrection
comes or is threatened, do not trifle with it. Do not invoke
judicial proceedings, or call for 75,000 men; but call for _men_,
and let them come as many as will! If some of them do not get
there in time, before it is all over, it will not cost much to send
them home again! The services of the Pennsylvania reserve, though
ready for the field, were actually, positively refused until after
the disaster of Bull Run! The greatest wonder in the history of
this wonderful republic is that the government actually survived
such a military policy as that!

In this connection, it ought to be distinctly understood that the
great object of education at West Point and other military schools
in not to make high commanders, bu