July 29, 1861.
My Dear Charles,
— I have your notes and the good news of Longfellow. A week ago Tom Appleton wrote
me about himself and L–––. It was a very manly, touching letter. How glad I am that L––– is not crushed by the heavy blow!
No, nor am I nor the country by our blow. It is very
bitter, but we had made a false start, and we should have suffered more
dreadfully in the end had we succeeded now.
The "Tribune," as you see, has changed. There was
a terrible time there. Its course was quite exclusively controlled by my
friend, Charles Dana. The stockholders and Greeley himself at last rebelled and
Dana was overthrown. It may lead to his leaving the “Tribune;” but for his sake
I hope not.
As for blame and causes (for the defeat at Bull Run), they
are in our condition and character. We have undertaken to make war without in
the least knowing how. It is as if I should be put to run a locomotive. I am a
decent citizen, and (let us suppose) a respectable man, but if the train were
destroyed, who would be responsible? We have made a false start and we have
discovered it. It remains only to start afresh.
The only difficulty now will be just that of which Mr. Cox’s
resolutions are an evidence, the disposition to ask, “Will it pay?” And the
duty is to destroy that difficulty by showing that peace is impossible without
an emphatic conquest upon one side or the other. If we could suppose peace made
as we stand now, we could not reduce our army by a single soldier. The sword must
decide this radical quarrel. Why not within as well as without the Union?
Then, if we win, we save all. If we lose, we lose no more.
SOURCE: Edward Cary, George William Curtis, p.
148-9
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