Show JUSTICE TO THE LOSER it is a very difficult matter to explain a defeat so thoroughly as to exculpate the defeated or save him from slander or ridicule no matter what degree of merit may have characterized the work of the one who lost or how much of ability he manifested nor even that his antagonist was notoriously unequal to him and won through a mere stroke of chance the fact that one of the contestants te was a winner and the other a loser comprises the entire scope of the popular findings flandin s those who were of or with the union cause during the late misunderstanding between the north and the south are in many cases still giving oral or written explanations of the disastrous defeat of the federal army at bull run the first great battle of the war this does but show that they consider such explanations still called for but they are not it was a defeat tor for their side and a victory tor for the other and as such it will remain on an the pages of history but it injured the winner more than it did him good and the loser less lesa the former acted and spoke poke as though the prestige gained were enough to furnish the confederate machine with all the propulsion needed to carry it successfully through a whirlwind war and acting 9 accordingly did not follow up its advantages or take the needed precautions against the return of the enemy in improved form whereby a series of disasters resulted all leading up to a final overthrow on the other hand the shock imparted to the north while stupefying for a brief time served the useful purpose of showing it how futile was the belief that it was contending with a horde of par venues who only needed a little pounding to make them withdraw and nurse their wounds that men for ninety days would have to be changed to a quarter of a million soon and a greater number later on all if possible for a term described by the two words the war then things be gan to take a turn one of the most stubborn vindictive and protracted wars in history was fought and at I 1 its ta alose the confederates had learned by experience the important lesson of how wise it is to extend consideration and full credit to those who lose through no fault of their own mail advices advises from the orient are to the effect that it has been discovered that admiral montejo was a coward at cavite chinese papers paper shave have it that way and one of them in particular the bhe hongtong Hong kong a special from manila saying that the admiral did nothing more than flee from one vessel to the other during the engagement he was among the first ashore and almost before the battle was over was at his country villa beyond the city he had not even allowed hla his captains to know where the cavite anchorage was mined and this Is given as a reason why some of the mines were exploded before the american ships approached them they were exploded in order to give the spanish vessels a chance to cross the line one of the best evidences of the incorrectness of the foregoing conclusions is that dewey sent montejo congratulations on the plucky and able fight he made and judging of the case from this distance but in the 11 light ht of the record so tar far as an made ut up the commendatory message Messa geor of the american commander was timely and V proper r 0 per the me spanish leader did hot leave beav e the f fleet until two ships had been sunk beneath him at which time it must have been apparent that all were doomed it is also noted that early in the fight while standing on the bridge of his flagship amid the shot smoke and splinters abundantly prevailing vai ling the end of the bridge on which he stood was shot away and without the least apparent trepidation he walked over to the other end this one act Is it would seem a complete exculpation on any charge of cowardice A brave man will scarcely ever do less than dewey did on the occasion referred to nor will brave men anywhere or at any time withhold just credit to their opponents for all they do that is creditable |