inst national authority, the
citizens obtained the reversal of the order, and the guns, some of which
were already under convoy to the wharf, were returned to the arsenal. The
"Rebellion Records," published by the government, should not begin with
1861. They should go back to the time when the plot originated to strip
the national arsenals for the benefit of the nation's enemies, to disarm
the Union that it might fall a prey to secession. This was the treason
which should never be forgotten. The men who fought bravely and openly in
the field for the Confederate cause can be respected for their sincerity
and honored for their valor; but not so with the men who before the war
violated their trust as guardians and armor bearers of the Union to
betray the nation to its conspiring foes.

* * *

The conditions at the beginning of the war were much more favorable to
the South than a mere comparison of population would indicate. The loyal
States had a population of 23,000,000; the seceded States 8,000,000, of
whom about one-half were slaves. These slaves counted, however, for about
as much effective strength as if they had been whites, for the soil had
to be cultivated, the armies fed, fortifications built and other
necessary services performed, and the negroes, while all who were bright
enough to understand the situation wished for the success of the Union,
worked for their masters faithfully, as a rule, until the approach of the
national armies gave an opportunity to escape. Besides, the negroes in
attendance on the Confederate troops performed many duties to which on
the Northern side soldiers were assigned, and in this way the blacks were
useful in even a strictly military sense. In short, the negroes did
everything for the Confederacy but fight for it, and this, too, although
they loved the blue uniform, and gave loyal assistance to the Union
troops whenever occasion offered. The Southern forces, it should also be
remembered, were on their own ground. They knew every thicket and road
and stream; they had the sympathy of the white, as well as the service of
the black inhabitants. They were led by a brilliant group of commanders
whom Jefferson Davis, when Secretary of War, had brought together
probably with this object in view, and they were thoroughly armed and
equipped at the expense of the very government against which they were
contending. It is needless to say that no better sol