The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-12 00:00:00

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THE SUN.

LONDON, THURSDAY, SEPT. 12, 1881.

Every mail from America brings us accounts of
skirmishes, more or less destructive of life, from the
shores of the Potomac to the south-west of Missouri.
The first accounts are generally exaggerated, as
might be expected, and it is rather remarkable,
that though they come to us through the North,
they for the most part are coloured too strongly
against it. The losses are set down as greater than
they are ; or what was by no means a discreditable
failure reads like an utter rout or panic. In most
of these petty engagements the generalship some-
how seems to have been on the side of the South.
Thus in this last affair at Summerville, reported a
little more accurately tc-day, Col. TYLER'S Ohio
regiment was caught at breakfast; was attacked
on two sides; the Colonel was, in fact, out-gene-
ralled ; but then his men fought with desperation,
probably did inflict on the more numerous forces
of the Confederates greater loss than they suffered
themselves; and though separated, in their endea-
vours to cut through an enemy which attacked
them on both flanks and in front simultaneously,
have yet been able to re-unite, while by
a timely warning the Colonel saved his waggon
train. Except while M'CLELLAN was acting so
successfully in Western Virginia, in a subordinate
capacity, the Confederates have almost always
shown the most skill in surprises, and in bringing
forces from several points to bear on the point for
action. In the affair at Missouri, near Springfield,
where the brave LYON lost his life, FREMONT was
prevented from following to his support by a de-
monstration of General PILLOW'S with 25,000 men,
as it was given out, who yet afterwards appeared
to be but a kind of rabble army.
The season of skirmishes will, however, soon be
over. October was the month always fixed,
by the military men, for the commence-
ment of decisive operations, as soon as it
became evident that a serious war was the only
settlement of the controversy. a The three months'
volunteers Mr. LINCOLN himself could hardly hope
would avail to bring the South to bow to Northern
authority, when its leaders had once tasted the
sweets of power. They soon showed how incom-
petent they were—how wanting, at least, in pub-
lic spirit. Their marching off the field of battle
at Bull's Run, combined with their quitting PAT-
TISON at Harper's Ferry, and thus liberating
JOHNSTON'S corps to leave that position and come
fresh up by the railroad to the conflict, had more
than anything to do with the rout and panic of
that day. The army now is an army enlisted for
the war. Its time for training has been short
enough, but the Bull's Run affair has had one
good effect which we naturally anticipated—
it has made the independent Northerners
feel
that drill and obedience are essential
not only to victory but to safety, and the thousands
of sovereign electors', each of whom thinks himself
as good as his officer, have learned that, on duty,
they must as implicitly respect their officers' autho-
rity as if the latter were absolute monarchs. There
can be no republicanism in an army before an enemy
—a truth known to be true from all antiquity ; but
Yankees despise antiquity, and have probably
needed the lesson at Bull's Run to teach them what
every schoolboy learns from his " Xenophon
and
his " Caesar."

But what will be the result when the autumn
move commences in earnest ? We almost shrink
front the conjecture. The South, encouraged by its
great .success, and the in-gathering of the cotton
and other crops having liberated great numbers,
must, as well as the Yorth, have been both increas-
ing its numbers and perfecting its drill. We quite
expect to find it superior in this latter respect, but
also that the North will have the superiority in
numbers and a still superiority in artillery
and the munitions of ter• It would seem as if the
first shock of renewed, war must be a fearful one.
-We ean hardly expect Tic .w such strategy on the part
't the North as will e or tpel a speedy retreat of.the
south -without much deadly conflict. It will re-
t°o to b
being be seen, how far the advantage of
the defendersprobables on t.
heir
own soil will neutralise
artillery, andov1:7101 city of the North in men and
while we hope far Tuad.d, in ships. On the whole,
Lew Northern victories, yet