Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-05-17


secrets of the war The opportunities which the inter
course OF the allies and their late opponents afford. h.
freely seized Tor Discussing only the fact. but the p-
soiht~-, OF the campaign that has terminated Our Cn
m""n correspondent gave in the letter which W.. pub
h-hr lat Saturday an interesting sketch OF the Russian
en h' ui"r o the allied tactics a. well revelations at
th'' ""n Doubtless a. these comnpnieaiions become
m"'e h'i' "i hd more aur-.rvsd, the disclosures Nl
sl-o become n'rv striking. until shall learn not only
What t"S Plac- IA the e-mys garrison At e.ch par,r
ss1g" o ue WHi, tut a-O shat they expected Us TO do
and what the t'1ught may have attempted ~ith every
pfo-pect Cf success These rev.lais srr not
ansi'ct"ry They eo"hrm th Impression already recey-
ed that our GeDeral- Onitt-d pr,nt tuu..
"h'ch ~1rd hsve opened To u at the the ,i.- Sc
bssiopo that they did avail themselves OF .urc.ss,
already Achieved and that at moments when deliberate
a1dseity might have thing they we're inert la
active and undecided. These are comments ma, att,
the event, but they made Jy the whom our ia
aei'it! was enormous gain. They ~orhy Of atten-
on as the admissions vt eneiny, showing bo~ lie
e 'S -" '"s',', n"atiii Isy are also calculated
Ia iuspirr some thougulness the sr-,c. of .,r Il,
general ani tbe study oi among ourselves in particular
War - ot Only game of skill but Que OF ch,n,r.
lucky hhs and lucky blunders IL differs from other
sei"nces IL this While they perpeuay testing tbir
uadtohAry rules 10y practical application it, ruLs and
iHim- can only be put To the of nirrqa.nt and ~
ca-ioua experiment. The experience xhioh has b..,
gained IA one war lost heure tie commencement Of an
otber asd the Practise which il required give . C, to
theory can ou!y lac acquired by repeated labor AMI
time Again, there Is much that il purely l,c.l and
occasioua IN it, incidents and e1gene. tI.t no
iules hoscyer methOdcay deduced or clearly ior,n,
can supply the want Of tact, observation and
This may, indeed be predicted OF all professions xbi.h -
qure specll kno ledge aud training but ia no oth.r n
iession 10 there occur 50 of those critical
nieht- ad unforeseen conJunCtures winch DEFY te
hon oi maNins aud pvccients that arms Given
the number oi the eney hi, pru--nt dispositions his i
mediate rsOGrCeS aud the character the country thee
still J. much O.be lett the inspiration or the f,rtun 81
the moment and in other profession are the effect. OF
Ignorance iucapacty Ill fortune widely iniurous ~
deplorably iatal. a. n this Halt doSru wrong indr
nerts and Of ruined taIes probably tn,as,t tn
rhlreme uischl"yOusness Oi the Judge Halt
hundred patients prenaturely despatched are the utmost
sachee permitted To the gnoance OF the laundering
practitioner But, one campaign nsuianaged one siege
ootched even one battle o-t InRkr all the difference
between tie honor and tue shame the safety and the No
nl tue lrecom and the suhectiOn, of whole nation
It serc see-- To fight the campaign over again ON
paper, but l. not Improbable consider the rritic
OF t'e men to whom have been opposed and who
acknowledge themselves to have been beaten Their 6
't'icnres are directed again the inetness which forbade
TIE allies o enter Scb1stopOl immediately alter the b,,,
at the Alma la conr>ng the facility of such an aobi.v
meut they merely echo opinion which We have fr.
quently expressed, s,GaStopol nearly eienuted f
troops aud resistance appeared hopeless The Russian
generals dcspared, and the inhabitants were i'm von.t.,
iinn. At such tme rapid march and vigorous A.,
saudi might have carried all before them So far the
Russian criticism j. We did do thar which =
the time might have been done and which ,.onld -
produced great impressions. only on Russia bu, ,l
on all Europe; but II may fairly be questioned whether
have been more favourable to Us than il actually
has been. The allied army would have ocrnnisj
the southern portion of sshaSopOl II would
have been exposed 10 terrible IRE from tL
northern foEss, from the feet in the har-
oour, aud frum besieging force on land IL.
| condition would have been nearly the same a. ~.
~. mat .s 81 the \ Russian army Sithn SebastopOl with
muuieauon With its fleet it i doubtful Il could have
mau. .;Ained zach postrOn A it was the siege of y
hastopo by the allies uarowed the area OF the contest. IL
became, in ac the IL concentrated all the ener
gies of the allied iorcv Just spot where the
had the eest communication with the and the grea
est command of fresh reinforcements and supplies IL
drained To that one spot the of Russia-men
and arms aud provisions IL imposed upon her soldier
the inevitable necessity OF painful and deadly arches from
the interior IL laid the OF battle in that locality
where TO speak the Russian army further removed
from the Russian capt. than Ee allied army sAs from
London aud Paris ari It msde the fate Of Sebastopo the
Issue o the war itSelt - iir therefore, the end ius
hes the pan the cOniuoI OF the allied generals would be
entltrt commentator rather than censure We mean
OF course 1t there were y precOnceved plan ALL and
the whole operation were not merely the accidental c
sion OF moment, th' solution Of dilemma
1 But if in coming to this determination Lord Raglan and
General Canrobet showe generalship and foresight il is
clear that another perO Of the siege their
showed themselves !, fcieBt in those qualities We
will the unhappy "reminiscences VI the sth
OF June IL after tie failure of that deporable day
had been repaired IL sh vi September that the great
est remissne-s Was eXhiiAt j. Why not the nor
tEeTn ort- cared Seil the Southerns IL j. as clear
nov from the admissions " the Russians then was
10 real soldier tn that had attempt
been made t must have Gcceeded aud the Russians ex
pccted that would be naJ IL may De said that there
certain information respecting the state of the hos
tile its power OF resistance but IN every war tber.
much that cannot be a,cersined With precision The
ignorance partial know se VI facts one OF the tests
oi military sptiude AID alhary daring Ii not when
every circgmzianee Ary mapped down n lrgibe
that the ingenuity boldneSs OF commander i
shown - rather in hirrng from the known To the nm.
known and acting promptly at upon sagacious con,
lecture that the most eminent generals exhibit their high
y T-afaF hat fat-..a n. IL
mute examination aud SHh the logical induction
they may be led into But iI NAV be laid down
a maxim that where general combines diligence
/ ia collecting data with prOmptness Of action he
rarely tails make that fortune which the ancieuts re-.
garie The special attribute Of greatness We fear that
be N...a has just ended has developed these
virtues in the generals OF the allied army s however
consong To remember that they have received no ssr
king Illustrations from the conduct OF the hostile conman-
ders Indeed should be only glad think that in
each Of the armies engaged there had been d payed the
same want Of military science aud military genius. As
for the latter quality very little OF u has been seen on
either side duing the past campagn. But this j. hut
poor assuageucui Tor national self love others
have shown o genius they have az least shown prudence
ordinary prccaUOn and adherence recognized rules
l They have not lost men aud horses in a ratio
/ OF disproport""nic excess they have added
| TO the fatality OF war the fatality ari.
sing trum c1rrleSsncss and uisnana cement. They
have not impaired the strength of tine army ti il was
compelled 20 abandon it, allotted portion Of she hbonrs
tie icgc, and nscr IT, anticipated glOrcs ay-
But these thines have been done on our side aud the
I bitter rcmemU, ,ancc Of them finds oblivion in the
honours shUWc.ci ON Generals whose only claim to ds
tinctou h is even their mi,management could not van
qui-h the heroic endurance Of their army deprive A.
together OF victory, though they robbed il OF it, Just
| fruits
AENv OFfiCEEs CAsHiEREp.-The President SAYS Oh,
Star has irncd the OF the recent courts
martial convced in the cases OF Capt Chas T. Travis al
the SECOND regiment Of Cavalry, sud second Lieut. wm
\ b. Reynolds, Of the sixth Infantry, L. : A.
The sentence oi the iurucr dismissal rom the ser