, 1861-07-27
4 he Value Of Time In MIlJitaFT Affairs
ssCAHhe& OF the Raver81 At MlaAAHSA8
...The Organization OF our Army
The Coming RffuHpIe.

n T,a Vatua or N-fr.ra Il, nFl1ffnFv A fYa1FK
..Cauaee OF the Rnyerxp sI manassss |
---Tbo Oreantzation Of our Army
Tho Coming Struggle. |
[Frcm the Cincinnati Commercial, 18th inst.]
ThemansgerH Of affairs ut Washington, civil !
and military, have uot seemed to have the |
proper appreciation Of the value OF time. i
WIS satd In TINT city necessarily, for weeks
and months, by all who chauspIoncd or cx-
cueed the proceedings Of the Administration
and seen. scott's Plun," Of which 60 much
WaE expected, tlat the army must not move
nEtA u Wa5 ready. Very truly Il enould not
ohS the POINT 1s-Was she Time that passeq
yen usea IN making ready! Ihe egents OF
eMphatle negative. There Tcro very great
dl1ileultlcs to be oye1come-:here were em.
oa1sAsmcnts almost without limit or anal'
psf-and We had not thc men o. BUSINESS
uESlus 10 overcome tnose allnvutt,es, 70 clear
aTay % me embar1aesmeats' 10 speak oEcer OUT
zen. n scot has lanored diligently, and We
t,at " u neaT mlhtaty man eay t1ss ne was
not S;lear,neaoeo, sasaclons, palnohc, 1 nna
~ - 1Ae u " taooIs au4 paspos 1Ie
~ ~ 10 VeIy Eoou vl4 man. IL ~ nos 4u:cA
- tsd.m nc tne enects o. mooslh invsntions: r
ne capacity OF the railroads Of virginia He
ola mol take into h!s calculauons what could
oe accomplished Wit6ln tWentJiour hours BY
sempIoylng a4 the locomotives ana cara IN the
w. NJ eAe'oelVe1y to,uc tlalisl9sslou VI tlSops.
, Me naSe seen IN beau1esalos army o. one
Aunofeo thousand men, taat met our lofty
thousand at Manassas, What could be done ~
lntehse effort day aud night, even upon South
efn r1'llroada. It Was great disadvantage to
our troops that Ge1, Scott coald not be GA his
holse ridiug about among them, searching
1cte their condition. detecting. incompetent
Coloncls, end insisting upon absolute dlzrl-
lline.
Al alert man, capable Of living in his sad
die, sleeplees an6 determined, full Of knoWl-
ecgc,' conscious Of power, acccntiSg The dig
nifty and tic consequences Of responsibility,
Tas ,a needed: ne Eaags Of volunteer H officers,
at Njllsras hotel, needed an ogerseer. Scott
could rot attend to these details, and there
1Yss no one who did See to them. Gen. Mans
field vas also an Office general-:oustant and
faithful-hnt always apparently overwhelmed
xlth lttie at1a'r5, and going regularly to bed
at Nllard'6. He was never on his horse
smong The troops, driving the Colonels of uu-
fortunate reeiments into some sort Of appre-
citation Of their dulles. Somebody should
have been doing that very t1ing-some Lam
der with the etaf Of q General on his shoulder
as well as the heart and brain Of General in
expended in Issuing passes for the spies
ssho ssarmcd INFO town a. market
NTH. The regiments were dotted about
tie beautiful country on both sides Of the Pc.
to1rac, and come Of Ihem living iur weeks on
salt fat pork aud hard crackers IN sight Of the
ovens erected to bake fresh bread and the
GROVES Of fat cattle. Gen. McDowcll's posi-
E'on Was long an uncertzin one. The troops
had not learned to look upon him as their
head. He had been regular Colonel, and
vas promoted to a Brisadier Ge1era,ship, end
given the command Of the troops occupying
the bills south Of the Potomac. For manY
weeks the positions Of the q. 8. troops there
we're simply defepsiye, The Fire Zouavas
were constructing a fort at Shutters Hill near
A!t1aud1ia. The Irish 60 u we're working on
Fort Corcofan. The New jersey Btiyais
we're fortiying the road SO as to secure
the head OF The Lorg B1idge. Many Of the
regiments did not appear to have as
much to do as might haTe been touud for
them by competent officers. Tbs troops gen
e1ally we're not narshaled in briga1es until
within few days Of the great for ward move
ment It wns Just as necrseary to compact
bsigadcs out Of regiments, % regiments out
ct Companies, but fhe work was postnoned 10
the last. Eplf-a-d1zen Mpfor Gsncra,s wera
appoirtcd, 1nd yet no one Of them was trusted
with the Army Of the Potomac. Mcdowell
Eas encw man-an Experiment.. We have no
daubt he is brave and excellent officer, but
there is rcason to believe he could not handle
fifty Thousand mem to the best advantage.
But half the troops that composed his column
crosscd the Potomac for the first time within
ten days Of tile general order to 20 forward
H..
veil Informed man in Washington kney ths
troops had confidence, was auuofntod actinp
MaioE. General Of the foremost Divjsion of liz
G,ard Army, and was led on. lust as the enc
my calculated, By the arpcarancc Of a hastv
retreat FROM Fairfax aud Centreviile. By the
into Beal.eearti's trau No j. md reca;yeil ~
nu,se. in Which not n rrcni dca1 ~ h1nnJ r,,s
thed Int in which the nrt,,r rcce;r,d onr;,,,a
shcck and moral shock-and while recover.
nice. and lIi,,rstjn1 lie & n,nnr,ant ;nfarne,
1ion0 Gen IEiar 6rnfaoeaI r. ha,,a .ea;.ua
Rsanrsf.ar; 1roz rGr1.;rr r III Ia III n,;irS. ~
V;rss;,,3s IN T.; traoas a ~ .tsi ~
aav bcen ;racIs ,,aisr s,,oi, =" os
win such eenenIshin-;f onr ar1nv . Ia
M r;e3, to ezunst onrii;n y 5ne enemy t we aau
dieasiroua 1ffeat than ~. recu;ved 01~ Wv
namaeaa ~ ,s;n~ ;n -",.;rst; irsJ1,vu W. ;,f
mpnts Snrr;,.l IN ,t ~ 1,nnrtaoodar.ad @ ~,
Gen AfcT!lelian VII, the l',rois ~ n~a1 ,aS
Mountain fresh On lis brow. M Is cailed m r. % taEc
cnTnmor5 Tho -a-x ,,o.st' ~ q -, su ~ s.ns
assac.1aS viii! 1,;oit n1a ,d y, ~ oices ne"ty
hc 1onne rr,tsa ~ na an erat;, n9u~n 70
49, H+ tLa En.,aas1 aaI Iii stS, e'ses tne
cnrnnct ercx tnn aona nif;ear w, 'tnu M the 1ans = L.
1Iaf hc f9,nd ~ ,-,e,,s't,;. ~ W.st
en- Virp,na ana = ha nI IVY oods di III, ~ M .,,s
a. a masta- a. ha 1,a]- a., mtn nna.. .uIm ~
pyc fhe h,3d +hn u;if ~ r,,S ~ .,s;i;+..s. eo
osrina ~ eb",,a ~ ~ ~. - ntaA ~ aanA.a.y
81 n,- or,,1 Sn1Fi ~ ehuasuuus ~ er9ot HINES
orj 1afansa rhn ,nst,s;e3 mSa?o1 ~ ~ o4enss
rc1tectin1 M Lo,a aad - 70 ~ ahu
IN mnn1G n tnS NJ 90, a1e.o ~, T. NC -. ~
rnad ~ do +he o III *A. Iu ~ -, ls ~ .ne
t;r,, il ~ ~, or,r,nr5;,at,t dns -. enS ua,
tn l.s 1,nn;1d oEs.se .a
eua1, snd of f.mmnn;tion na;S u 1,;: Is ss,t nv ~
Nashirpton ia nror1ri,,us and innr tr,,ns
hsur.rE the reeimants fhsf Enva hean ~ ~.
ready IN lie Northcrn csSnrs. are nj 1ast th,,n.
deriEr forward in hnsincsse1i1re stria Rnt
oriet gentle1nop nnys m fha cas- fcyr W,.
ton. js more imnnrfant fhan 1nora ra5-
jmeuts nov. Tha Question a1;ae. AcT and III
be Heard tbro,,rf;'nf fI,e iani 7ghv fha
ongrey-tl,e :.nniIcrStand;nS That +bar5, t. .
crisis nf awfnI ;mnnrf ~ b,ndNvh;.ts
VIC row see. was mnt disn1a~ad aixI1
.Isys ogo9 But We need not discuss tIst now. now
ioet tnts y no tlme @ 10 mourn ovSr opportunities
face. There n.rsf ieOtSere IA t. haW, ~ ar,n5 ,n5
effort mafe win the concsntretaJ 80. ~
fhc Gn-arnn,.nt to w;n" n,,t ~ tu"s. t5;sn -,
which fe;l nnnn onr -r,Ic a. W.sns.eE .!S Tsc
nrnl,la nrr dfstr.asa, 1,.,t 49, J;ai,aa. ,,aI
Fh.y know The sIren'rt1' ot XII oa,sa t'neu nSI
the;r cwn strgnetI m ran hc nat;cni est ~ Iat
tine cuonch ba taI.,, ~ IN III ,h;nm. ,,-a,i ~
The wey Of nrarara.inn hns Iet !, h. o;,nrac;a}.a
ira. .yetY 6ay is Of irestimab1e ;n.porsanca
Ercrv h1rr Il h;c ~ ,x;,h ~" al 1atonse: ;ars
is ptcciops. we must sec eye,v neryc ssr,;n.
c. cycry encrey mt firth ani then ~, .v;l,
know tlat The Work is 10 he lone. The Mas.
u1t5 taken siInnli he rrom,,f fcc;s;rs cnn.
y,ebcusire snd tho.ourh: Ano:har +brec
ncctbs plcyir,r win t1,c ri1,r,d .nn1s of ror
aiclon,at:zirz in small matters T;ctcr;ny,
xi1h contractors, erpointinc thc fa7orite assss
uf p7ouliuent Uli,lic;aus rcen1ar 1llirars' anil
permitting C,lnEe1s to iost. and pu2rter 1nas-