New-York daily tribune., 1861-06-24
WILL TuEY FIGHTe


Two Hundred Thousand men in arms to-day, of
whom over One Hundred Thousand confront the
Union Volunteers on the "sacrrd soil of Nir-
gina. Before the majestic uprising of the Nation'
you might have Inferred from their bluster that the
followers of JEFF were concerned only for their up
pretended shorthess of legs or of wind, that might
disable them from overtaking the routed panic
stricken, homeward-racing columns of the Umon-
isIs Their Secretary of War proclaimed, on the
fall of Fort Sumter, that JEFF. g. Company would
have Washington by tho lst OF May, then fort'
night ahead. Regiments started ot once from every
rebel State declaring ard confidently expecting that
they would scarcely halt before they should bivouac
in the pleasant grounds of the Capitol, and spread
their blankets in the East Room of the White
House. BY the 20th of May the armed rebels
within thirty miles of Washington outnumbered
the Unonists who confronted them, aud there
has not probably been a week since in which
the traitor chiefs could not have assailcd the de-
tenders of the Federal Metropolis with force su-
perior in numbers, ia artillery and in cavalry;
yet, up to tbis hour, they have not even shown
themselves in 'front.' Of our intrenchments. They
threatened to do something terrible If tie "sacred
soil'' was "invaded," yet the UbiOnsts have occu-
pied and still occupy portous of Virginia from
Chesapeake Bay TO the mouth Of the Ksnawho, and
have penetrated by Wheeling aud Parkersburg
20 Grafton and Cumberland without serious
opposition. For weeks, from ten to twenty five
thousand patriot soldiers occupied Alexandria
and its vicinity without intrenchments or other
deienses, scattered over line of ten miles, ex-
posed to and expecting attack on at least equal
terms; but no Beauregard or Lee has ever
approached them 50 nearly as even to recon
hotter thsm; yet all the world knows that
Washington, Alexandria and their vicinity
actually swarm with Secession spes aud
that not regiment crosses the Potomac
without the fact and its new position being
known at the rebel headquarters soon we'll
spurred horses can carry the intelligence thither.
The rebels are ready enough to fight ut IN I'D
vantage of three or four to one, or behind in-
tfencnmeDts brisiling with artillery yet unassaia
bic in front OF faux; they are clever at setting
traps aud courivmg dead.falls but when it
comes to straght-out, bandto-hand fighting on
open ground aud with equal forces, they ore not
there. They have had at least dozen chances
to fight pitched battles with equal advantages,
and tney have not improved one Of them. Yet
all know that their military chest is empty, their
suppes precarious and limited, their soldiers ill
| clad and worse shod, and their need Of q bril-
lisnt victory most urgent. Then why don't they
| try to win Onei
We answer-Because fighting is not to their
taste, and is something they had never counted
on. They mistOok the North entirely in the out
set of their rebellion, supposiug that We only
needed bullying to render us perfectly docilc
Envoy Faulkner % Virginian) officially assured
] the French Government that Secession would not
be forcioly opposed. The robbers of Custom
| Houses, MBts, Sub.Treasuries, Arsenals, Armo-
ries, &C., from San Autonio to Harpcr's Ferry,
evidently supposed that they Lad only to toucr
and take-that whole.ale tLeft was the easiest
road to glory, and Floyds management Of the
War Department immortal. Thus seventy armed
men stopped their way for months at Fort
Sumter; and Fort Pickens, though threatened by
q rebel army outnumbcring its defenders from
four 10 twenty to one, and constantly threatened,
has never yet received hostile ball or shell.
Gen. Prentiss sits quietly at Cairo blockading
two great rivers whereby the rebels would other
wise receive food for their furnishing troops, aud
cutting OFF GD direct communication between the
Gulf traitors and tueir sorey pressed allies in
MissOuri yet, though Pillow might at any time
advance from Memphis with double his force, he
threatens and stays awoy. 1t is so wherever
the traitors cannot lure some green Brigadier
into trap blaze away behind impregnabIe in
or four TO One
is there, then to be no fighting
We soy, None on equal terms, if the Rebels
can avoid it, Having learned to their sa.isfac.
ton that tie Free States are peopled by men
who, though they greatly prefer peace and are
wholly uuused to war, will yet fight, aod fight
desperately if driven to it, their present concern
is to get out Of tho scrape as speedily aud as
easily as possible. They will therefore avoid
offensive movements and keep their troops behind
burnt bridges SO far us may be, watching for
opportunities to make q dash on some unguard-
ed point or to swoOp down on an exposed reg-
meDt in overwhelming force, while their friends
in the loyal States negotiate them out of their
dilemma. Those friends are now darkly in
triguing at Washington, in this city, and else
where, with Democratic, wire-workers aud other
convenieDces, to have the Government forced to
Conclude the war on terms W.: WI: the. can eTult
over as q virtual concession Of their demands.
To this end, convention of Democratic Editors
has been called 10 meet this week in our city.