The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-10
Ritlmonn Dispatrh.
THURSDAY MORNING. :. .oCT. IN Ise1


| battles. Men will read about battles when
they will not read about anything else
Much more, then, will they read about tIic
events Of war, now that we are in the midst os
war. We hope, therefore, we shall be excused
for running briefly over a few of the cam
paigns which are celebrated i'll history as
! remarkable dc|ensicc campaigns. 1t will be
seen that there is, strictly speaking, no such
'hng as campaign pHIoy defensive, but that
| IN every campaign the party defending some
times takes the initiative We begin with
tab,ns MaAimus, who gave name to what is
called the Fabian -ystcm--st system, bv the
by, greatly misunderstood. Fabus WAS ap-
pointed Pro Dfrf"lor Immediately after the
bloody defeat Of the Roman army ut Thrasv
meme. The system which he adopted WAS
probably the only one that could have saved
the republic but it WAS not IA purely defen-
>ive system--that is, he did not ALWAYS wait to
be attacked. On the contrary, although he
hirassed his enemy-;ind that enemy, he il
| recollected, was Hanubal-by series
of skiilful movements, marching, coun-
ter marching, choosing unassailable positions,
and never allowing himself to lt. drawn
1
into Il general engagement, vet no man WIS
more prompt in seizing every opportunity to
attack, when it could he done to advautace
The manner in which he entrapped Hannibal
among the mountains and the straterem
ct the burning ti!ggots tied to the cows horrls
by means of which the latter eXtIicated him
self, are well known. Besides when his col
league, Minucius, lad been surrounded. he
moved instantly to his relief We learn, also
that he captured Tarentum and performed
various other exploits, none Of which indicate
Il system purely and entirely defensive BIT
whic he pursuing his qwaSt defensive
system i'll Italy, the Romans were pur-
suing q prodgiousy active system Of Of
fence abroad lIarcellus took Syracuse
and Scipo invaded and conquered Spain,
and finally carried the war into Vanni-
bals own country. Fabius opposed this last
enterprise, maintaining that Hannibal
should be driven from Italy before the war
should he carried abroad Nevertl LESS. not
withs;anding kis high authority, ii seems to
Us very doubtful Whetller the Romans would
ever have gotten rid of Hannibal if Sgipio
had not invaded Carthage
Washington's campaigns We're somewhat on
the Fabian system. Yet it was repug-
nant to his disposition, which WAS naturally
ardent and impctuous lie had to form an
army ont Of the riIwest description of materials
which ii is possible 20 imagiue, aud with these
materials lie was corpeledto face veterans who
had never known defeat, overwhelmingly
superior even in numbers, aud proportiorally
superior i'll everything else. His success is
among the maryels of history. His great
moral qualities, his political achievements, the
unrivaled glory Of his whole career, not less
tnanihe snailnumbers OF men engaged in deci,i-
ing the greatest caHse, except the present, eve.
| tried by the wager of battle, have combined
to withdraw attention from his character as u
purely military man. Yet it is certain. that
with five or >iE regiments of ragged, laif
armed militia, he hicckadcd The British Cen
cral, Howe, with 3tDG0 of the finest lroons
in the world, so closely in philadclphia
thoughout the autumn Of III ani the ensuing
winter, that he could not obtain IN ounce of
flour, blade OF fodder or a sl,eaf OF oat :.
from the country This performance certainly
WAS not of Il defensive character. unless a
siege 1c so, and we hold it to have been one Of
the mnst astonishing of which history makes
mention. When the enemy finally abandoned
Philadelphia, he followed him, attacked him
| tarousiy a, Monmouth, aud but for unforeseen
incidents would have anniAiiatcd his army
Previously he had shown the same readiness
10 take the offensive AT Gcrnautouu, and sub
seIuently he showed il in the siege of York
When lie was called, during the French war
in the time of President Adalns. to take the
| command of the American army destined to
repel threatened French invasion, donbt )
were eXpresSE whether his ''svstem." as il
| was called, would not fail before the
rapid movements and facile combinations pc.
| cnlar 10 the new French tactics. His bio
| grapher, Chief Justice Marshall IN noticing
| these expressions of doubt, takes occasion 10
| say, that Washington would have been al
ways prompt to act on The offensive, had lie
| possessed the means of doing So His want
of trained veterans, when his enemy had them
| in abundance, kept him on the defensive
| The war Of 1912 III Russia, is Frequently
| spoken OF as defensive war. Yet it brought
| the battle of Borodiuo, the most tremend-
oGs conflict of modern days. When the French
retreated, the Russians pursued them even
into Germany, attacking them every day, and
| siaugherins them iii most unheart Of man
ner. We have already alluded to the PENN
| sula campai gns of Wellington, and shown
| that his system was not what is called the Fs.-
| bian by any means. Col. Napier, indeed, re
| pels tie idea as Il relroach, and asserts that
no man was ever more prompt 70 act on the
offensive when ne had the ability 10 do So
| Ia The campaign of Waterloo, before the bat
| tie, and during il, he acted on the defensive;
bGt it was only because lie could not Act other
wise. His force, and tl.at Of Bneher, were
| the advanced guard Of enc million of men.-
| They could not move on France uutlthe main
| body came ito line. They Were placed neai
| the enemy's frontier, to repel him il lie SHOULD
make an outbreak before they came up lie did
make an outbreak, and he was repelIcd. Moth
| ing could have been more vigorous than The
offensive operations which Immediately fol
| lowed.
The most extraordinary defensive campaiul
| ever understanding to the Duke Of Wei
| linston-was that of France by Napoleon, il
1914 and during that campaign, which LASTED
| only few weeks, at least dozen pitched
! battles, and three or four times as many coiu
bats, were fought
| The RAILROADS AND THE SPECTATORS
We have received letter by mail, signee
"H. ID. BIRD, General superintendent, bear
ing date, Office of the Sonth-.Siie X. X. Co.
Petersburg, Oct, 3, 1861" in reference 10 a,