Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-11-15

any sense party ticket; IL Is made up OF men from all
parties who thoroughly AID z,alou,y united In this
great crisis Of our counIry's history.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Special oOrrespon dence CT C,asnnsa Commercial
WAsaISGroE, Oct rs, 1851.
There ia general murmur OF dissatisfaction here, not
loud but Deep on account OF the OF the author
ties In suppressing all dispatches concerning the battle
at Edwards Ferry The State Department. i said out
of motives OF "poicy" connected with the New York
stock market and foreign diplomacy sent to the tel
egraph Office In Washington positive orders 70 Withno'd
all dispatches respecting that engagement sNs one Pre-
pared or supervised by the Government 30 the public
we're left for days Ia doubt whether the troops OF the
Union had met defeat or victory, while the most ef
aggerated Of the carnage sustained and Of the
killed. wounded and missing, spread fr I'm mouth TO
mouth in the absence oil any authentic details Wnaever
This policy OF suppressDg the private dispatches relating
to events that have actually occurred is mischisvous
"a il il ine rcusabc Manifesy il Is itself confession
OF disaster to the arms OF the Government Moreover,
il gives occasion to all parties to question the accounts
Of The intelligence furnished by the Government tself
|. now turns out that the blunder committed by our
officers in that foohardy enterprise OF crossing the 20
Lomac with WoIchedly inadequate force, without ar
tiery aud with only tso mrd scows and canal boat
as means OF transport, was far more disastrous In is
than the Government dispatches have ever
admitted Thus the CONTRARY effect Is produced TO that
inteadcd Instead Of the authentic details diminishing
the loss reported by the FIST Dispatches Ii Is found TO be
far greater Tho plain, unvarnshed truth 10, that the
entire force which crossed the river on that dsssous
day narrowly escaped bng cut to pieces, which they
would have been, but for an unsccountabe b!unoef on
the part of the rebels.
How many more brave and costly lives must be thrown
away by sh incapacty and uok Of sensef How ma
ny more Great Bethel alirs and Manassas defeats and
Balls Bluff disasters must be suffered, before military
men will learn to observe the laws Of intelligent warfare
or of ordinary successf The hundreds OF unhappy VIC
tins to this blind and Inflated movement who now lie
drowned the bottom Of the Potomac. or in bloody
ahrouds Ia the newly made graves OF Maryland or Ian
pnsh az capivs in the hands Of the enemy, smarng
with wounds received In the fight or the escape, may
charge their fate directly upon the senseess orders shch
precipitated them straight into the Avs Of destruction
| observe that attempts now being mads 3, shift
of the blame Of this disaster upon the shoulders oil
the dead Col Baker, It is said, when ordered 10 I'D.
vance, caived from Gen. Stone positive instructions rot
to engage the enemy if he found ssuperor iorce oppong
| him. But who ordered such advance at Alf Who
sent 500 men to combat enemy OF unknown force
with only smooth. bore cannon, and deep nver IN
their reary What OF retreat were LETT 10 Col. Ba-
kerr when every transport occupied BY troops cross
log to his support VIA was brave man to do when he
found the enemy in overwhelming force b. fore him. and
an impossible river behind hmy Mast he not either
fight or surrender Col Baker chose ths former and
| what brave man will blame him, II after being placed,
by orders from his military superiors in position from
which he could eItrcste himself he determined 70
sacIi6se his lite dearly ss possible!
| The evidences multiplying that the large forces
gathering here hereafter to be used not for defence
merely but for military operations elsewhere. WASH
ington will remain the chief headquarters OF the army
and tho principal depot of supplies while the seat OF
tbs war may be transferred 10 ANY point whichhe for
tunes of the campaign or tho determination of the Com
mlnderir.Chef and his aids may indicate. The move
meut of the aotlls which hangs about the 'icin-
| ity OF Hampton Rosds, bound upon some mysterious
mission il by no the only which Ia at this mo-
m mt float. Only last night Ten thousand Infantry with
u large supply OF artillery, moved down the river ~
lnd on tbs Virginia side, towards Aqua Greek Tits
Is supposed the suppression OF the rebel batter
ie which have almost succeeded In retorting the block
ada of the Government upon self. At least they have
compelled IL TO order ts transports OF army supplies
from New York aud essw where 70 be sent by railway
from Annapolis aud Baltimore instead Of coming up
tho Po.omac in the original bottoms g
The add onal eEps Ito say nothing Of The hums-
ation IS OF course very great. All Washington feels
| the oss Of the river communication most sensiby.-
Hardly merchant but has heavy supplies goods aaoat
On whoh he daily losing sales while the long delay in
their receipt will brng them out OF the season. when
they do arrive at last At the same time, the railway
troubles are indefinitely increased by the failure Of the
river route of communication, and merchants finding 1t
inDossble TO put anything through By regular freight
| T. aims, which arc almost monopoExed by the Gov
eminent shipping hundreds OF tons Of heavy
goods BY the Adams Express at cost which In ordinary
tmes would be thought int, lerabs, aud which is now
OH e-ully paid .ince goods must be be bad cost what
| they nav IL seems evident that the government
| will soon be comp, SLED TO resume the control oil
the railway to Baltimore, in sheer seli-defencs, unless
its armies N contrve clean out the rebels who are
enforcing the blockade Of the Potomac. Already coal
aud bay are brought in prodgous quantities by rail- for
government. use and Indiana Avenue near the rsitod
depot, (aong which railway track has bsen newly laid
il converted into an immense forsging depot whence
thousands O, bales of pressed hay distributed to tho
camps and corols Of army horses.
The new regiments continue to arrive continually
Yesterday the 9Th Vermont regiment, Col Nathan Lsrd
Jr marched up Pennsylvania Avenue and out to camp
a. evansville, Virginia They fine looking set
| of men o. ever stepped. and splendidy and warmly
equipped Their Col Is the well known brother Of Pres
ident Henry O. Lord Of Cincinnati, and was lately resi-
dent in Lswrenceburg, Indians he 10 every Inch SOL
der. SioAA.