Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-10-11
TnedEonduct q lhe Wer.

ssdto W conduct of tts war, chisay confnst
10 Republican or No-party papers in the West
LnaAmSbg these the Cincinnati Gasttte has beer
conspicuous. Itscompiaints rest mainly on th,
ground that the Government u has beer In conse
auence of . cowardly and absurd panic abou
the safety Of Warrington, draining The West d
trcors needed ip Kentucky and Missouri, and
Tor the protection of sthln sou.hern borders o.
2ohio and Indiana. II even exptessss doubts Al
to whether the Government ever intended "a
send an expedition down the Mississippi. 81
aals' The following is an extract from one Of the
GaEtte's recent articles;
On This continued draft Of troops from the West,
III 10 the face of Ice great neoessities 10 be trans.
i ported tothe East at great cost, and placed be-
hind entrenchments which already have three
times as many men as are needed to defend
= them, certainly shows o nnoet astonishing infat-
- ustion In regard to the safety Of Washington,
and lamentable blindness to the aituation of
the rest OF the country. II evidences weak
ness which suggests suspicion that it is caused
by considerations OF personal danger, 90 fearful
as to affect the judgment and render men inca
pable OF regard for anything else. In panic,
men usually thought brave become reckless Of
everything but selr-preservation They etop al
no eacrifce to secure their own safesy. The
conduct of this war Is subject to constant
panic, caused by the chronic danger Of the cap
itsl; and 1t would seem now that this panic has
a the usual disregard of the sacrifice Of every
thing but present or personal safety.
" The Chicago Times thinks this 10 uojust to
the military authorities at Washington, and
81, says: f"~
Webeleve It to be undeserved censure OF Gen.
b Scott and Gen. Mcclellan, to whom the Gov.
eminent and the people have committed the
conduct of the war. Gen. Scott and Gen. Me-
Clelan understind "the situation" better than
Il his understood by everybody else in the coun-
try, and there is no reason to doubt that they
ave acting with especial reference to existing
and probably prospective affairs all over the
country. II they are drawing troops from the
West, tits because these troops are needed In
the East more than they are in the West-be.
cause the first great blow Is to be struck in Vir.
Rnia, and not in Kentucky or Missouri 10 ALI
this Gen. Scott and Gen. Mcclellan must be
trusted. This Is due to them, and 1t is ouly BY
trusting them and supporting them before the
country that the newspaper press can strengthen
t1eir hands.
The Cincinnati Press, in alldding to the fling,
OF the Castle at Gen. McCLELLAS, on account
of the alleged inertia prevailing at Washing.
ton, is disposed to relieve him of a large share
oil the responsibility, BY suggesting that mas
much as the Army Of the Potomac is under the
immediate eye Of the Government and In daily
communication with Its oficers, il is probable
that the general policy by which It 10 controlled,
is directed by the administration
The following from the New York World,
being probably as correct an exposition as can
be arrived at OF the plans and views OF the Gov.
ernment and Gen. McCIELLAN,i in concentrating
troops so numerOusly in the immediate vicinity
OF Washington, cannot fail to interest all our
readers, military and unmilitsry alike, g
1t Ia fact whicn admits Of no dispute that
the great body of the repel army has been con.
cenIrsting 10 Virginia ever since the first out.
o. break OF tue war, and that this large army Is
drawn from every part Of the South-from Ten.
nessee, Arkansas, Missis issipp, Louisiana and
all the rebel States in the Southwest, as well
as from the States east of the Alleghanies -
According to the best information we are able
70 obtain, there are nearly sixty thousand troops
from the Southwestern Stites on the south side
Of the Potomac; diminishing, TO that extent,
the ability OF those States for hostile incursons
into Kentucky and Missouri. When the South
western rebels flock to BeAuregards standard
t. fight against the Uuion, why should IL be
thoughts hardship that Northwestern loyalists
are ordered there to meet them? Il is an obyi
Gus dictate Of military prudence that the Gov.
ernment should coucenirate its forces where the
rebels concentrate theirs. II the Northwestern
Union men feel competent 10 cope with the |
Southwestern rebels, they have no reason to |
complain SO long as they are mot required to |
send as many men to the Potomac as are sent |
from the Southwest-which is thus far the |
case. .sa.f
1he idea that all the Federal troops on the |
Potomac are 10 be used for the defense Of |
Washington, is 80 contrary 10 the obvious In. |
tention of Gen., Mcclellan, that We are sur
prised to see Intelligent Western. Journals put |
ting it forth. The extensive and elaborate for |
tifcations by which Washington is now almost |
surrounded, indicate, with sufficient clearness, |
design to guard that city with comparatively
email force, and use the remainder Of the army
for aggressive operations. The plan and points /
Of attack are wisely kept secret; but II is easy
to perceive several ways BY which the Western |
troops on the Potomac can render as good ser
vice to the West as II they were on the Ohio |
The formidable naval expeditions which the
Government is understood 70 be preparing
against points on the Southern coast, will very
likely lead the Governors OF North Carolina, |
South Carolina, Georgia, and the States on the |
Gulf to recall their troops from Virginia for /
local defense. The consequence would be |
either that. Richmond wonld be left unprotected /
except by Virginia forces, or else be defended /
by soldiers from the States which, BY their local
position, are most likely to furnish troops for
the invasion of Kentucky and Missouri. The
Tennessee and Arkansas troops now in Virginia,
having been longest In the service, are the best
disciplined and most effective Of any belonging
to those States, and any strategy that detains
them Ip the East is an indirect contribution TO
the defense Of the Southwestern frontier. The
newest levies Of Federal troops will probably bel
placed BY General Mcclellan behind the strong
iutrenchments for the defense Of Washington,
and industriously drilled, while be takes the
field with the best disciplined and gives the
enemy sufficient employment TO prevent his
sendipg away reinforcements TO the Southwest.
We quite agreo with our western eotempo.
raries as TO the great importance Of saving the |
imperiled eates Of Ksntuoky and Missouh !
but u is Incredible that the Government 10 IN
sensible to this urgent necessity, and we hope |
our western fslow-cifizens will, without abating
their own ao,iviy, repose more generous trust
In the Administration, which can have no mo |
tive for leaving one part Of the country exposed
for the sake Of protecting soms other part.
Evanff such motives could exist, the fact that |
President Linooln and Gen, Mcclellan are both
western men, but lately from the West, and
identifed BY habit and feeling with western In
tsrests, creates presumption, that they vould
have no undue preference for the safety Of
points 10 the East.
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