Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-10-18

that any negro v: ], u braided jacket,
who gees between he city and the camp !
OF sutler. or tc tm.'e:, - Billy Barlow,
who gets holiday for an afternoon,
may be trusted with the secrets of our
position, in preference to those who
represent the greatest Institution Of the
age!
But these remarks are meant rather
for that unthinking portion Of the public
who took up the sneer against the "civil-
ians and the Press imme,ii lately after
the disaeter at Manassas, than for the
commanders of the army. Their con.
duct has been courteous to ail we'll les
tablished Journals; and none have been
more considerate in this way than Gen.
Scott and Gen. Mcclellan. But, the
Press may as we'll insist upon having
its position truly understood. In this
| war, it has been the great recruiting
sergeant, stimulating the people with
the loftiest temptations, and standing
BY to give furth r aid to meet all the
rising exigencies of the country. It al
ways Contributes more than it receives,
and it cannot be satisfied with less pay
ment than respect 1t is virtually i'm
portant to the public welfare that it
should not be restricted in its rights Of
command and if it is sometimes queru-
lous and hypercritical it is more often a
Wholesome monitor and an invaluable
auxiliary. Those who sneer at it loud
est, are the first to seek its information;
and even the most supercilious generals
would be unable to study the breadth of
the cam paign, were it not that the Press
! lays before them every morning, com
plete diagram Of the contest, as it RACES
even az the remotest point.
f. While its services, therefore, must be
duly recognized, lis opinions also are
worthy Of consideration. There is moth
ing so marvelously intricate in the
art of war that reasonably high intel
/ ligence cannot comprehend its combina
tions and its policy; and outside observ
ers can often detect the balances and
relations Of q game better than the
players, who are busy in its meshes,
and who are absorbed by the local in
Auence of its spell. Our successes in
this war have not been soeontinuons OF
so signal as to require the surrender Of
IT Judgment. On the contrary, our
failure and notifications have been sc
numerous as rather to summon a uni
, yersal contribution ofidea. Everythine
in the way of thought, and strategy,
and generalship, seems, thus far, to have
come from the other side; from the
: perversion Of our flags in battle, to the
invention Of the flying breastwo:ks al
tile siege of Lexington. Nay Beaure
gard fascinates our pickets with stuffed
sentries, false camp fires and simulated
cannon, while he lifts his heavy van.
, guard safely from before our ponderous
lines. Every day he occupied US with
some new device, and flung US thee OF
four deserters week to betray the enor
, nous number of his troops These
emissaries began at 100000 as til;
| force of the Confederates. and gradual J.
worked it down, SO as to retard it SO
, Iberly, to our declining appreciations.-
The fellow who at length consented tt
!, put the menacing insurgents at 150, ,O0C
. acith abundant food and clothes, was ap
! plaudcd for his moderation, and re
warded with commission in our army
The subsequent retreat of the Confede
ate leader showed that but ten thousanc
, had been encamped in the immediate
presence of our lines, where these de
serters had reported the body of th'
Rebe force.
Itbecomes Of great interest, therefore
for. the country, in view Of all thes
t things, to know how many troops VI
t have, and to a reasonable extent (excep
| perhaps as to marching ezpeditions) t.
!, know exactly where they are. Such in
formation is not denied, under genera
circumstances, in European countries
land it may often be very serviceabl,
: here. More than once has the journal
+ ist contributed thought thatA has deci
ded the success of a campaign: and it Ii
f not unlikely that the growing wish tt
} either see Mcclellan transferred to the
3 department of the West, or have hi
e legions so distributed as to invigorat,
the (ainting divisions in that quarter
may warrant the Administration in /;
necessary change. Possibly, however
. the young General has just the kline
Of active use for the vast army of thu
| Potomac, which will justify its numbers
being retained within this neighborhood
and as to this, we'll see.
GEO. WILKES.