The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-08-23

| Meanwhile, it is obviously the policy Of our
| government to push on the measures necessary
for maintaining the integrity Of the Union with
the utmost energy and promptitude, and so
show to the world that this is no contractors
war, but one for speedily and earnestly sup
pressing the rebellion and restoring the federal
| authority in The revolted States. Vigorous and
determined action at home will do more to pre-
vent our becoming involved in a foreign war
than any amount of diplomacy. England,
France and Spain respect us for our strength
| and national greatness; and so long as we do not
forfeit either by blunders of administration we
| remain master of the position, and can
defy them all. But we know too we'll
that any display of weakness would
lessen that prestige, because there is
no friendly feeling to sustain it. Indeed, the
hostility and jealousy which those Powers en-
terrain towards us would lead them to glory in
the opportunity Of contributing to our national
| disruption. We are the hated maritime and
commercial rival that monarchs and despots
would like to see swept away Let us, there
fore, have action, and in action, speedy victory
over all the enemies of the Union
The Field OF the War from Maryland to
Missouri.
! In glancng over the field of war, from Mary
land to Missouri, from the gathering strength Of
the Union cause aud our Union military forces
in the border slave States we are encouraged
with the anticipation Of a vigorous comprehen-
sive and decisive Union campaign before the
close of the coming autumn.
Beginning with Maryland, we are advised that
the Union men of that Stale are bucklng on
their arnOr to put down the secession conspi-
| racy in their midst in their approaching fall
election, and that very little fear is entertained
OF another plotting secession Legislature in that
quarter. Our overwhelming military forces at
Baltimore, Annapolis, and at other points within
the commonwealth since April last, and the de-
cisive peace measures adopted by General
Banks and General Dix over the refractory
traitors of Baltimore, have exercised very
| wholesome moral influence over the people of
Maryland Quiet and peaceable Union men
have been encouraged to hold their ground,
and clustering traitors and incendaries have
been put under the restraint of locks and bars
or driven into holes and corners Doubtless
there still exists an extensive secession conspi-
racy in Maryland, awaiting the opportunity of
q rebel invasion from Virginia, but from day to
day the probabilities of any such attempted res
cue are more and more rapidly diminishing.
We are informed that since the disastrous
battle Of Manassas Beauregard has been rein
forced to the extent of ten or fifteen thousand
men, and that reinforcements continue to arrive
within his lines at the rate Of perhaps thou
sand men per day-that he is Withdrawing from
the front of Washington and Alexandria, and
is concentrating large force near Leesburg,
some twenty miles above, and some heavy de-
tachments at Aqua Greek and Matthias Point,
some fifty and sixty miles below Washington,
on the Potomac. The river at various points
| above, between the Great Falls and Harpers
Ferry, is fordable at an ordinary stage, and
! most Of these fords are convenient to Leesburg;
| but the late heavy rains have rendered the
! stream unfordable from the mountains down
| to tide water, for the present; and within few
days, should the food sdbside, the reinforce
ments which will have been thrown forward to
| the river guard Of Gen. Banks, WILL we dare
say, be sufficient to deter Beauregard or Johnston
! from any attempt to cross over into Maryland
| in that direction. Below Washington the river,
calm and deep, and gradually expanding from
one to ten miles in width, can only be crossed
| in boats and our Potomac hotilla will be able
to give good account Of any attempt to ferry
the stream by the rebels from Mount Vernon to
| Point Lookout.
We have the fullest confidence in the vigil
lance, sagacty, activity and resources of Gen.
Mcclellan to hold the rebels on the south or
western side of the Potomac above and below
Washington until he shall be in readiness for
! another forward movement; and we have no
doubt that when he moves forward it will be to
decisive victory, or to series of decisive VIC
tories, as in his late Western Virginia campaign.
His beautiful and brilliantly executed combina-
tons in that campaign afford us the most salts
factory evidence of his superior capabilities for
his present position. He is wonderfully
! strengthened, too, by the confidence of his
troops and of the country in his excellent mill
tary qualities; for from this important adyan-
tage he has already achieved those wonders in
the reorganization of the army of the Potomac
which have encouraged the highest public ex-
pectations In its readiness and power at any
| moment to redeem the disaster of Bull run.
| The loyal Union people Of Western Virginia
have, in Convention, taken the preliminary
steps to the organization of new State from
the thirty odd loyal counties represented in the
movement. Perhaps, however, with the expul-
sion of JEFF. Davis and his spurious dcspotism
from Eastern Virginia, these Western Virginians
will prefer to remain in the old commonwealth
but we suspect that the enormous rebel taxa
tons resulting from this Southern rebellion
they have no notion of being saddled with in
any event, and that the "Old Dominion" is thus
inevitably destined to lose one-third of her ter
ritorial area in the organization of new free