Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-08-08
The Valley of the Mississippi is to be
 the Great Battle Field.

the Great Battle Field.
 Although our colums are, by stern ne- cessity. somewhat (" shorn of their fair pro- portions" yet we make room for the article below from the New York Times of the 26th ut.
 It proves, conclusively, that the original intention was to make the Mississippi val ley, the great battle ground. Scott says he expected to fight eight battles before reaching New Orleans.
 If Scott's plan is eventually adopted, the tleater of war will be the great valley To take Memphis, one of the eight points, it will be necessary to march through north eastern Arkansas. Happily for us, the battle ground is transferred to Missouri. In few weeks East Tennessee will be the point of danger. Unless we are much mistaken they will find spirit in Ken lucky that will keep them from the threa- tened invasion of Tennessee for some time to come.
 We may as we'll admit the fact that Scott has more brains than all the cabal at Washington, but he has dozen peers in the chiefs of the Southern Confederacy, and all his plans will be met by counter plans; all his moves met by Morphy's of the game of war, and in war as in chess, | 4l. cb II In fba viofOr
 In the article from the Times our readers will see that two parties are forming at the North, even among the rabid abolitionists; the Scott and anti-Scott parties. A reor- ganization of the cabinet is loudly insisted upon. The following is the new pro' gramme: N. F. Banks, secretary of state; John c. Fremont, secretary of war; Cor nelius Vanderbilt, secretary of the navy; Joseph Holt, attorney general.
 Important Developments-Gene Scott
 and the Cabinet-The Duty of the Pre-
 sident.
 The following paragraph appears in the | Washington correspondence of the hi bune:
 l MT. Moses H. Grinnell does Secretary Cameron great injustice when he places upon him the responsibility of refusing reg iments and mounted men. We have pret- tv good reason for knowing that Secreta- " Cameron has accepted regiments that have been refused by Gen. Scott, who with his peculiar iteration of manner replied, T don't want any cavalry, sir; don't want any cavalry, sir. My plan of cam pagn doesn't require cavalry, sir" It is but justice to the President and Cabinet that the country should know that Gener- al Scott has lad fuU control of aU Me par mouen,ents, and also organszed the columns, appointed he officers, and selected Me time aud points of aNack ct Bulls Ram.
 So far as the preparation of the army for the special service assigned 1t Is con cerned, it is undoubtedly true that Gen. Scott did have full control. He probably did organize the columns, and appoint the officers" and he may have "selected the time and points of attack at Bull Run" after that attack had been peremptorily ordered by his superiors-though we are inclined to believe that these details were conided to Brigadier General Mcdowell, who was on the spot, and who could form, from a personal examination of the ap- breaches, much better opinion as to the points of attack than Gen. Scott The 1 fact that both the time and point of attack were changed by Gen. Mcdowell, proves, indeed, that, in this respect, he was left to the exercise of his own judgment. The original purpose was to attack the enemy's position on Thursday afternoon or Friday .morning, by turning 1t on the south side and Gen. Mcdowell went personally with Col. Heintzelman column to superintend the attack. But he found the roads on that side impracticablc for heavy artillery and on that account abandoned the plan Friday was devoted to survey on the other flank, and there he found the roads in such a condition as to justify the attempt to turn the enemy's position on that side The fact that Gen Mcdowell thus changed the time of attack from Friday to Sunday, and the point of attack from the southern to the northern flank, shows that the con- trol of these details was confded wholly to him by Gen. Scott, and we presume every one will concedc that this discretion was wisely exercised, and the change judi cious
 But all this leaves the main point un- touched The question is, Uho decided Mot tie ottack shouldJ Je made2 Who deter mined that the road to Richmond should be by Manassas Junction? Who is responsible for the plan of operations by which a bat. tie at this point, selected by the rebels themselves, admirable adapted for defense, fortified through three long months of in cessant labor accessible to their reinforce ments from both directions, and in all re- spects precisely such a position as they might wish to make it, became a matter of necessity? The paragraph quoted above, for the purpose of relieving the President and Cabinet, throws the responsibility upon Gen. Scott. We have not the slightest desire to involve the President and Cabinet in any responibility that does not belong to them; but on the other hand, we do not intend that Gen. Scott shall be loaded with blame for acts which were done by others We knoaO that Gen. Scott was opposed to this plan of the campaign from the begin nig; he deemed it unwise to make Rich mond the main point of the movement; but after that had been decided against him, he was opposed to marching against