, 1861-06-22
The Vienna Rluuder..
fErnin the phftod,.lnhia PcasH /


Will the Lesson Of Great Bethel never be
learned? Are re to have our gall mi sons and
brothers slain By masked batteries and mur-
derere in Uniform ? Must the soldiers Of the
Republic be tho victims Of repea.ed surprised,
and never march upon batteries except to re-
should know TINT they arc in thu enemy's
country, that AIMED men are prowling In every
thicke', and that eTesy elump Of bushes Is apt
to be the ambush Of mauraaders OF the cover
Ing Of battery. Wha! is the use Of reckless
daring and untlincEing bravery undar the rak-
ing fire Of cannon which it Is impossible to ST.
leDce, and ThE must lives be sacrificed with
out the opportunity to achieve single result
or to attempt the slightest measure Of atonc-
mept.
Tie " Engagement at Vienna" as the tclc-
graph calls It, is another Of tha " mistakes" Of
this var. We have before us the official state-
ment Of Bdgalier General Hchenck, and, there
fore, can speak By the highest military aathor-
ity. Nearly seven hundred volunteers from
the State oil Ohio leave Alexandria in railway
train, under the command OF General SchcnaE
and Col McCook, for the purpose Of taking
possession Of the railroad and holding 1t. Six
companies Of the regiment arc stationed at II.
rious points, and, with PTS men on board, the
train approaches Vienna, q village ten miles
from Alexandra, when suddenly a masked
battery opens fire, damaging the engine SO
-that the train cannot be reversed, end Killing
and Wcnnd1pE many Of thcBc on b0lrd- TAX IN
BY surIrisc, pent up IN close cars, and unable
to return the fire or attack the assaiIants, the
soldiers are compelled to 1y to the wood. for
Safety, aDd to retreat along the railroad. The
c1ticial report shows that five soldiers gero
killed and six wounded, Willie ten are missing.
Other accounts make the loss greater, bu: this
Is certainly the most favorable, and, perhaps,
| tie most accurate estimate.
Here We layc valuable lives sacrificed any
many brave men placed in torture, and Whist
| has been gained Is it possible that masked
battery can be erected within ten miles Of a
| large camp, without the fact becoming known
| to single officer? Thls seems to have been
the case at Vienna. Troops are hlindIy r1tah-
ed through hostile country, and In moment
OF eceming security the thunder ,ot cannon
echoes nmoEg the hills, and the messenger Of
| death comes from unseen batteries. Our oEn
| troops might learn lesson from these very
| rtbeis. They seem to know every movement
| our torces make and are properly prepared to
meet It. They must have known thu: our
| soldiers were coming, or IN attack coull not
have been go quickly made upon a running
| train Of cars.
We are told that "'the men behaved coolly
under this mcEt CALLING ire which they could
not return" hnt, alas what can avail cool
| nles aud bravery under circumstances like
| those Of Vieura ? We should never advance
| into IN enemy q country ithout either know
ing that no dagger existed, or being prepared
to meet every exiseney, to ayoid every am-
buEh or resent every attack. We mourn the
fate Of these brave soldiers, but if the lesson OF
| Viern1 is only thoroughly learned, they have
! not died IN vain.