New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-18
ONE THING AT A TIME.

ONE THING AT TIME.
The whole art Of War lies in Concentration.
The commander who has the genius and the
power to huIl all his force upon the decisive
point beats bis adversary who has more and
better troops, but only half of them just where
they are needed. Napoleon taught mankind
this lesson, first by his wonderful victories,
then by his ruinOus discomftures. 1t was not
enough to have proved it by yanquishing Aus.
tria, Prussia, Russia, each in her turn; he
must render assurance doubly sure by invading
Russia in the far East while he had Great
Britain, Spain and Portugal on his hands in
the West; by insulting Metternich and adding
enemies in 1913; aud again by attacking Wei.
lington at Waterloo without assuring himself
that Grouchy could reach the battlefield at
least as soon as Butcher. No generals head
ever held more than his; no mind ever sur
passed his in the power Of combination; be
failed only because he suffered his impatient
greed TO oyerbear his own cardinal principle,
which triumpbed in his rise, and even more
signally in his fall.
The American Republic is now involved in a
life-and- death struggle which takes all its re.
sources and energies. 1t may fail in that strug
gle through the inferiority Of its Statesmen and
cenerals-hardly otherwise. Should that inferi.
ority be fairly demonstrated, and prove practi.
caly irremediable. we shall readily acquiesce
in an immediate peace on the best attainable
terms. Whenever our rulers and leaders shall
virtually admit that they are unable TO cope
with the rebels, and it is not practicable to re-
place them by ADLER and more energetic men,
we shall say that the next thing to be done ID
TO acknowledge and make terms with the Cot
ton COnfederacy. Such peace will blot the
American Republic from among the great ma
tons of the earth reducing it to the rank Of
Spain aud Prussia; but what cannot be cured
must be endured. Great Britain was hum.
bed, not ruined, by the loss of her principal
American Colonies: On the contrary, she has
been stronger since than before. The Steam.
Engine and the Spinning repaired for her
the disasters of Saratoga and Yorktown; and
80 this country, should it be its lot by treason
to fall, may by genius and industry rise again
It's greatest danger to-day is that of shame.
full compromise, not IN inglorious peace.
The necessity of a distribution of its forces
il urgent, but not the less deplorable. Sup
pose Gen. Mcclellan had this day THREE Hun
bred Thousand Men in hand, and were thus
able to walk over Beauregard aud Manassas
this week, and be in Richmond before the end
of the month: what would it matter that adj
vantages were won meantime over our weak
ened forces, acting strictly on the defensive, in
Kentucky and Missouri Hitherto, the rebels
have shown far the greater aptitude for rapid
concentrations and attacks in overwhelming
force, arguing that they have the ADLER chiefs.
But this may not always be.
The bugbear of foreign interference in our
internal troubles has been used from the outset
to alarm and dishearten the loyal millions OF
our countrymen. Great Britain and France,
il is said, must have Cotton; to obtain it,,
they will not hesitate to force open the Cult
ports; and this will involve us in foreign
war; Now we have no atom OF faith In the
good will Of the governments of Western Eu-
rope. When P0lmerston chsfls us about Bull
Run, and Bulwer assures his constituents that
we should be less pestilent and more endurable
if cut up into half dozen republics than as
one, we can readily understand that neither of
the British aristocratic parties would shed any
tears over our National disruption and down.
fall. Nor can We expect even if we desired
anything better than the most frgid neutrality
from the French Emperor who only fights for
an " idea when there is Savoy ensconced
behind it. All that we do or can expect from
Europe is that she will let us alone. Russia
alone, Of all the Great Powers has, up to this
moment, eyinced any hearty sympathy for the
Union, or recognized its value as all element
of the general balance of power.
But to secure that we be well let alone. il is
only necessary that our Government should
studlously refrain from giving odense. If any
maritime oation-(and 40 other has power to