The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-26
The Londo n Morning Herald on the Battle
thel

We find in the London Morning Herald, Of
June 20, an sIticle on the Battle OF Bethel
opening with the remark that ".he war In
Virginia has 1T Iast commenced, with an en-.
counter most disastrous to til. Federal
forces" After Jes cribing the b!uDti.fing al
vance of the Federal troops, and the tight,
and speaking Of "ths imbecility OF their COM
manders," the Herald says:
1t seems clear that the expedition was
miserably mismanaged throughout Attempts
are made to throw the blame on the chief
in command, General Pierce, who IS said 10
have entirely lost his presence OF mInd It's
very likely that he was no more to- blame than
the rest of the officers, and that he siory
against MIN may be traced to the pa tsiitl ana
iety OF his subordinates to shift fNs blame
from the shoulders OF many 20 those OF one.
II cannot be denied that ihe nordi result OF
the encounter is likely 10 be dis 9stroEs To the
North. 1t has disclosed the Weakn. q OF their
military system. We are told by 7 usons On
whose word We can rely, among Others by
respecta BILE correspondent at New York, that
| ii is not an uncommon thing for 4 tailor or y
grocer III some obscure country town 10 ob-
tain the commission OF Colonel by pulling and
pus hing himself by all manner o, GIshones,
means-such as the publication of false tsie
graphic messages, the sending Of fictitious
paragraphs to the newspapers along win
fee 20 the editor. We cease 10 be surprised al
the rot tenness OF the Feda ral Army.
A drunken man may be sobered hy falling
1
Americans must admit that they have been in
du!ging lately i'll too much vaiHgior.Cus talk.
This reverse at the commencement OF the war,
it il teach them more becoming humility,
will &C rtainly be useful to them 4 prudent
man does not strut about before he world,
and boast of the as tonishng manner IN which
he means to annihiiate his adversary There
is all the difference IL he world betV aen Alex
aGder the Great and Bonn bastes FariOso This
accident may do for the North un a small
lie, what the Crimean war did for US. 1t
may teach them the vices of their 81 stein and
its insuthciency fer great emergencies like the
present. ne time or public calanIIty j. your
| best public retormer. No diilt:aLt4 states
IT en-; those st the helm busy them sol, es with
| g new and trembling eagerness atou the great
| business entrus ted TO them by nation. Let
| q few more misfortunes happen. such rs this
last, and the corruption that lies at ;he root o.
| the fabric of American statecraft, smiled upon
or Giregarded in time OF peace, will be torn up
and scattered 10 the winds, like the ShTeds Of
another Bastile, amid the shouts o1 al indig-
nant people.
/ is time, indeed, for the North to set it's
house in order, and TO look well to what ii is
doing. If any thing should happen 10 the
veteran Scott the command of the army Will
heard OF, and quite inexpr rieno ed. The
South appears to number among It's com.
manders men of sor1e ability, who ander-
stand The conduct OF a campaign. They have
evacuated the advanced position Of Harper's
Ferry, an event which We predic ted ;,s inevi
table some days since, ard concentrated Il
powerful army at Manassas Gap, IL place said
| to be easy of defence, and where the South
erners will not only bar the advance of the
posing and very threatening front towards
dshingtou.