The national Republican., 1861-08-24
Saturday. August ~, 1851.
CONDITION OF THE ENEMY.


To Judge from one class Of accounts, 1t might
be believed that the hostile army iu Virginia
is being ravaged by disease, aud that the III
clad ill.fed aud unpaid survivors will very
soon disperse, under the influence Of dissatis.
faction and want If that is SO, the safest and
most humane course, is to leave the enemy to
the operation Of time, without attempting to
make an attack upon his lines. This is q pleas
ing suggestion, but there is hardly sufficient |
ground for it.
There is no reason why the enemy should
not be well fed, and no evidence that he is not
so. Crops throughout the South have been
good and especially iu the great farming and
grain,e exporting state Of Virginia. Wherever
we have come suddenly into his camps, we have
found no evidence Of scarcity, but much evi.
dence Of even luxurious living. Where beef,
corn, and wheat exist in great abundance, and
where there is Government strong enough TO
appropriate anything and everything to mill
tary uses, armies need not suffer for food.
There are reasons why it should be difficult
for the rebels permanently to clothe, shoe,
blanket and tent so large force as they have
now in the field. But If we are to wait until
they wear out all their present supplies Of that
kind and all which they can procure, we shall
wait until our own means and credit are ex-
hausted and until our Government is com.
PEELED to make peace by the clamors of an
impatient people.
The enemy's army does not go unpaid. II
is paid off in a paper money which has no
intrinsic value, to be sure, but which neverthe
less has tolerabe currency, and is likely to
have for some time, If we wait for the Confed.
crate forces to melt away under the influence
Of disease and want Mr.. DAvis's treasury notes
are quite as good as the bulk Of the bank notes
which have been satisfactory to the Northwest
down to a very recent period.
The sickness in the enemy's ranks is un-
doubtedly very great, indeed, unaccountably
SO, as compared with our army, after making
ierior vigor of his soldiers, and for all other
known causes. But although greater than |!
experienced in our army, it is probably no
greater than is common with raw levies. In
stead Of there being an unusual amount o
disease in the enemy's army, q more correc
statement probably is that the health Of ou
army is extraordinarily good, and We may add
hy the way. that nobody knows bow long i
may continue to be SO.
There is sickness, want neglect, suffering
aud dissatisfaction Of every kind in all camps
and to those who know the real details Of
military life, either by personal inspection, ol
from accurate accounts, it is only wonderful
that armies Can be collected, or kept together
at all. But with the history Of the hardship
which soldiers have endured in oil age
and countries there is nothing in the wors
accounts Of the situation Of the rebel army il
Virginia to induce anybody to suppose that
is anywhere near the point at which armie
must succumb to disease or famine. or want Q
my kind.
All spe2ulations, in short are idle, whic
point to any other conclusion than that th
hostile army, the presence Of which in clos
proximity TO the capital has so long impaire
our national prestige is to be gotten rid of /
any other way than by battle, or by the di
play OF an irresistible aud overwhelming forc'