Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-11-08
natsle OF Leesbarg=-isust SION Fsl.
sffyinss
From the New York Eyepino Pos.

be gained by artfully shaping The reports of o
Important occurrence according 10 our wishes
OUT ITO real and permanent good. Governments
It Is true, ooth IN diplomacy acd war, are ofte,
uhoer tue necessity Of keeping proceedings Sc
cret LOT q titnc, lest a premature disclosure O
them should prepare the enemy to counterac
them, or otherwise Interfere with their prone
execution. In the case Of the naval cxpedi
lion, TOR instance, which we all know to hay
been Tilted out at several Northern ports 70
hoStiie operations on the rebel coast, it is Der
lectly right and proper that the amount Of Il,
forcs and its dest,uafion should M, b., rcv2,,ra
NO ore censurcs, therefore, bur rather 40
plauds, The retlcence Of the authorities in rr
gard to the nature. objects and means Of thi
enterprise.
But to hide your purposes until such q tim,
as II snail be ludicious to make them known
IS 4 different Thing ircm q wilful misreprcseu-
tat!en Of them. The one is an act Of prudence
but The other a crime. When Napoleon Bona
parte kept TO himself his plans Of ca,npaicnso O,
the detslls oil hls intended movements, hu wa.
perfectly unsuitable, not only by the laws 0
war, but by ruoral law when he caused bulle
t'IiS 10 90 published, claiming successes thu
no n,vss won. for sake Of their effect on til.
"pltIons OF Paris, he simply lied. In the for
'nef case be did what all skilfu! generals art
accustomed, and in fact, compelled 10 do; hu'
in the latter case he disgraced himself BY a d.
celt which may have procured him 4 transient
success, bat must in the end have DESTROYED
confidence in his word. For, when Il decep-
ton lis once exposed, We forever ~aftcrward:
distrust tho author OF il, so that nc is no. b..
iieved when it is highly important that l.,
should be believed.
We are led 10 the stutemen. of thcss curious
principles because we fear lest the agents u
our own Government, which hgvu assumed
something Of a apprenticeship Of the press,
should fall into the bad practices Of the ,!cs,
potic governments Of Europe. Take the late
battle Of LeesburS for Al example. It was
given out, mt first, as a slight skirrnish, in which
We had sutf!rcd 4 brief ~repuisc, which was
afterwards retrieved by gaining u very decided
advantage Of position. Col. Baker. however,
one Of our most gaila7! officers. was admitted
to be killed, and the re!riS were not saiG 10 have
retired, YET the details ~ ,:lr engagement xere
not published. Our special correspondent ut
Washington photographed Us thet he was NO!
allowed 10 send the particulars, which were
reserved Tor the Associated Press Agent. When
the dispatch Of The latter zane we were merely
informed that the encounter had been %"se,i-
Gus " that our right VIII: VIA repu!srd "witl
considerable loss" but that General Stune held
the position, would Soon be reinforced by
Banks, and that L.crshury was certainly ours.
This was cheering in spi;e of the sacrifices br
which tho position was Won.
This morning we have another story; the
Journals are filed, not only with the reports
Of the Associated Press, supervised by he
Government, but with a multitude of special
reports. What do they Concur in showing ?
Why, that this boosted battle at El%1ri'S
Ferry was only a repetition. OH i larger scale,
OF the battle Of Great Bethel. In other words
there has been another SrupcndouS hlundcr.--
We have always been taught that the last ,Iat
in which an experienced military man would
allow him ;cii TO be caught was an impossible
river in his rear, anil { superior c!lemy IN
front Any intelligent ;yro, who has read the
history Of campaign. would know better than
that, ard yet it was precisely suci an er:or
which our officers on the upper Potomac have
committed. "Onc Thousand missing" is !he
hcartrcndiHg result, mad" more sensible and
dlscJuraglng by the lnsIu G1cof the best and
hraveet souls III the armr Oar actual loss in
men it is likely will prove mpch !:s:. Ia! our
actual loss in character will be mach greater
than is represented by the numerical report.
Some time since, when fears were entertain.
cd that the rebels would cross the Potomac ri
a point where it vas left weakly guarded, they
were quickly Gispelled by the somc"ila; Iii
dignant reply that General Mcclellan desired
nothing so much, and that be arranged bis
plans especially with a view to such an III,
prudent step. Now. his " officers have com.
mitted tina! blnn@cr in I more aggravated
form, because The river vas then fo1dahle,
while it is now Gitecn feet deep. If the rebel
General had written q request to our ell Gers
in the following shape, how would tl,avc been
answered
TO the Federal Commanders:
''The Potomac at Edwards Ferry is now
fifteen feet deep. Will you be so ohli:;ng rs
to send over three or four thousand If your
best troops, nth ona smooth bore gun, So MS
to put the river in year rear ErAEa."
"P. S.-Wc know that although you have
forests CROWNS, aii around you, you nave not
constructed any biu,S or RATS, anI that you
have no means Of transportation but two or
three mud scows. We will not. however, in
terfere with Your passage until i; - entirely
effected. T."
Our officers nigh. Larc seen through such
q disguise, and perhaps taken the hint 10 pro
vide rails that would bear The Weight Of q can
non, and suffice to convey either way more
than fifty :neu in an hour. Bot, not having q
special Inonition, they did 10. frcsee The re.
suit, ard rushed blinhI.ii into caiar!itv.
Having met 4 defeat. it was tic 'inty nj the
Government ID acknowledge it in ell is full
ness. Panic rumors i, vas bound TO suppress,
tut the truth We have = right to know. All
officers, whether civil or military, are the scr.
wants ii the people, md the people require a
complete knowledge Of their doings liz order
to judge h9w they have discharged their trusts.
The people ale the masters Of their nwn affairs
and demand the iic:s- If these are disastrous,
IL Is All Insult to them to assume that they ere
not Strong; enough to look their actual cDndi-
minds to 60 through with this war, cost what
it may, and 30 events, adverse or proli:icus,
will changa their determination
As II IS. in the way Inc reports Of this aii4ir
bsTe beer, m:rascl, the pnb!ic are disposed to
magnify the disaster. What needs conceal.
ment, they say. mast DC bad. They refuse 20
consider even the incidental nr prospective i'd
var.ag.s We .a4v nave gained, because the au.
thOritIes BAY: sut them The example Of ~aistrust
and !car.
The Sew fo.k "~rrihune's" Washington
cor:ssron:cn; says that General Scc;t wiil re-
turn %i,hin ten days. in consequences Of
tie inliTm stats Of his health. Cmnpi.i with
this erl!uaaccc;ent IS the statement that Sec.
rotary Cameron has reported favccabiy on a
claim made hy General Scott aFlcT the war of
Mexico, and rejected by President Davis who
was then Secretary. la c:hcr wurds, they
have bought Scott off the trach.
The same writer says It has been iinally de-
.%er,nirel 10 supcrscde Fremont by Hunter
The change is TO be imperative and instant,
unless lls messenger sent win ,hr order
should reach Fremont while in huat ni the enc,
my. 1t is feared that his recall viii prcduc:
disafIeetiAn both in his command aAd in the
States Of the Northwest
DG. :. J.. C0CKEHsIE..E, E;5:NTsST.
OF ~WAsHIGGTOS, I. G.,
XXI I'LL hereafter practice his pro!..a..a 10 Rich.
w Houd.