New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-06-27
THE POSITION OF TIE ADVANCED
GDAED. .F...
From Our Special Correspondent
FALLS CHuEcu, Fairfax County, Va
Inv. OF 1861.


Of two regiments, one Of which, nj 10 asst has been
stationed in position of real mpora ce. Wearc now
fee from one Of the dancers viii" threatened us and
can besow more careful aten'f ION upon those which
remein. Strange rs II may rem TO you who are unac
quanted with the Tree a 81 easy manner in when ire
campaign in this sect Jn is conducted the Connecticut
ard Ohio regiment, under Generals Tyler and schenck,
have been FORA week in state Of uter isolation from
MeDowePf main body and have literally been almost
SO Unprotected and incapable Of sustaining themselves
agpinst o stroog attack as if situated alone in the very
heart Of Virginia. For week there he's been nothing
10 save Them FROM teng sur founded and perhaps de-
soyed except the i.capacy tiGidity Of the rebel
commanders. Everything w.th Us seems to have been
guided Css By confidence in own strength than BY
a conviction OF tie enemy's veaknese. Under the err
cumstances this is hardly considered prudent theory
upon which TO proceed. Its not worth while to tempt
Iluck too far. There would be violent oltclles Of in-
uocence aud rapid sbftings Of responsibility in case any
serious Disaster should befill advance guard, and
perhaps il would be ite difficult TO determine upon
whom tie positive blame should justly he hXedi but 80
long 90 TIE sct remains dat considerable number OF
our troops are and have been comparatively al the
mercy OF the rebel armyprCyited that the rebel OIL
were disfoled to at with courage and d5csont
is evident enough tLat great eIrOr lies somewhere,
and that it should be speedily repaired
Since lest Monday tie two Connecticut and two
Ohio regiments have been stationed within mile Of
each Other in positions peculiarly disldyantageous to
themselves AID favorable for attack they have been
separated By space OF eight miles IN one direction and
at least four miles in another from the rest VI our force
There has not been even line OF rckeiS to preserve
no, in her
ton. Beyond and in front OF them, at Il distance OF
three or four niles, the enemy Is known 10 have been
| errayed although in wbai force We have not vet
learned Sometimes /, has been declared formidable,
sometimes contemplate but pickeis have not tuc-
ceeded in gathering any information sufficiently accu-
rate to be valuable The impression seems to have
been among our officers that moderate corps, about
equal to ours in number but better provided wis artl
| lefy and oayAlp, was posted At Vienna, and that
much Lager body was conveniently 1T hand, in the
| u,igiborhood Of Fairfax Coun-lIouse, or otherwise
within a call. Now, ifthis were really the care, and
there appears 10 be reason for doubling i's pohal-
ity il has only needed fair VI bravery and
very ordinary species Of genership, to rem in our IT.
Tie isolated locc aud overthrow it. Il 10 true that the
achievement would work no permanent benefit TO the
rebels. bat il would be of great moral service, and
1
inn victory. II they gather much comior, from
Bethel OF Vienna, an event like that which might
have occurred here would have been 10 them a well
,pring Of everlasting hope.
Lest any person should suppose that the critical ns-
TIRE II our position is hero exaggen,,c, will en-
d.a,or 10 show precisely how these four regiments
have been stationed and dliculis by wlic1 they
! have been surrounded Tney occupy the apex Of tho
triangle the base OF which ste'chee from Arlington to
| Alexandra. Tho Connecticut regiment, are tncamred
IT cr-,.sroat-tbe junction Of the Leesbdrg InuPise
! from Aexundria and q county road feom Arlington
Upon this county road mile behind the Connecticut
,foofs and in toe middle Of deep hollow, the Ohio
reginsuis are chartered. TIER position IL absolutely
defenseless and could not b. held hour against any
vigorous attack There ARE hills all around them and
the road which conducts back 10 Arlington is deep
dc6le, which very email battery would render ilu-
| pssssble. The Coursclcut regiments are soEewh bat
better situated being the suBmit OF ILL., and on
! level with any party which might assail them
The Leosburg Turnpike is open all the way Alex.
-ns; for the benefit Of the retel, whenever they de-
sire to use 1t. Numerous by.wsys from the interior
lead directly to it, thai it ght be crowded with Sc
cession troops at any moment. cav, the day before
Yesterday, South Carolina encampment upon one OF
these by ways sufficiently To prove That lttle
discretion might very properly be mingled with the
ya!or Of our vanc.d guard. The otEer road which
connects tho camps with Arlington, is open for dis
tar CT VI lit least thT,e miles, and could easily nave
been &C upied BY the rebels, by means Of winding
| road f.1m Vienna, which terminates az Balls CrOsI-
Roads little to the Of the Ohio camp. Thus the
only two available courses Of retreat could have been
blocked without the slightest difficulty.
To-day however. Balls Croes-Roads Is taken uof-
eession of by the % New-York regiment. That wards
was Understood to be needed, and makes the long delay
! still more unreasonable. We Can venture now TO re-
view our chances ia case Of a weIl-aranged attack
upon the forces Of Gen. 1y Ter and Gen. schenck and
! presume the rebels would not have ventuIod any,
uness pretty carefully prepared. Two roads, leading
! from Vienna and Fairfax Court-Ilonse, would have
enabled them to advance from the west and north at
! once upon the two Connecticut regiments. Before
asy-superor force, such would have been brought
| agains. them had the attack been undertaken, they
/ mnst have .eiroated But how Inc LeesbuIg tpgn-
| pike road 10 Alexandria, sOutbward, would have been
cosed against them, aud they could only have reoned
their Ohio comparisons BY steep ana narrow descent,
which would b. infinitely dangerous to pass through
before pursuing Toe. IN the valley it would have
been impossible TO remain. The retreat by The road
TO Arlington, eastward would lave been cut oil al
| BalPs Cross-Rolds There would still be the pre-
carious retreat BY tie railway to attempt which
cilcuously along the valley toward Alexandria; bu,
railway passing does through rAyines and over
high ombauknents skeleton bridges and through
tunnels affords no secure or proper means by which
to extrcate body of soldiers from difficult position.
la every way our men might have oeen beset, and