, 1861-08-12
BLUNDER CORRECTED.


4 Washington writer for the I1adepe7a-
t7cat, in discussing the responsibility Of
General Scott for the Bull Run disaster,
says:
Nor can we conceive that aDy mere popular
tlHn1of can kzre forced upon him the a:cep-
tarce Of this mons:fous b1under. It we're lit
tit to lis crt dit to be capable Of abandoning a
wise g1d wen conceived design In obedience
to sny Newspaper demcIds. The only remain
irg 80; losition is tha. General Scott has been
oyl1ILItd by superior authority n1d taat the
ccDnand cf the President, WHO is Comman-
de1-sn Chici Of fGe Army and Navy, given up
on advice Of the Cabinet, hes constrained the
Feteran commander to the false step which he
las taken with srch disastrous results. Ta:s
We tupEcee to be the real history Of the iaju.
6icious nitemp. at Bull RUIZ
He "supposes:" We know. II con-
.elsation with the President, on Monday
morning after the defeat Gen. Scott eS-
prcs>ly, purposely and in terms relieved
Mr.. LHcoLS Of the charge which the
Inde7xndent thus reyives; and it is true,
further, that the President, though ear
nes.ty desiring more active movements,
has never mterfered with the plans Of the
Lieutenant General. For all practical
purp; ses, Gen. Scott has been the COM
mander.in-C Chief Of the Army-to this e1-
tent, the President. Nh. Lincoln's posi-
ton, as we took occasion to say q few days
ago, has, from the very beginning, been
this, as hundreds Of men can attest: II
stdo not pretend to be o military man;
~and if did so pretend, the country
"would not believe me. If 7 should as
6 sumo the control Of military movements.
4'and we ehould neei with reverse, [
a should be severely blamed. lmust, then,
e'Iu=t somebody, and as the country has
/" confidence in Gen. Scott, I must trust
shin; and when 1 trust, / must do
SO wholly-not partially. We cannot
have two plans in operation at the same
time, any more than an army can have
two heads"
It matters little who made the terrible
hian3er-:he mischief is done; but VIC
protest that the blame, at first thrust upor
the newspapers, shall not be put upon Tux
President, who, from first to last, has occu
pied toward Gen. Scott an attitude fir tot
dcfelential, and who has never upon any
p!etcnce exercised lis constitutional RICH
to command without being sure that Iii
commands were in accordance with th'
w;shts Ct the Lieutenant General W
ask, shtn, If the President did not orde
tie attack, who did:
As part Of the history Of the times, VI
pint the rtraarls made by Col. Burnside
Of Rhode Island, at a late dinner at New
Pert. He gave clear account Of the bal
tc, Of tie sh2rc Of Rhode Island in il, au
u.-csslyedly expressed his belief OF tb
imp7opriety Of The attack IN the time En-
manner in which i. was made. He said !:
called upon Gen. Mcdowell and expresse
my disse1t to the policy Of fighting the en-.
nv at that time Senator Wilson was prese1
axd locked At me Th1n made the remark, 4
though was a coward Gen. Mcdowell E3sl
"H DO nos Gght them to morrow canns
do It il sig months "Better," said I, "@a
that tine than Eazard battle now.n G.,
Mcdowell invited meeting Of oH1csrs At h
headquarters On the night before the h2ttl
but 1E {McDoEe1D WAS not present until
O'Clock, and then nothing vas to be heard b,
the rect ption gf orders for the following day
We care little for the matter in issue
cept that tic truth Of history snail be vi
dica.cd. II is daily coming to light