The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-08-09
Genera, Mcclellan.

General Mcclellan.
The Northern prcss, which Is eagerly sei,ing
at every straw that promises to save fts sinking
cause, is busiy engaged ut present in glorify-
ing McCLELLAS, who now seems to be the &C
tual Commander in Chief at Washington. It
is unjust and npolitic to uudcrrate All enemy,
and we have no hesitation in conceling that
General MCCLELLAN is an able officer, active,
ambitious and entcrrrsing. But that he is the
'alitary prodigy they report him, that he is the
superior or the equal Of such mon AS tho South
en- leaders, VIC do not believe. General Ne
CLELLAS was in tho Mexican war, but we
nsver heard that he was mere conspicuous
there than many other officers Of his rank. His
principal feat was tho surprise of little hand
full Of troops in Western Virginia, which no &C
compiished by tho aid OF traitor. But i! his
campaign IN Western Virginia, the principal
theatre at his fame, be accepted as test ci his
military merit, what does it prove? According
to the statements of the Republican papers he
bad in that region army Of thirty seven thou
sand men with the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road at his command. and the great adyantag &c
If occupying a friendly country, with commu-
uicatious which could be safely maintained
from every foot Ct his advance to the Ohio
river. whore, at twenty diferen, points, he could
be supplied with Teinforcencnts, il needed
and munitions Of war from Ohio. For
tunately, we not left to conjecture the
real object Of Gen. McCLELLAS's invasion Of
Western Virginia, for Cleveland (ohiol pa
per, which is undoubtedly well booked mp on
his whole programme, and which stated in sd
vance, with singular accuracy, up to a certain
point, what would bo his movements in Viz
ginia declared that it was his intention to adj
vance upon stanton, and thus command the
Central Railroad, cut of the Valley of Nir-
gina from the East, and command the route
to Soutbwe stern Virginia, and thus the Viz
ginis and Tennessee Railroad. For this pur-
pose he had under his command thirty-six
thousand men, who seem to have been efficient
| aud well-disciplined troops, whilst to defend
the vast region which was the scene of his
operation we had only SOME five thousand more.
scattered at different points, ana in an enemy'S
country. That MCCLELLAN succeeded with
| the number at his command, and in a country
| friendly to him, in causing this little force to
| fall hack, and that he was able to occupy,
without resistance, Cheat Mountain, is not
quite equal as the Northern press would have
| us believe. aud as he himself seems to fancy,
| to NAroLs"H's crossing the Alps; but, having
advance So far, will they tell US why did he not
l 60 hnr hc , oil al
mountain ranges of Virginia, and penetrated
within fifty miles of the centre of the State,
| with nothing interfering between his thirty
six thousand men and Stanton but few
| thousand Of GARNFrr's army, why did he not
advance and seize it or, if that did not suit
| him, why did he not direct his column towards
Winchester, and prevent JoBNsToNf from leaving
| that position to join BEAuREGARD al Manassas?
| Instead Of this, which would have shown a
real General, the first we hear of him after his
| boastcd success in tho West, Is that he has
| gone to see his wife in Cincinnati. When. We
| read the report, we took it for granted, Of
| course, that it was u Yankee fabrica .ion and
| that MCCLELLAN was in full march to grasp
| the fruits of lis success. Bat il turns out TO
| have been true, aud ii is this fact which We
leave to his eucgsts to explain at their leisure
| that, with q better opportunity Of striking a
| powerful blow at the Southern cause, III seiz
| ing Staunton or attacking JOHNSTON at Win
| chester, than any other Federal General has
| possessed, his column has completely illus
trated the schoolboy story of one step forward
| and two back. The magnificent natural ram
| part of Cheat Mountain, which either side
may make d Gibraltar, has fallen into our
| hands; the army of thirty-six thousand Is
growing "small by degrees and beautifully
| loss" whilst our own column is gradually ANA
| steadily advancing upon their letrcatiDg foot
| steps. Not single General in the whole
| Federal army has come as near grand sue
cess as Mcclellan, aud not one who ever
| lived has let tho bird OF good fortune make
such wonderful escape. We see nothing,
| therefore, in MCCLELLAN's Western Virginia
| Campaign to make US believe that he can
| show more military science, energy, and per-
| tina9iy at Washington than MANSFIELD,
| MCUowELL, and the large crowd of skilful
| and experienced army advisers by whom Gen.
| SCorT has been counselled and assisted.