New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-08-05

o. mat day may be u to US, rightly considered.
| Whatever may have been the defects in tbs
hansling Of the troops--howsvsr lLadrised NAV
ha'e been the leading Of men fainting with hun.
ger hnd oSermarchirg, against On unknown force
OF ifesh troops, lurking behind unrtconnoitered
batteries, the quality Of the men was well tested.
aud stood the touch well Iiencefortb. there can
De no question as to The sturdy material OF
"Aich our rank ard file is made, nor Of what they
"ill DO when adequately led Another thing
winch that day has taught us, il. that our enc.
iny is not 30 weak, disappointed. and demoraI.
Yea, as 1t has been the pleasure Of some of our
eotemporares to consider them. 1t confirmed
the literal truth Of what we said less than a
month ago (July Stb), viz: 'The Rebels hay,
/" better cavalry than We, at least as good art.
'leTy, and az well seryedi as well may be. sincs
% the guns were stolen from us, aud the officer,
educated at our expense; AID il their nfantry
"be not as good in itS personnel as ours, il i,
"quitc as well differed and about as well
drilled" AknowIedgc ofthe strength Ofthe one
my is as essential to military operations sgainst
him os military skill to direct them. We bay,
had lesson on this point which we shall not
soon forget, aud which we canuoi is 20 pat "
its proper uses, ii we are deserving and capable
of success. We have learnt that the enemy have
plenty Of men, who VIII eight, some of them in
the open field, and all Of them behind earthgofh
and trees. Everywhere, even there, where our
men have met them in open field, they have been
forced to give way; but with the fearful adam.
tage they have of defending a mountainous coua.
try entirely at their leisure, with officers edu.
Gated at our expense, and with perfect intelL-
gence as to our force and movements supplied
by spies maintained Joy us in the public Offices
apparently for that very purpose, It is clear that
we have not had the lesso0 day too soon II
that is to teach us bow to be more than a match
for them hereafter.
Aud the enemy have not only men in much
greater numbers than many Of our cOtempo-
raries are willing to admit, but tley cannot %
badly OF for provisions as We often hear it
affirmed that they are. 1t would be difficult
indeed to believe that their CoInmssariat eau be
worse than ours or that their men could have
been brought into the field on the scahty allow
ance of hard shp.bread which our brave
men had to 20 into battle or II must be re-
mcmbered the class Of men that make up the
rank and lile of the Rebel army arc used
to the most sOrdid faro. Very few eyen
of the weather. classes enjoy habitually
plentiful and varied dietary which daily covers tho
tables of the farmers and mechanics w8O make up
the priyatcs on our side This the many readers
of Mr.. Olmsteds books know from the testimony
OF an unimpeached and unimpeachabe eye
witness. They have enough now, aud soon viii
have more than enough, Of the hog aud
" homny," which is the sayory meat that their
soul loyeth. Very probably the rations they get
are larger quantity Of better food THAI the
great mass OF them were ever in the way OF
getting before. Shoes they are likely 10 be short
Of; but as the Revolutionary army az We may
be pardoned for mentioning the twain in oae
brelth) wintcred through the Valley Forge cam
paign without shoes the Rebels, in their warmer
climate, can surely make shift to want them.
That is, tie rank aud file, for there is little dangcrct
the officers wanting anyth theynoed. Aud as to
clothes, rags afford hoped and windowed iacili-
ties Tor ventilation by no means injurious in
sanitary point Of view. And then the clothes on
the backs and in the knapsacks of our men Of
ford an additional motive 10 theirs to kuock
them over in any way, that SO their nukednes'
may be covered.
II the fight at Bull Ran has taught us the
double lesson of valuing duly our own men, and
of not unduly undertaking those of the enemy,
the experience will not be thrown away aud the
blood there shed VIII not have been spent wholly
in vain. Both our own men and theirs viii be
all the better handled because Of it, hereafter.
IA TIE TRIBUNE has Withdrawn from the drec'
ton Of military affairs, its instructions having
been so hopc'essly misunderstood, and its orders
so blanky dsobeyed, We shall not indicate how
this should be done. But, after another attempt.
as after this, We shall make bold to offer Our
humble comments upon the same and to blame
what seems TO us blsmeworthy, and TO applaud
what eommends itself to US as worthy Of praise.
If il be not the Office Of the JOURNALIST 10 lay ont
the plan Of campaigns, it most clearly is his duty
TO point out the morals which they teach and TO
show what are the lessons to be drawn FROM
their events, whether these be Victory OF Death.
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The name of Capt Ayres, who commanded