The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1861-10-18
Military Plans Of the Rebels.

battles unless we are rash enough to
butt out heads against strong in.
trencbments, as at M Manassas. We
have already seen enough OF the mil,
itary operations Of the rebels to get
n tolerable idea OF their style. and
all goes to show that the plan which
they have deliberately adopted for
conducting the war, is to exhaust our
resources and weary out our patience
by compelling us to keep large
armies on foot without giving us op.
portunities to keep up the military
spirit OF the people by important
victories. When they can pounce
on all inferior force, or lure our
troops into al ambuscade. they will
fight; but as soon as they confront
equal numbers they either retreat
behind intrenchmen.s or scatter aud
run. They made basty retreat at
Fairfax Court House previous to the
battle OF Bull run; they retreated
rom Munson's hill when they eus.
pectcd that Gen. Mcclellan meant
to attack them there; Johnston re-
treated from Harper's Ferry and con-
tinued to retire from before 30 unen-
,erprising a commander as General
Patterson; the brisk campaign in
Western Virginia has been little else
than Il series Of rebel retreats follow.
ed up by federal pursuits; in Nilsson
ri, where they defeated Lyon and cap.
tured Mulligan by overwhelming
superiority OF numbers, Gen. Price
sbandons Lexington and divides his
forces the moment that he learns
that Fremont is advancing at the
head of an army. 1t is a settled
principle in rebel strategy not to
fight except when they have the ma
tional troops at disadvantage.
This policy is dictated by the
known inleriori,y Of the military re-.
sources II the rebels. II they lose
u large army they cannot replace it,;
and so they have deliberately decided
not to incur any serious risks. TLey
will make no aggressive movement
into states where the whole ropula-
tion is loyal, for they thoroughly un'
derstand the Disadvantages Of con.
ducting military operations amid a
hostile population. They intend
that our armies shall encounter these
Disadvantages ut every step. They
mean that we shall consume our
strength in iruitless and harrassing
marches through sections oi country
with which we are imperiectly ac-
qutinted and whore every inhabit-
ant is an enemy. They count on the
inpatience and discomfort that will
peryade the North, when enormous
preparation ard heavy expenses are
followed by feeble results. BY de
monstrations ulong thousand miles
of frontier, they will attempt to con-
fine The contest to the border states,
where they will protect themselves
against defeat by always declining
to fight on equal terms. There will
be no great ana decisive battles, il
the rebels can help it, except by the
imprudenco Of our commanders.
This being their plan. our method
OF conducting the war must look not
81 much to the winning OF groa, bat
ties us 20 the 3, izure ami holding oI
important strategic and commercial
points. We must advance seaward
and transfer our most active military
operations to the cotton statos. /
we can take Charleston, Savannah
Mobile and New Orleans, and oper
these ports, maintaining vigorous
blockade elsewhere on the Southerl
coast, we can afford to leave the re
bells in other respects to the natura
const quences OF their folly. The,
would, in that case, bc compelled I,
withdraw SO large a put OF thei
forces from the border states that III
defense CT the frontier would b
comparatively easy, while the ne
cessity of attempting to retake tin
chief cotton shipping cities, whic
had beeu wrested from them, woul
bring on battles the lose of wh:c
by the rebels would be fatal to tbei
hopes. - Neao York World.
-----------.-- ----+-----
, How the Rebels DO Ii.
, A correspondent OF the st. Lon
/ Republican, says >.--.
A gentleman nom Barry count.
, who lett home on Monday last, give
, the particulars of the shooting
Messrs. COX and Davis near Galen,
4. Stone county, by the rebels.
t considerable force visited Galen