Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-10-03
Immense Armies,

Ih5re Is little doubt that the armies now In
Washington and its vicinity amount to the i'm.
mense aggregate of near 100000 men on each
side, of 400 900 combatants. Whenever gem
erl battle shall occur it will not only have no
parallel on the Western Continent in the forces
engaged, but hardly one in the history even of
modern Europe will vie with it. The great bat
ties of Napoleon were generally fought with
numbers far inferior to those now under the
| walls of Washington. For instance, at Auster
lits, where Napoleon defeated the combined
armies Of Russia and Austria. he had but S1,UOO
troopa; the Allies had 100000. At Jena and
Auerstadt, where he broke the power of Prus-
sia, his forces were not over 130,O00 strong. At
the great BATTLE of Wagrain, fous.. with he
Austrians on the banks of the Danube in 1909,
he ha. but $50 900 men. At Borodino, under
the walls of Moscw, he had but 10000 to op-
pose the Russians. At Waterloo he did not
have to exceed $1,000 troops. Not one Of the
battles in Italy or Spain even equaled this last
number. The only battle field we now recol-
lect of where the combatants were as numerous
as those around Washington, was Leipsic, in
1913, where Napoleon had LIS, 900, and the AL
lies-Rrssians, Austrians, Prussians, Swedes
and Germans-numbered 800 600. Nearly half
million Of men took part in this tremendous
battle, which was known as the Combat of the
Giants. 1t lasted three days, and ended in a
complete overthrow Of Napoleon, who was driv-
en- into France, where = series of disasters COM
menced that did not end until Napoleon abdi-
Gated his crown and was exiled to the Island of
Elba, in 1914. No battle was ever fought on the
soil of the United States where $1,000 combat.
ants took part on both sides "
From these figures we can Judge of what
battle we have reason to expect when the hosts
OF McClellen and Beauregard. more than twice
the number Of those Of Napolean and Yelling
ton at Waterloo. come in collision on the banks
OF the Potamac. It will be an event
event that will be the great military lea
ture, probably for aces &c come of martial prow
ess In America. Washington never had thirty
thousand men in one army under his command;
jackson never had fifteen thousand, and Scott
never before had seen twenty thousand troops
under his orders. Great il the ability required
to maneuyer and handle such q large body Of
men, and bring them all into action ut the pro-
per time and place. The late battle at Bull
Run extended over seven miles from one end of
our line to another. At Washington. probably
the battle may be raging over field double
this size.
To know what is going on in such an amphi-
theater. and TO be prepared to order up reserves
and strengthen every exposed point, requires
the highest degree Of intellect. At the Battle
of Bulls Run half of both armies never fired
q shot. Beauregard had forty thousand men at
manassas Junction, only three miles distant,
whom he never used, and yet he would have
been defeated had it not been for the opportune
and unexpected arrival of portion of General
Johnston 3 army from the upper Potomac Me-
Dowell had powerful reserve, that took no
part whatever in the action, and yet it was
strong enough to have beaten back Johnston's
division if it had been on hand at the proper
moment. We have confidence that Mcclellan
has not onlys plenty of men, but believe be
knows how to tse them. q rl