Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-11-13
The Armies Of the Potomac.

!, The task demanded of the Federal anC
' Confederate leaders on the bank of tn,
! Potomac is one of the most difficult tha
:. ever fell to the lot of military men. Boil
| Mcclellan and Beauregard have gathered
together immense bodies of troops, divided
. but few miles from each other, and ready
at the word of command to engage in NOR.
tai combat. A similar situation is com
mon in time of war; but in very few in
stances have the hostile armies been SC
large or so difficult to handle. The num-
Der OF men under the command of the II
val Generals is probably not much less
than four hundred thousand, two hundred
; thousand on each side At Leipsic, where
was fought one of the greatest battles of
modern times, Napoleon had 10000 men
and the Allies about 2SO,OO0, but this, We
believe, Is the only instance in the last
European war where the number of COM
batants exceeded that now attained BY the
Americans upon the Potomac. At Aus
terlitz Napoleon had $4,000 troops and
the Allies about 10000. At Waterloo,
Napoleon had about $1,000; while the
forces of the Allies did not reach that
number. At the late battle of Magenta,
the French and Sardinians had about
100000. The number of Austrians was
greater, but not much. At Solferino the
Austrians numbered 10000, the Allies
10000. Wellington never had a hun
dred thousand men under his command
upon battlefield, and previous to the
present embroglio Gen. Scott never con-
trolled the movements of twenty thousand
men IN one army. The immense size Of
the forces the American Generals have to
use is one source of difficulty. We saw at
the battle of Bull Run that neither con
testant was able to bring his whole army
into action. While Beauregard was in
danger of defeat, while the Fcderalists
were forcing back his front lines, there
were 10000 men at Manassas, about three
miles distant only, in such a position that
they rendered no help, and the Confederate
army appears only to have been saved by
the opportune arrival of Johnston and his
troops from point thirty miles distant.
In the same way we are told that of the
Federal forces only about 10000 were en-
gagged in the battle, and though the fight /
ing lasted nearly the whole day, the re-
mainder scarcely smelt powder Could
the whole have been brought forward 81
multaneOusly against the rebel lines, the
contest would have been short and decisive.
That more men were not brought up at
the critical moment augurs bad general
ship on the part of Mcdowell. Well, it
may be, but it is so easy to talk of hun
dreds of thousands Of men, that we are
apt to forget how immense is the mass of
which VIC speak. Let US think for a mo-
ment, if Mcclellan orders an advance up
on the enemy's lines, he has to direct the
of probably 100000 men:
those of them who do not take part in the
attack being so disposed as to be readily
available in case of defeat. Now, the pop-
ulation of Toronto, Of Montreal and OF
Quebec but little exceeds 100000. Yet
the movements of mass of men, equal.
ing in number the total inhabitants of the \
three largest cities of this Province, have
to be arranged with the greatest nicety, "
md carried out with accuracy if success is !
D be insured. The slightest accident may
throw the whole into confusion. 1t is eY- (
dent that in country covered with woods,
ences and farm houses, intersected By wa !
er-courses and broken by railway embank- ;
nents, no large body of troops can be !
marched any considerable distance in an .
extended line, as they might be upon vast F:
md smooth plain. The divisions of the
'rmy must necessarily be sent by different {
'outeS and concentrated at q given point. ,
The arrangements necessary for successful :
y uniting the scattered fragments Of an |
lrmy, so that they may not be overwhelm- :
d in detail, tax the powers of the Gener-
] to the utmost, and call for the exercise ,
f the highest military skill. Ithas some
ines happened that due allowance has !
lot been made for the different marching ..
apaclty of the various brigades, or of the :
-ariouS regiments composing the brigades, /;
With the most disastrous results. A vet :
ran regiment may be capable of march :
Dg three times the distance, in a given ;
ime, that can be accomplished by raw re- ;
ruits. The British Light Brigade march +
d distance Of sixty-two miles to Talav- =
ra, in twenty-six hours, in compact order, :
nd in hot weather, leaving only seven :
cen stragglers behind, and upon their ar =
ival Immediately took charge of the out ;
ostS. A more splendid march was never :
lade. 1t is doubtful whether ticre is a
ingle brigade in the American army that
ould march ten miles in day and be in
fit condition to meet the enemy. In the
'rimea, when the English troops made the
xpedition to Kcrtch, distance of only II
lcven miles, they fell out by sections on Il
le way; and We see no reason to suppose c.
le Americans are superior 10 them. Not '
nly has General accurately to calculate y
le distance his army, as whole, can make Is
/ a given time, but the route enc division ct
as to traverse may be beset with obsta- C
es the others will not meet with; obsta- g.
es OF which he has not, even by the most h
Iinute reconnaissance, been able to obtain q,
,curate information. In the standing or al
er of the English Light Division, it is W
ated as proved fact, "that the defiling "
one battalion on the march in order to IL
lss an obstacle, cvtn if done with as u
uch promPitude as practicable upon such A
casions, will cause a delay Of ten min A
.es; one such object, therefore, if not pl
lssed without defling, would delay a al
,igadc half an hour" in which time ! h;
title may be lost, and dynasty or a re- 81
lblic overturned. tn
From these remarks slight idea may "a ~
,rhaps be formed of the stupenduOus task =
&c General undertakes, who in country :. y
&c Virginia, engages to move forward say q: .:
&c hundred thousand men. No matter ~
ith what accuracy his plans may be laid, ~ ~
ey are liable to be overturned by the stu a. az
dity of solitary subordinate, or the Ill u u
scipline of single regiment,eTen though, 4, !;
a whole, his officers were experienced =, "