Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-12-29
i WILL TIE Army .OFF THE; Potomac 90. fEfoi
I = WINTER QUARTERS, t.: :: T.
fron tths Nsx, Yotk World, Deeemberl

WILL THE ARMY ZOE THE POTOMAC GO: INTO
T ii. WINTER oG kRTERs. i: -: +.
From the New York World, December a. ~! +:
What else can it dor It IS of course, impossible To-
say what new folly may not be perperated by this in;
scrutable administration; but reasoning from positions
it has several times TAKEN and supposng il capable OF
some other consistency than Uniformity in laundering,
we nav safely conclude that the fall and winter cam
paigns are ended andtkat there will be no resumption
of active operations by the Army oil the Potomac until
sprinR The administration deliberately rejects the
ter route TO Richmond preferred by General Mcclellan
and determines to ADVANCE overland. Eyenf should
change its mind there are now no transports for con-
afing tothe James liver force large enough for an
effective attack Every available and almost every crazy
thing that fpats has been scraped together for the
Banks expedition; u will be far into January before
thee vessels could be relieved from the Calf.
even II the Government had telegrsphic facilities for
transmitting tr orders Judging by the usual standard
Of administrative efficiency at least another month
would be consumed before the army would be ready for
ernbarkation This would carryas to- the beginning OF
March resumption Of the James river route there.
fore iI contrary TO VI probability, the government
should determine on It, would be equvaentto Postpon'
ing further yeoperations tn spring. The sdmins'
trstion is therefore precuded from winter campaign,
eIcen, by land advance which is, under the cifcums
s,a nces military impossibhty. True, heavy speci-
men of military imbecity, like Haleck, pushed on by
such piece OF mpetuous stupidity as Stanton, may not
recognize the impossbilty They may send our brave
aOdiprs
has made an Acedama of the plains near Fredericks
bIbg. thew may wade them through Virginia
mud and kill OF scores of thousands BY cold,
exposure and fatigue; but it Is certain that they
win not approach Richmond till the son winter
of that climate Is past Even il hard freeze
should make an entrance possible, the army might find
itself At the end of the second third DAY, stuck i'm
moyably IN the mud by asudden thaw; tile up
their knees the wagons up TO theirhubs Even Stanton
and HaIeck cannot be such maudlin bunderers as to
he mud
with an army that has just been dsastrousy beaten,
and which mot being made up Of natural foos) must
have utterly lost confidence in the directing power
which controls It's movements The Army of the Poto
mac will undoubtedly go into winter quarters In some
position where It can cover Washington.
This being the necessary consequence Of the late g
nominous disaster tue military situation In the East
will probably remain without essential change during
the winter unless the rebels, em5odcned bS their sc
cess should menace Washington within the next two
weeks Beside. msny other ways in which this
sary delay Affect our injuriously, it viii
carly destroy the value of the last levy Of 100000 men,
whose term Of service is only nine months from the date
OF their enlistment They will indeed be available for
vigorous spring campaign but unless we can then make
Short three months job of eInguishing the rebeliop,
there is danger that shall be weakened by the dis
handing Of the nine months that our would
be lost n the Is under such laundering manage
ment in the spring as has been since Baeck came 10
Washington and the spring campaign is brother TO the
other army for will neither enlist nor consent 10
be drafted TO become food for rebel gunpowder-
AL that can be expected of patriotism is that it will be-
willing to sacrifice life for equivalent advantage or
AT least some possibility Of equivalent advantage TO the
country Mr. Lincons administration is then restricted
TO success in the spring campaign its only chance OF
saving the Union II that miscarries, CT is lost. No
change of advisers of policy can then revive public
confidence 1t behooyes the President TO look these
hard probabilities fully In the face and make the radical
In ,la .sl nd he Oi ads.
unistration which he ought to have made month. ago.
The certainty that the Army Of the Potomac INST go
into winter quarters, and postpone further offensive
movements till Spring raises inquiry as to the prob
able bearing Of ehis necessity on the two political 4ses
tons in which the country takes the deepestiuterest
the Emancipation Proclamation and the action oil foreign
Governments: IT, an the present posture OF Affairs the
President issues hts threatened emancipation pro:lfma
ton on the Isl of January he will be simply an bsec
of derision To proclaim the slaves free Immediately
amer the rebels have met him the threshold Of their
territory ard drYen him ANONYMOUSLY out, wodld be
niece OF ridiculous brayado thit would make him the
laughing stock of the world II he happens to be in
proclaming mood on the; first Of January let him
proclaim. freedom TO the Northern citizens IN
The south who rere overtakcn there by che re-
belion and have not vet been able 10 get away
Let him proclaim freedom to the Union men Of East
Tennessee Who have long listened III vain for the
chariot wheels Of dcyeranse. Everybody sees now how
futile and ridiculous Il would be for Mr. Lincoln TO pub
ish a proclamation declaring these classes free. But
has he any pover free the negroes than to free
themt Have not they at least strong claim on the
government as the slavesY IL Mr. Incoln has ready
perception of tho ridiculous such an nycterate
ker OF Jokes odght 20 have he will postpone his" bull
against the comet" Ithas become, however, matter
OF no sort Of consequence, either to the rebels 10
ANYBODY esc whether The proclamation is issued orrot
The action or foreign governments on the cessation
of hostes for the year, with such balance Of ad
ranages in favor Of the rebels l. more serious QueS-
ton As nobody this side of the Atlantic for Sew
ards Judgment respected In EuropeI have the
weight OF feather from a Iunets wing on their deci-
sion we may well hope for the best aid await the re-
suit with GOODNESS. Until get echo from this last
/ bad news, il il idle to speculate.