The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1862-11-29
OUR PHILADELPHIA CORRESPONDENCE
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 18, 1862.

OUR PHILADELPHIA CORRESPONDENTS.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 18, 1862.
Friend Lnion- You will, ere this reache.
you, have received the outlines at least o.
the result Of the recent elections in th.
Northern States. As contrasted with tht
victory of the friends of the present Admin
istratiou in your State they may seem te
you strange While to the Political oppo
nen's of the Democracy the defeats in New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio
etc., are anything but gratifying, it i.
amusing to notice the different interpreta
tlons put upon them by the prominen,
newspapers in our large cities. The New
York Herald and World see in it a signi6.
cant rebuke to the President aud his con.
sti:utional advisors fer the tardy manner in
which the war has been carried on, al
though the only efforts made we're to show
show not to" crush out the rebellion. The
Tribune can attribute this sudden turn OF
the political wheel to nothing more or less
than the preponderance of the really Union
and Republican element in the army. To
this opinion 1 must confess that, With many
others, lean. 1t approaches nearer an
actual fact when taken in connection with
that other prominent subject of interest
the draft. In those districts in our State
which have been accustomed to giving large
Republican majorilies, such as Allegheny
county, there are few or no drafted men to
be furnished, and the wonted majorities are
either sadly diminished or wholly overcome
while in other districts, giving Democratic
majorities, those majorities are not only
increased, but the people are groaning over
the large body of substitutes they will have
to furnish, or 60 themselves. Even in
Philadelphia this is quite noticeable. The
Republican wards are largely in excess of
their quotas, while the Democratic have
only to show their Republican precincts in
the same state of happy exemption.
But while the unterrifed" were yet in
ecstacies ever their unlooked.for success
while they themselves were in doubt
whether it meant "vigorous prosecution"
or shameful submission, (Which l believe
many of their leaders would readily en-
brace, as their hopes of ultimate success
depend on iD-;heir joy is suddenly
changed into mourning, their shouts of
rejoicing into gnashings of teeth. General
Mcclellan, who has been steadily growing
into disfavor with those who really wish
the rebellion crushed. and whose "short.
sharp, and decisive campaign diminished
down into long, dull, and indecisive one,
ho e ~.
army in the East, rs the published letter
Of General Halleck says, for gross neglect
ct orders and misrepresentation of truth.
But this was not what the Democracy
desired, and at once the whole of their
presses TEEN with abuses of the Admins.
tration for dethroning their idol. Some
say that the army should throw down their
arms and disband. Mcclellan is lauded to
the skies as the greatest military leader of
the age, and predictions are made that we
shall now suffer nothing bat reverses On
the other hand, the Republican press views
in the change of leadership harbinger of
future success, and the weIlknown courage
and dash of burnside give an earnest of this
In this connection, must say that until
quite recently l have been among those
who looked upon General Mcclellan as our
best military leader. His eminent success
in re-organizing the army after the first
Bull Run battle, made him for while the
pet of the army and the nation; and while
the evacuation of Manassas by the rebels |
lessened confidence in his foresight and |
skill as strategist, it was soon forgotten
in the general joy when it was announced
that Yorktown was taken with but little
loss of life, and that the rebels had been
driven from their second line
Of defence at Williamsburg. l do not
think the Peninsula campaign was future
SO much from incompetency rs from want
Of cooperation on the part of the War De-
partment, the head of which had pet pro
jects of his own. The letter of the Prince
de Joinviie will throw some light on this
subject. The delay for want of reinforce
men!s and movement on the part of
Mcdowell at fredericksburg led to the
disastrous "change of base" because it
enabled the rebels to throw large reinforce.
meuts on his front, and assail him with
overwhelming numbers. The pursuit of
Lee and Jackson in the recent incursion
into Maryland, and the battles of South
Mountain and Antietam again placed him
ntO favor, but these successes were made
barren By the surrender of Harper's Ferry
~ Miles, who had been before suspected Of
lisloyalty, but who had been placed in this
Important position by Mcclellan himself;
~ the failure to use his reserves by the
commanding general when victory was
'ssured, and giving the enemy time to slip
Entirely from bis prasn. The raid Of Stuart