Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-09-05
The Great Battles near Man
aSSaS.

Ii Ane eAciuSlOn OF the correspondent OF
the newspapers from our armies in Virginia
bad caused great mystifcatiou in the minds of I
the rebels as il has in those OF the people of
the loyal States, the policy which dictates it (
was that OF q master OF strategy. Certainly /
no events Of equal importance were ever more
misunderstood and mysterinonce, than those t
lastlweek below Washington. 1t is to be hop |
ped the Government has cofounded its enc
mics, no less than its friends. by its reticence.
The dsPa'c es we have rte iued Of the late
moyemeI t. and conflicts, have been an exas
perating muddle- The Washington sand AL
exandria letters are elaborately worse. A
careful study of the details that have come to
band, makes the outlines of of operations dimly
visible
When the rebels ascertained that the Army
of the Potomac was being Withdrawn from
the Peninsula. they txrned their attention ex-
cusiyely TO Gen. Pope. and attempted to over
whelm him. He fell back rapidly from the Rap
idan bsyond the north fork of tie Kappa
hammock. The enemy appeared in force on
the south bank of that stream, and made moi
sy demonstrations, seeming determined to
force passage But, in fact, the main body
of them in light marching order with no bag
gage hut their ammunition. made Il long flank
ing march toward the Shenandoah, intending
to get between Pope and Washington. The
first symptom Of this was the cavalry raid at
Cattlett's Station. The next was their ap-
pearance in force at Manassas. Still, the
real nature Of the movement was not un der
! stood. a New Jersey brigade under Gen.
| Taylor was sent down to Manassas, under the
/ impression that there was merely a formida=-
! Bile body of maraudcrs there. The consequence
was the defeat OF T'ayior's forces. Pope now
/ learned that the enemy was in his rear, aud ia
/ cling about, marched in three columns to give
/ them battle He came up with them at Hay
/ market, few miles northwest of Manassas
J Junction. Here the fighting took place, with
/ Pope facing north and the enemy south
Pope's ile2 seems 10 have been 10 extend his
| left wing sn as TO interpnse between tie enemy
and Thoroughfare Gap. on the Manassas rail-
! road, so as to hem them in between him and
/ Washington. 1t appears he had not yet re
allied that be had the main body of the en-
e4ny to deal with.
The enemy do not appear 10 have expected
| Pope to march in such determined style to
/ the attack. They looked for his retreat to-
ward the Potomoc, perhaps in the direction
of Fredericksburg, md Acquia Creek, aud pro-
posed 10 eva,ie the Divisions of the army ui
the Potomac at Alexludria. and 10 make their
/ way into Maryland by way of Leesburg, and
| the various furls on The upper Potomac,
! which the advantage OF low waier presents al
this season. Hence Tie show of rebel scouts
at Leesburg. Vienna. Fairfax {. II and uear
| the Chain Bridge. The rrSolnte advance Of
| Eope from tEe south Disconnected their plans
They understood him to bg attempting TO cut
bis way through TO Washington. He under
stood himself to he moving to bag audaciOu5
division which had IN tde its way into an uu-
tenable p,,siion. Jacksons movement north
FROM Manassa., which Pope construed into
ii fight, WAS advance TO cross tha Upper
! Potomac, and he turned back to fight Pope;
/ and when Pope undertook 10 bag kiR,, he
found tie main body Of the rebel army ia his
front During the Ggdting. up to Friday
evening, the position OF she armies was Il Gu
rioas one. The enemy were lacking south
ward, aud in the commencement of the contest
ca the oil Bail Ran battle-ground, our tronps
had nearly the same position in which the reb-
els stood in the afternoon Of the baltic ut the
2lst of July. 1851. Pope had now fully re-
opened communications with Washington, bv
way of Alexandria.
lie expected Friday evening to assume the
offensive next morning., bat the rebels were
during the night powerfully reinforced, and
themselves pushed the fighting. The general
result OF the engagement GA Saturday was
unfavorubie TO us. Onr left wing extending
across Bull Run Popes Inc Of battle being
from Fast 10 West, fronting Northwest, was
for time in great peril. 1t seems 10 have
been pushed too Far fer Is stresgth, with the
idea of cutting off the enemy from Thorough
fare Gap. and the result was the enemy ere
near cutting it off. AT the close Of the dav.
Pope foaud himself forced back upon the Cen
tezyiile h;lls, lis left sing doubled up. as it
were. by the weightv and desperate 7ghtng
Of the cLtmy. In this position Ire was very
heavily reinforced, aud formed his line Of bat
tie North and South, his troops facing the
West. The enemy have fnilcd 70 cut him of
from Washington, aid lie has failed 10 cut
them of from 1'horoughElre GAP, or to bag
one of their Divisions. So the bloody rn-
gagemc14ts oG last week were indecisive On
the whole, though We have lost ground we
have gained in position. Our armies, lately
scattered far ld wide are concentrated. and
occupy strong line Of defence aud excellent
base Of operations
The rebels have done us much .llma"e, ami
though displaying high order oi geucralsirip
and solliership, have failed in the primary Oh
icct Of their movements TO the North They
have not invaded Maryland They hare nat
prevented the junction Of the arm Is Of Virgin
ia on the Potomac. They have recovered
a large area Of territory, hut that does not
profit them. Ralhcr otherwise; it increases
the distance over which they have TO move
their supplies. Our army is well posted, with
in easy selch of supplies. Thei,s is not in 81
strong a position, and il is impossible that they
are well provided. The advantages of the sit
uatiGn are decidedly ours; and we can af ir.l to
wait. Every day is great gain to US and loss
te then.
LATER
Since the above 'vas in tyre tie nems reach
es ns that Jackson arait, ,rnr in THprr,'s -oar