New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-09-29


Misunderstanding the Poiomnc-Enrpcr'-
Ferry-Troops ON their old Camping
ground-Thc Puture-R Reported Proxin-
tfy Of she Encmy-The John Brown I'm.
gine-Kouse.
Fron Our Special Correspondent.
BOLIVAR HIGnIs Va. NEAR HtnPrR's FyRRI}
Thursday. Sept. 20 1867
ALEU- TO Western Maryland where the s,a Jnst
oyty Of the people, after all they have suffer 3D. s
stillnn agreeable surprise. Alden to SHARP .brrg,
whi&, though cut to pieces by our own 81 ot and
shell IA 10 other yillage in the Union ser torn
and plowed, gave Ia the warm welcome Oh At comes
IRON the heart. Adieu 70 tie trenched feel OF An
,ietan, with lis glorious wednesday,, winning for
our army record tbGn which nothing brighter
shins through his,orywiu, ia fatal Thursday, per.
hitting the clean. leisureiy escape of the foe down
intothe valley across the difficult ford, aud up the
| Virginia tights.
Intervening days have afleued, not heslod, the
arrry's DISAPPOINTMENT The explanation offered il
hat 10Th armies were Keeling under the shock Of
| W.dno lday-that with our stricken ranks, despite
The ,Ass Ieservs ard tho fresh men who had come
up II was un-Gio 10 renew the attack. But what
Wa he worst that could befall isl The road be-
hud was open there was no Potomac in our rear.
thnk all who saw Ito battle @il agree that what
ever the odd. sgainsi it, tie army OF the Potomac
was too sirorg in tie discipline aud ito heroic deter
rnnation to tufer any great disas,er. IL might be
1eeatcd driven back; could never be captured or
cut TO pieces. The men, who through whole
September day wadcd that Red Sea OF death, driving
back the enemy without losing gun or "A eaissol,
after ne hta rect and with the great gsps in thor
rank. filed up by frcsh troop Were not to be scat
tered OF made prisoners.
Failure was only repuse; success was crowning,
decisive final victory. Tie enemy saw this, and,
being permitted, walked out OF the saaIe into which
his own audaety had led him. Two ights and "a
day We waited; then moved, but, as in the old
legend Of The br,zon head Time WAS Past.
While tho battle rnged Gen. Mcclellan regarded
Il as Il great ersr in the war. Al O'Clock WeJnes-
csy afternoon ha met of his brigade msnderi,
an excellent oiEcer, MI old, trusted fread. How
are your troops Z" he asked. " They have done
we'll but suffered severely aud are somewhat scat
tered" Collect them at once" raid Gen. NoCiel-
lam "l5, 900 fresh troops have already come up;
more will arrive during tie night. Tell your men
thnt We must fight tonight and tomorrow. II
all die upon the ield. Ii We succeed 20 eud the
war"
"1o-morrow" came; we had all the troops;
We had Filz John Porter's entire corps--rho flower
OF the aruy--which had not yet fred gau; we had
part OF tranklin's corps, which hsd Tot been en-
gaged; hui wo did not fight. IL our delay was a
necessity il was a most lGnentaLe necessity. Ii II
was a mistake, it WAS tie saddest costost, most
fatal OF mistakes.
| Ga Monday morning, q part Of the army left
Sharpsburg, moved pat Porter, past burnside, %
tie Potomac. Down s left bank climbing the MR.
row. torluous road TINT winds Among the feet of the
mourtsins; under Maryland Nights, aoross The ong,
crooked ford above tho b.ackened tinbers Of the
sailroad bridge then up among the long bare, DESC
late walls OF the ruined Gov, rnnent Armory; part
the engno-house which old John Brown maze LIs-
torc; up through the town Of Huper's Ferry, sadly
worn, almost washed away by tho ebb and How Of
wars tide up through the village Of Bolivar ana
Miless fortilations, to those nights, where 1t
pitched lis tents.
Once more among tho mountains! AS the day
war dying, 1 halted my horse on tho long bill upon
tho Virginia bank to look back upon picture Of
memorable beauty. Behind and below rushed ihe
cleaning river, ehrunktn mi It's dark, shining sur
lace was broken with rocks. &c oss II came line
Of our strggler, wsdpg TO the knees, win stagger-
ing, uncertain steps. Beyond it, the broad, abrupt,
lossSt-clad Marylan flights rose gloomy aud SOM
Der.
Down the hin behind me, to the river, winding
crookedy across it, like slender letter \, then for
half nile back again, on The other side OF the
canal, thence far up the long Maryland BILL stretched
the division train, lis wagons separated at equal ds-
tances by the mules, and their white eoyers-the
sails of she great land fleoistandlng out IN strong
relief upon tho background OF water and mountain.
Before me, milo to the west, the Horizon was
bounded by Bolivar Nights, down to whose long
level crest, the ky glowed like living fire. Their
smooth. equal slope, facing me, was occupied by an
entire corps, bu! nOthIpsof Ihe ea~ps wa n"1l0,