Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-10-22
TaR LONDON TINES VIEWS OF TIE MARYLAND
CAMPAIGN.

rhE LONDON TINES VIEWS or TIE MARYLAND
g CAMPAIGN. |
n Iron the London Times, October a.
The victory, sulh as it was, Of Mcclellan and bis col
|eseuea. h exceedingly remarkable. An Amy demora!-
zsd BY Q succession oil failures and a iopg retreat mas
lodde1ly proved at 10 ut opal, and, We may, superior,
10 al ermy e'a.ed with triumph ard ben. up1I q oonnt.
u,tiou Of is couquess. The forces of the ConieSerat's
baya g. fsred their frat i'm portan. check exactly a. The
psriod when they might have been thought m'st assured
victory. Il was generally txpec.ed that the grand
ann of the Fedsrals, when il did advances into Virginia,
would acouire an asoendancy in the f,!d, Il only by
force Of numbers and superiority OF equipment. No
would bgvo been surprised % hear, soma months
szo. that battles bad been won in Virgins, and that Rich
mo.d had been taken. Similarly We imssined, after the
capture Of Fort Donsliou, that eeoera' u nleok' sis6 ms
powerful and we'll supplied force, would beat the Con-
iederAtes on the Miss!s ippi; and, though nobody Dc
leysd In the conquest of the sou'h, EVERYBODY was pre-
parea for lhe military success oil The North.
I These caculstions, however, we're not verified by
events. Up to the beginning Of last month every pitched
ba,tle had been more or lees In favor Of the Conted7r-
ates. and their goal advance from Richmond TO The Pc.
t,m.o represented one continuous victory. Toey then
crcs, the Potomac, and carry the war into the enemys
country but here fortune turns against them, aud they
re!rscs their steps, after no inglotious hshtng' WIN
heavy loss on both sides. Itis not that they found the
country hostile, or that they moved too far from their
supplies for they penstAtsd but Q short distance into
MARYLAND t~arritory, they were not uufavorably received,
aud their retreat, a. the event shove, was sssured--
Neither was il that they caught their enemy at bay, and
a, found themselves confronted with the strength Of de-
spair, for Mcclellan was the pursusr, and it was he who
OF hs own choice brought on the hts, eugagemsne-
We cannot describe the sotions reported ss anything bat
fair & citing on . fair fsld, and yet tbs victory, or such
90 nbiauce Of 1t as was achieved at al, remiiaed With
the troops Who had bsen represented, and, We doubt
NOT, with perfect truth, % e{hau,sed, disp.fitsd, aud al
together inferior to their opponents.
Il 10 worth while, therefore, to inquire 10 What cir
cums.anoes this sudden turn OF fortunes could have
originated, and We are much inclined to believe that 1t
Is traceable TO the liberation CT Mcclellan from those
professional restrictions aud disabilities which o1dclal or
personal iealousies had previously imposed upon him.
AZ no other point can We discover anything to account
for the turn ofthe tide, b. LsrS there was something
notable even before the Bghting began. Mcclellan. for
he ars. time, perhaps, Ia the whole war, received full
pove.s from the President to act as he thought proper
IL the chisf CONN and. 10 sooner was be invested with
this authority than be did exlc'ly tue opposite Of what
his previous tactics had led US to expect. Instead Of
~sheltering and reforming his broken batsalions behind
The dsfenees Of Washington, be instantly, aud without
an hours delay, marehea il pqrsss.t Of the very army
.hioh had Jus! driven the Federal toross hssdloug acrols
the Po.omso. Assooa as he hnds his enemy he Gshs,
and 1, no. beaten. h reDeWs ths 6ght day after day,
and prsseatly b. sustains an attack himself With Q con.
ti%uu i,ion Of this unusual fortune. Ultimately, II he does
40. actually drivs the OonfederAtes across the river in
their tuf he sess them deliberately retire sitter the
IL uduB Ho Ia b'S
~camp,teD, over strong and uiunPnAhF army, 90 sa8a1'
tays which he failed 70 achieve uadsr lar moro faVoFsole
conditions IL tie course Of Wtols year.
1t is 3 mystery where Ts got the troops Tor SUCH a
work. The description gtvea o. zoe yscersi army as II
lied from the armies oil Lee ano .ckton was 700 nH'e'a,
TO be doubted, tad though hcIielans osn corps nau
not bean engaged, 70! that very to;ea nsa suffered ssl
worse treatment on tbs bangs Oh tee tmes ivef. ~
vas surely not IN the despi'ring ana ieter sfict;n afny
which stole away from Aagrudsr thA' the n''srials tor
anew campaign oouIo DC promp'y i'auu. "senns
ton was foil OF troops NO aouo, Vs tuey mus. nave
been either ylH ieVie' or veterans Nn' were none Tue
better for their sst.-ee whereas our own oorfesPondeh
reported the con5'doa OF we goslner almy, oeiore .e
fight commenced, as efficient in Tue sAIshs' We
bsst 8 ju,hern y ,nerals we're on the ground, too, AId We
can trace, indeed, in their movements toe military genius
which has siFay' dls'tlgGI,hed fae soqih. P'ooltly the
bes. army, IN the bet condition Snlca the Ooniecerates
have ever sIaJet on a , I'D Of battle, stood last nonih
on the coil Of Maryland, aud jet II Sss sorssd BY an
army Of which We can give 10 account, Commanded BY
a General who had never won q victory before.
We assume without hesitation that the invasion OF
Maryland has been q failure. Whether il WAS q raid for
the sake oil ssorfs, and provti ms, or an attempt to raise
the State sRalnet the UIiop, or simply 4 strategic move.
| msnt against IBIS Army OF Washington, the conclusion
mus, be the tag'. Whatever the Conledoratse desired