Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1862-12-17

- Tns 0Dss - shs natssaai nspuAaA-
esa - - snn nansA street, between Penn
svlva.Aa svshes s.A d street, (uP stsirs-)
TINE POSITION.
Al this present writing we have nothing but
ths ample telegrsphic announcement Of yester-
day morning from Falmouth, that tour troops
are al this sde Of the river' and that 'the pom
toons are up" II they retired back to Falmouth
without loss Of men and material in the opera
tion, ssh 10 reported they did, 1t indicates SKIN
and good fortune on the part Of our generals,
or inattsntlon, or over caution on the part ofths
rebsla, or eli these things together. Our army,
II unable 70 force the enemy's works, was In q
moss dangerous position on the south side Of
the Rsppshsnsoek, and the rebels, In permit
tlag Il 10 seaps, hsve lost an opportunity such
ss thsy hsss not had since they neglected 10
take wsshington sftex the arst battle of Bull
Run.
he failure ct Yredericksburg hss taken the
pubiic, and possibly our military authorities,
90 much BY surprise, that opinions are hardly
ye formed % TO what either ought nov 10 bs
done OF 10 likely 10 be dons. For ourselves, we
hope that % few weeks VII terminate tho or.
dinary winter Of this latitude, the army de-
signsd for the defence Of Washington will 20
., once into winter quarters. II may seem an
unnecesssry and too obvious suggestion, that
the season 70 70 into winter quarters is the
winter. II L. very easy for people who live In
comfortable houses, with warm nres and warm
beds, to object to soldiers going Into winter
qusrtss. Thsi sort Of clsmor KEEP, our army
all last winter sickening and dying under tents,
when they ought to have been huttsd, Is was
done BY the more sensible rebels.
II u in the Bouth and Southwest, and not In
virginia, that winter campaigns can bs con-
Quoted with advantage.
Al any rate, it does not become those who
sustained the inaction Of our army during the
pleasant months Of the fall. now to make an
outcrv, lit wsits few weeks, until the winter
breaks, before undertaking active operations.
The military coxcombs who have advocated
that monstrous Absurdlty, the sending Of the
Banks expedition to the james river, may now
see the deplorsble consequence which such a
movement would have involved. Or II they
do not see II, from an inability to see anything,
the country will see Il, and will thank the Ad-
ministration for refusing to listen to thst most
extraordinary Suggestion.
Movements, depending upon the cooperation
OF armies starting from widely distant points,
ere always subject to be disturbed BY accidents
against which no foresight can guard. We had
an example Of that In the projected junction OF
Gsns- Mcclellan and Mcdowell at Hanover
Court House last summer. That plan was rem
dsred sbortive BY the sudden raid Of Gen. Jack
son N me ShenAndosh valley, which called
Gen. Mcdowell sway In that direction.
II two srmies, whose junction Ia essential 10
an .,,..L .-.,,,,,. ..,,,. ~ :,
upA poin'' A'e IN isc'
separated and distant from each other, they
must make the best Of It, but Il was never pro-
posed anywhere lint In Am,ric. nv hsso,. ,ht.
.,.'.-,,- s.,,,", ''''o
war 'oiunss'ny' oshoersleiy, sha ~ pian, 10
separate two armies whose future junction 10
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