The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1862-07-23
"rHE FEDERAL DISASTERS IN VIRGINIA


THE FEDERAL DISASTERS IN VIRGINIA.
EUROPEAN INTERVENTION TIE pRoDA
BILE CONSEQUENCE"
This is the heading Of an article in the
New York Herald. The papers have
stopped calling the defeat "m ..,ety
movement" and are coming down to the
truth. The following is the article
The series of Federal disasters in Vir
ginia, ending with the latest and great
est Of all--the retreat Of Gen. McCleIlan's
army before superior numbers-is well
calculated to stir the national heart to its
depths. The whole country is reused,
and everybody inquiries wha, is The cause
OF the misfortune The blame does not
rest with the brave troops who have been
sacrificed, fighting like heroes. nor with
the General, who, at the outset, said lie
would do the best he could with the
small number Of troops entrusted to him,
but with the imbecIity Of the Navy and
the War Departments. 1t was General
McCleIIans purpose to proceed up the
James river at first but our incom2e
tent Navy Department was unable TO
clear it for him, notwithstanding the i'm
mense number Of vessels at the com
mand OF Commodore Goldsborough. The
Merrlmac was permitted to control the
waters Of the James river till il was too
late, and the rebels had possession Of the
shong points on its baLks. Had the
river been under control Of our fleet when
Gen. Mcclellan was ordered to march up
The York peninsula, very diftrent story
would be told to-day. The James would
have been his basis Of operations from
the beginning, instead of the York and
the PAmuukey and supported by The
gunboats, he would have been in Rich.
mond month ago. The War Depart.
meet cut up aud divided McC.elIan's
army in spite Of all his remons,rances,
sending ono portion here and another
there in order to give position and conse
quence TO political Generals. while the
rebels oLceDirated their whole force
around k'chmond-the decisive point of
the theatre Of war. The result was
serious reverse 10 our arms. II this blow
had been brought about hy design on
the part Of our high officials, it could
hardly have been more disastrous. That
the radicals intended to have Mcclellan
repuIsed on the Chiekahominy, AS they
caused Banks TO be repulsed on the She
nandoah, there cannot exist a doubt.
But there is something still worse to
be apPrehended. The news of The disas
ter has gone TO Europe and upon its
heels will probably follow Intervention
on the par, Of France and England, if
not Of all the maritime powers Of Europe
The practical question is, what ought
to he now done in the crisis that is upon
US! The first thing the people ough, to
do is TO demand the removal of the i'm
beetles from the Navy and War Depart.
ments, who have brought such disgrace
upon our arms. The next most essential
thing is to secure the coast from the Rio
Grande to the Kenne5ec-to strengthen
the forifications already in existence, and
to add new works wherever they may be
needed and, lastly, to organize home
guard to man the artillery, and practice
constantly at the guns. Iu :he meantime
the fleet of gurboats ought to be made
stronger, and the new iron clad vessels
ought to be FASTENED to comp!etion.-I
Lastly, let the 800 900 men called for by
the President be speedily enrolled, or.
ganized, and brought into th, field. Thus
prepared tor the powers disposed to inter.
vene, they may shrink back from the
or should they be rash
enough to assail US, we can re:slIste
upon them with terrible veogeauce.
Not only can we wrest from them
every foot OF soil on this continent, and
on all the islands which belong to il, but
we can carry the war into Europe. There
are plenty Of lrishmen throughout the
Northern States who want to 90 20 Ire.
and with arms in their hands. Then, il
he country is forcibIy broken up by for.
,ign interference, the loss Of American
bonds. amounting TO six or eight millions
'f dollars, due to English capitalists, i,
II the republic is divided it
s no longer the United States, and the
question is which halt OF it will be res
'onsitls to foreign countries for the com.
non debt. Among the dangers, too, Of
European Powers will be revolution at
'ome, organized by the Democracy in
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