The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1862-09-19
Our Entire Army should DO Opposed
to tho Enomy's Army.

IL seems TO us that those who have the or
derinc of the manner in which the war shall
be conducted, will soon learn that the policy
of scattering our forces in distant parts and
beyond supporting distance of each other is
unwise, and will lead in the future, as in the
past to nothing but disaster. The matter or
thing to be strangled, is Of too great magni'
tude, 10 allow a "cordou iOld' to be closed
around it. The enomy succeeds in rending
the cord apart at some point or other. and
then the monster Of rebellion breathes easy
again.
We arc not sure but it would be the wis
est thing that could be done in the depart
nents az Hilton Head and New Orleans, to
at once withdraw the troops from those pla-
cos, and also from all other detached points,
and mass the whole available force OF the
country on the line between the enemys
country and our own.
II is true that it was victory to land our
forces successfully at Ship Island aud prepare
an expedition which resulted in the capture
OF New Orleans. The same may be said oil
the achievements Of our arms at various 9TH
or points on the Southern coast. But did
not the reyerses Of Mcclellan on the PENN
sula, not to mention the late disasters OF Gen.
Pope, have the effect to entirely do away with
all the advantage in prestige, which victory,
in all those affairs, gave to our armies, and
turn the tide in favor of the rebels'
We have often been told that the "back-
bone Of the rebellion" is broken, or about
broken. We suppose that by the backbone
OF the rebellion, (" is meant that power which,
IL Observation-Disclosures" rebellion would
cease to exist,-at all events, would be pros
tra,ed ON its back and cease to give us trouble.
That power is undoubtedly the army which
the traitors have organized, with which to
maintain the government set up in defiance
of the Constitution and laws Of the land
end, until that army is met and defeated,
broken up and destroyed, the rebellion will
continue to have an unbroken backbone. B"
The work to be done then is to mass together
an army sufficiently powerful to meet and do
feat the entire military power OF the rebel
lious States. Taking and holding towns and
cities, and islands on the coast, does not do
this. The force employed for such pur'
pose is practically so much Of our means to
successfully accomplish the work to be DONE
diverted to other objects. In some instances
the result of sending small detachments into
important parts of the enemy's country, has
been 80 disastrous that il would have been
vastly better had the forces thus empl Dyed,
been kept idle.
1t ia no. capturing and holding possession
of few towns and cities that will give us
the substantial victory Of putting down the
rebellion. We must meet and overcome the
rebel army. To do this our army must be
collected together in such way that its dill
scrcut columns viii support each other and
work in concert.
We have organized and sent expeditions to
New Orleans, Hilton Head and other places,
hut the rebel army WIS not at any Of those
places. The real conaic. is and has always
been in Virginia; and now the effort Is being
mn, Co,,b hv tho snemy 10 transfer il into