The New York herald., 1862-12-24

41A@84~S86O
Ths Battle % FreasrlcksburG sad ths
| Opinions % the soutAsra Press.
We published yesterday page Of high
| ly interesting extracts from the Richmond
papers. giving their account Of the great
battle at Fredericksburg. To-day we publish
several editorial articles from the same jour
nails commenting on. the event and expressing
their opinions as to the effects which the disas-
ter will produce upon the final issue Of the
struggle. They evidently regard the defeat Of
Burnside as the turning point In the war;
II was stated In the accounts which We pub
lished yesterday that General Lee, who is
usually sodate and reserved, could not contain
himself after the battle and gave expression to
his exutation in no measured terms. In the
Same way the Richmond Eram;,er, generally
80 grave and GRIM in an article under the cap
ton Of son to Richmond" }" ridicules the whole
movement from the beginning Of the war to
the present time, calling 1t 90 screaming
farce" These journals ridicule our generals,
but consider Burnside as the greatest failure Of
all inasmuch as he compelled his men to march
against Lees position "over cleared slopes,
without brush, tree or wall to shelter them from
the rain Of grape and minie." They conclude
that Burnside will have to biv0uac on the bar
rens Of Stafford, instead Of having Fredericks-
burg, with its wharfs, for his winter quarters;
or, more probably, unable to obtain supplies
conveniently where he is, on account Of the bat
teries established below him on the bluffs Of the
southern bank Of the Rappahannock, he will
move to Urbanna to obtain subsistence on the
northern neck for half his army, while he sends
the other half to the Carolinas or the south side
Of the james. Such are the specu1ations Of the
rebel press Indeed, they say that Ola
cial dispatches have been received ct
Richmond from Lees army stating that
there are already symptoms OF Burn
sides army moving to the Potomac.
By this time the rebel general has probably
found out that these symptoms are deceptive,
and that portion Of the federal army merely
shifted its position little farther back to OBJ
tain good camping ground. But jumping to
this conclusion serves to show how thoroughly
imbued the leaders Of the rebellion in Virginia
pretend to be with the idea that the Union
game is up and that the back bone Of our cause
is broken.
So confident are they Of this that they talk of
sending large detachments from Lees army to
squelch Foster and drive Dix out of Norfolk, to
defend Mobile and overwhslm Banks: and it is
even hinted that Washington is to be isopardized
by another attack, because ''the law of Lincoln
Is still in force on the banks of the Potomac"
They hold that Burnside's late movement was
but part Of concerted plan, and that his
column being the central pivot the crushing
blow It has received will shake the whole
fabric, and that .sthe moral effects of the
victory may be fairly considered new and
powerful element along the whole line of
war" In Ane, they regard the army in yir-
ginla az not only the finest In the world, but
inyincib,s, and General Lee, who leads 1t, and
General Joe Johnston, to whom Is assigned the
command Of the Army OF the Southwest, as the
greatest military leaders Of the age
Now, to undeceive them 1t will be necessary
that Burnsides army resume the offensive i'm
mediately, instead Of going into winter quar-.
ters. Thus they will soon learn that the dis
sster at Fredericksburg is not irreparable;
that ii is not to be added TO the list of the de-
clsivs battles of the world, and that II is no
more than battles lost by Hannibal, Napoleon,
Frederick, Washington and other generals, and
to be compensated for hereafter by overwhelm-
Ing Victories Of the Union arms. Activity dur
ing the winter is imperatively demanded in
order to efface the prestige of Southern success,
and to battle the schemes Of European recogni-
ton Of Southern independence, to say nothing
Of Napoleon's designs Of Intervention in our
quarrel, If an opening is given him by our
apathy or the tagging Of the war. Two
things are essential to the safety of the re-
public-the one is vigorous prosecution Of
the war, and the other il the overthrow Of the
radical element In the Cabinet, by combining
the policy Of the war 10 the legitimate objects
for which it was inaugurated by the Presl-
dents proclamation and the resolution Of Con-
gress. By pursuing this course ultimate sue
cess is certain. By departing from it failure is
as inevitable as fato, and the blood and trea-
sure Of the country viii have been shed In
vain.
TaE JAPANESE FUND AND THE PoLUT.-At
the last meeting Of the Police Commissioners
decision was arrived at In reference to the fund
donated to the force by the Japanese ENJOYS
which bears out the structures that we recently
had occasion to offer In connection with this
subject. The Commissioners instruct their
treasurer, after paying to such members of the
body as have declined to assign their interest
in the fsnd their equitable share in II, to hand
over to the Committee Of Police who have
charge Of the families Of the policemen who
have enlisted in the army Of the United States
the sum Of $4,000. II has bcen asserted, and
not as yet contradicied, that Che signatures to
tho petitiou demanding tho annronriation of