The national Republican., 1862-09-15

news up 10 Sunday morning; Aggressive War,
from the New York Post; Public Feeling In
Philadelphia; Mock Neutrality; The Ability Of
the Negroes; Poetry, etc., etc.
THE POSITION.
1t is settled that portion Of the rebel force
which had entered Maryland recrossed the Po.
tomac at Williamsport on Saturday morning.
This accords with the previous evacuation oi
Frederick already known, and shows that the
movement upon Maryland was Q mere raid for
ss--.--, - .eS..is sis0 resources VI = iainIsueu
and ragged army.
As We suggested on Saturday, the appear.
ance Of the enemy on Thursday evening at
Westminster, which d OF from their line Of
retreat, was . mere Jetrt to give their move.
ment the aspect Of sn aggressive one In truth,
they appeared at Westminster with only $50
cavalry, and left the town the next morning.
or the same class Of blinds were the procla-
nations Of Gen. Lee and Col. Bradley johnson,
looking apparently to An attempted permanent
occupation and liberation" q they call II, Of
Maryland. 1t 10 precisely because they con.
templatsd no such thing that they issued these
proclamationa
The public here and hereabouu are begin
ming to come 70 their senses about the numbers
OF the enemy, which have never equalled the
one half Of the Union army. The Baltimore
american cannot now zee that the rebels have
had more than 10000 men In oil, and even tho
S.dr Of last Saturday evening has the follow
ing:
Apropos Of the strength Of the rebel army,
Virginia captain, of much intelligence, told
relative 10 Leesburg, during the recent pas
sage Of Lees army through L, that the rebe,
torce was $1,000 strong, though Lee expecteti
It would be Increased 80 or 10000 BY scces-
stons Of secesionists in Maryland"
This is getting back towards the domains Of
common eense.
The recent military movements of the enc
my are easily explainable. He had good luck,
probably unexpected luck, 10 driving General
Pope back, first to the Rsppshsnnock, and
next 10 the old battle 6sld Of Bull Run. Then
followed success in the battles there, crowned
with the retreat Of Gen. Pope upon Washing.
ton, which the enemy was too weak 10 follow
Tor the purpose even Of hsrrassment. What
was the enemy to do He was In desert.
without supplies, sud could not attack an srmy
10 Its entrenchments, which II had not dared 70
attack in the open Geld. 1t could not remain
where 1t was, and had only the alternative Of
retiring upon the line Of railway at Gordons.
vile, or Of striking for the Valley Of Virginia,
where the harvests had been good and where
an army could be subsisted. They determined
upon the latter course, and to strike for the
Valley OF Virginia through Maryland, on route
where there was nothing to obstruct them, and
which promised abundance Of plunder ss they
went. This is the idea which they conceived,
and which they have executed with admirable
success. While we have been befogged with
stories Of immense armies, parks Of artillery
such as Bonaparte, with all bis love for artil.
lsry, never conceived Of, terrible "impending
battle on the line Of the Monocacy," tie iuva-
sion Of Pennsylvania, and all that sort Of thing,
the enemy has consummatsd his plundsring de-
signs with his usual expedition, and has gone
on his way rejoicing. The bird has flown.
A letter in the Pbilsdelphis Press, which We
have noi the space to copy, gives detailed
account Of the enemy's success In bis real OBJ
ject, at and about Frederick. Thirty four
Touring mills were stripped. One farmer was
p!updered Of upwards Of twenty thousand dol.
lars In hores, cattle and grain. Like the
rains Of Heaven, which fall alike upon the just
and unjust, the rebels come down with judicial
impsrtiality upon Union men and secessioniste.
Beginning to pay with the few United States
notes, which they had robbed from our dead at
Bull Run, they ended with paying in Confed-
crate notes, Of which their stock is exhaustless.
They did not confscate private property. They
are too virtuous for that But they bought
everything they wanted, without much regard
to price, and paid for 1t In Southern money.
That lie all. The upshot Of tho whole matter,
is that We were driven into, and shut up in
this capital by a force not exceeding half our
own and, while so shut up, the enemy has
ravsged, at his leisure, part Of our own ter
ritory-having already exhausted his own
and has made good his escape, cot merely with.
out loss but with positive gain of men, oh.
tanning ten recruits where he has lost one de.
serter.
We blame nobody. 1t is difficult, indeed, To
say who Is to blame. What has happened may
have been the unavoidable consequence Of the
condition In which our army was left by the
last battle Of Bull Run. But it is In vain to
disguise the fact, that We have been terribly
victimized 10 this whole business.