The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1862-09-19
The Evacuation of washington or
Great Battle in Maryland q Mil
itarv Necessity.

The Evacuation of washington or
Great Battle in Maryland Mil
itary Necessity.
1t is reported that Buell's army, re-
duced to about $4,000 men, having evac.
uated Nashville, is retreating upon Bow.
ling Green Kentucky, discouraged, dis
comfitted and demoralised, and pursued
closely by Bragg with much larger ar
my, daily augmenting in numbers, and
in high hopes and confident of victory
Gen. Smith, with an army Of % 1000 men,
flushed with the recent victory at Rich
mond, and soon to be reinforced by the
armies of Stevenson and Marshall, will
soon be on the banks Of the Ohio and
probably in possession Of Cincinnati,
where all the materials for prosecuting an
| invasive war will be most ample. Gen.
Price, too, with large and effective or
my, is vending his way towards the same
destination. The prospect then Is that
there will be speedy union of the ar
mics at Louisville and Cincinnati, pre-
pared to assume the offensive and to car
ry the war into the heart of the ehemy's
country. Now how is the matter in that
portion Of Virginia bordering upon Ohio,
,, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Gems. Lor
! ing and Floyd are upon the march to thu
J. Kanawha and Gen. jenkins and Col
y Imboden, with armies largely augmented
q by the returning loyalty Of the North
/ west, are pushing the war leven beyorl'
n the banks of the Ohio, while Gen. LES
s. with his victorious army has crossed tht
" Potomac. and at once menaces Harris
burg, Baltimore and Philadelphia, anc
g with the prospect of speedily cutting Of
,. all communication with Washington ex
cept by the Potomac. How then is tn,
v North to meet this formidable demon
K stration of the disciplined and eon1bineo
y legion of the Ohio and the Potomac
: which with the armies of Northwestern
4 Virginia, will be soon banded together
] by continuous and unbroken line O
= communication. IfBuelPs army should b,
!, defeated and dispersed, as is highly prob
f able, then there would be TO organized
4 army Of the North to repel this invasion
t of Ohio and Pennsylvania, except the
army of Mcclellan, cooped up within the
defences Of Washington and cut off from
all direct communication With these
States. What then is the alternative now
forced upon Mcclellan as a military ne.
eessity, if the States of Ohio AMI Pennsyl
vania are to be defended? He mus
r either evacuate Washington and give W
the whole of Maryland, or he must leay,
g Washington at once with his army ant
n confront Lee and fight the geat battl
1t for the Capital and for Maryland uppl
n Maryland soil. The stake would seer
too mighty to be surrendered without
ID fierce and bloody struggle. Fence W
conclude that a great battle is imminer
b. in Maryland, which may decide her fat
10 and that OF Washington and resulsin til
a. cessation of hostilities between the Mort
n and South. If correct in these view
Of then every absent officer and soldier VIII
desires to be in battle involving sue
:. mighty issues should at once repair
Ia his post. Nothing but ABSOLUTELY sieIne,
will excuse those who belong to the ssGi
re for being absent from the field in such
y, crisis as this 1t will not do for them
If talk about the want of transportation
st when their gallant comrades, now
MARYLAND marched there on foot.-Lync
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