The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-04-23

Rmturunh 8ispattb.
@wEnNEsDAY nORn = APRIL - mss
iatetisr Linz. ..
The importance Of Interior linee 10 forcse
supssaor on the whole In point Of numbers
~ ben frequently dsmonstrassd In practice,
md nsvsr until few ysazs ago disputed In
theory. he preservation Of .thsss linss hes
s led - come Of the moss memorable sohisvs-
nsaAs recorded In the history Of war. 1t W.
By means Of IN interior linz hat the Consul
Nero was enabled 70 cut OF Asdr1bal upon
he MstAnrus With the forces he was lsad.
hna 70 The suceor Of his brother Hannibal. asa
thus rsndse I'll the victories Of that grsAi
eoamandsr npllity. It Wa BY means Of
tnAsraor nnss tAAa he great Frederic was sna
Md 70 rssass he combined power Of Aus-
TIA, 1assia, and France, defeating their
aznSss one Alter the other, and never allow.
mg then 70 unite. These three powers IN
vaAsd his dominions from three quarters Of
The eompass-she Bast, the North, and tho
Ssash. With vastly inferior force on the
whole, being placed In the centre, his marches
were shorter, and he could prevent their unit
t,g. He sssAsked each Of them In detail, and
w thus enabled on every hsld to present .
force not greatly inferior. Had be waited
for them y unite, they would sady have
overwhelmed him.
4 magnificent development Of the uss TO
which internal nnss can b put, occurred In
Bonaparts's IRA campaign, In Italy, In l7se.
He Wa engaged In the siege Of Mantua, which
Wa held BY $4,000 men. He had but
$4,000, ali told, 70 maintain the sisgs, and
drive on the forces that might attempt TO ~.
Nsvs It. He placed q certain number Of
men around the city to keep up the degs. He
distributed the others q convenient points, %
taaa they could keep the enemy In check long
sosagh for him 70 reinforce them- He placed
ons body behind tho Adigs At Segnano, whore
to strait road crossed to Aantua- He plAcsd an
other higher MP, u Verona, whore he had his
hsadquartsra A third was stationed still higher
up on the came river, at RivoH, whore the
mountain comes sheer down upon the stream,
and the lake on the other side washes it foot.
he stationed . fourth at Breeeia. at the point
Of the lake, where the road branching out
from the Rivoh road eomes around the water
IL soon 40 the enemy appr reached any Of these
outposts b wss spprised Of H. and having
Arsa discovered which was the r.Al point 81
asA1sk and which the false. be concentrated
hA whole force and attacked the enemy, who
was obliged, from the nxtnrs Of The country, 70
divide his own In this way hs rspellsd four
separate attscks made in i've months, and
uasrly destroyed the armies that made them
In 1914, In Champagne. hs repeated thu
ssries OF mApouvrss and By means Of an In.
t>r3os line WIS enabled with 1000 men 70
Keep at bay, and often defeat, armies number
Ing 600 600. In the opinion Of the Dnks Of
Wellington, he would have destroyed the
whole Of them, lad be not male the march TO
the snemy's rear, and thus enabled him 70
march 10 Paris without opposition. 1t must b
rseolectsd that be depended on hsrmont TO
dstsnd Paris, while b attacked the Allies In
khs rear, and thai that traitor gave up the
xity ss soon q the enemy made bis appear.
anee.
The Duke of Wsliington's defence Of Por-
tassl depended on the same principle Ills
H.ss Of operation were Interior, His army
va distributed 10 such a manner that II could
sl be rallied on any one point in sixty hours.
The French, on lie contrary, were distrba-
led over country four hundred miles square,
and their line of operation was exterior, and
therefore presented insuperable difficulties,
when combined operations were desirable
FOR that reason, although they were grsstiy
superior 70 Wellington in numbers, they never
could rally force greater than his upon ono
Geld Of baItlA Th< advantage Of numbers
wss nsuuaIizsA by the Disadvantages Of pod.
dcn.
The Polish General. Skrsuseki, gained ali
bis Victories In the Polish Revo, ution Of l23l
BY means Of interior nnes- II 10 highly prob
sh'e that, had be pushed his advantages az he
should have done, he would have annihilatad
ths whole Russian army; bot in an evil hou,
be hssitatsd, and was lost. His excuse was,
that the attempt was hazardous, and that Pc
land had only that army. He should have re-
dectsd that every days delay strengthened tha
Rnssians, and that by hesitsting he was ron.
dsring bis own destruction certain, whereas
hsfors II was only probable.
Ths interior hne, 1t thus appears, 10 the best
way to combat superior numbers, advancing
from different points, BY enabling the whole
foras Of the weaker party, or 1t least the
larger portion Of II, to concentrate against the
toross Of the enemy willie still divided, and
preventing their ever coming together. But
one thing II absolutely necessary, and that 10
constant activity, guided BY uneeasing vigi.
anAA- i viii not do to slumbsI q moment In
such position. When the army has been
soIeestratsd upon point, It must attack it,
oshsxwiss 1t leaves Its rear exposed 10 the en-.
tsrprises OF the enemy. An interior line IL
obviously Of no value, unless the forces which
BY its means attack one point osn Le brought
baSk rapidly to attack another. II the enemy
be allowed TO get possession Of 1t, he can fol.
low the army that has left It, and thus place
y between two 6rss- The army that would
strike right and left, must be necessarily on
the alert Ito blows must bsssudden and pow
srfuL II most never 70 20 faz that 1t cannot
draw buck.
viewers In hopes, when our troops fs.l
bosk. that they Intended TO eoncsntrais q the
tsrmini Of the railroads and water carriage,
With the intention Of changing the system Of
1t,ehine, whien Is sesms TO "a has thus far.
-hssu productive Of great dissstse II may b
th.s such 10 the intention nov. Bot ws
greatly fear the spsds I, saems 10 have IN
accountable attractions for our 0ensrAs Il
Il the Cleopairs If ws may parody Old akn