Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1862-12-05
what Hsvew we Gained by tRue ne
mOval Of General Mcclellan
An Abolition View Of Ht.
tFrom the Indianapolis Journal, the Organ Of Gov
ernor Morton.l


(Fro,n the Indianapolis Journal, the Organ Of Gov.
ernOr Morton.l
The Situation Of tie Rappahannock
We hardly know what to believe Of the sic
uation OF affairs on the Reppahannock bat
what have we most reason 70 believe does Got
we confess offer us very pleasant prospect
The rebels seem TO be massink al their avail
able force around Fredericksburg to resist our
advance on Richmond from that direction, and
il is quite likely that they have succeeded in
4 perfecting Notifications and collecting force
sufficient TO defeat any attempt Of our army
TO cross the Rappahannoek at that point A
river that has TO be forded, and isyet frequent
7 ly too deep TO be forded, does not afford any
very great facilities for military movements
even when nndefended, and when its banks
are lined with redoubts, heavy guns, and Gov
cred with well armed troops, il is decidedly an
unpleasant obstacle. Against such an obsta'
BILE our army appears to have run its head
and halted, either stunned or puzzled "A
reconnaissance from which important results
are expected" is promised, but these 'impor
tant recon distances" have too rarely led 70
any thing but the disgust Of the troops con
cerned in them, to give the public any very
lively hope Of seeing anything else come of
this one. For the time the rebels have head
ed us, and our Generals seem TO see no way
out of the difficulty.
The change of base to Fredericksburg, like
McClellans change Of base to James river,
was heralded before it was accomplished us a
bit OF STRATEGY" that would disconcert the
rebel arrangements completely and take US on
tc Richmond speedily II has, so tar aa we
can now see, ended just as the other did, 10
getting us into q position where we cant ad.
vance without danger, nor retreat without dis
grace II the rebels had complaisantly done
nothing while we we're changing our base,
and had let US cross the Rappahanuock and
occupy Fredericksburg without hindranee, we
have little doubt that we should now be in
good deal better position to advance on Rich
mond than we we're on the Potomac. But the
rebels, most contumaciously and unexpected
| ly, It seems, would not lie still along the west
ern base of the Blue Ridge, and among its
gaps, while We were getting between them and
their capital. They started as soon as we,
and, though they had longer road TO travel,
4 they heat us TO the point both were aiming at
In plain Englsh, they have outgeneraled us,
II We wish we could see some deep advantage
A under the apparent defeat our plan some rea-
son to hope that this blocking up of the Rap
pahannock and massing OF the rebel forces
was expected and prepared for, that our get
ting into that exceedingly close corner was
only ient TO detRin the rebels idle there
4 while we assailed them somewhere else, but
we can't We have seen no such profundity
of plann ming in our Generals yet as would
make the failure Of such n vast movement as
the march 10 Fredericksburg one Of the ar
rangemsnts for final success Besides, the
rumors that the army is to go into winter
quarters which are beginning to fly thickly
around the well informed circles of Washing
ton, show that no success can be seen under
this failure by those whose connection with
the Government wonld give them at least the
hope, if not the knowledge, that the failure is
only leinL This may be discouraging
view of the case, but we can see no good in
concealing it. Burnside has hardly had a
fair chance yet, but he seems TO have done
very little with what he has had, except TO de-
prive himself of all prospect Of doing any
thing more If it be true, as reported this
morning, that StonewAll jackson is to remain
in Northeru Virginia, to employ our forces
along the Potomac, aud revive every month or
so those alarms for the safety of Washington
which have done the country more harm than
the destruction of Washington could do, we
don't see but that we shall be held all this
winter in very much the same situation along
the Potomac that we we're last winter. We
don't feel happy in the prospect, We admit