New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-11-20

Rnt Col. Miles could never be got to believe IN the
crave objects of that Rebel raid into Maryland. Ii
was "a mere foraging party, he maintained:
And vet SAL, Poor Col. Miles The Military
Commission hae recommended Gen. Wool to ceneure
for placing him in command at Harper's Ferry. Let
us turn TO the record, and see what Col. Miles had
been, before we accept that recommendation.
He had served in the Regular Army, with ability
and gallantry, in the Black-Hawk war, in Florida;
in numerous Indian campaigns on the frontier, ana
in Mexico-always with credit, always with probes
sional esprit and he had become identified with one
Of the most effective regiments in the seryice-the
9th Infantry. He wont 10 claim win pf1de
that he had been IN more engagements ana skiiln-
shes than any other officer of his date In the service
lie was q strict disciplinarian and brave nan-ii
every sense of the word veteran. No man mas, as
yet mpeached his courage; none who knew MN
can doubt his loyalty. Was this, then, the "lncapa-
bic, :" for placing whom in an important command,
Gen. Wool is TO be censuIed? Do the Commission
forget that we have tried expensive experiments
with few volunteer brigadiers
But whence, then, the shocking hasco al Harpers
Ferryl III tell You. This war bad ruined Col.
Niles-broken his spirit stripped him OF ms PRIDE,
Of his enulation left him without heart or
hope. a veteran Colonel in tho regular army, win
| n military reputation at his back he was y de-
graded $50 he deemed it TO q coonelcy OF volun'
teers compeed to retain that rank, although of late
| intrusted with the command of an important post
and of troops enough TO make three Bfigadier-Gen.
erals and condemned to serve under hrst tins ano
| then tibet General with nothing at his back bui o
few hundr votes and the reputation OF SUCCESSFUL
tailor. Ills career was a sort Of soldiers jordan
indeed 90 hard road 10 travel and he crossed It,
! like the horse in the fable with bag OF sand Oh
/ his back which every moment grew heavier ana
heavier with the memory Of the Bill Run Disgrace,
and all the faint aud taunts that followed it.
: Do Won know that when Gen. Banks retreaied
from Winchester into Maryland, on Sunday morn
ing Nav %, and the Rebels took formidable posi-
lion on the Goth over against Harper's Ferry, ana
threatened it for four days, and Col Miles who had
been in command there, was superseded by q BIlga-
dier-G General q council OF war was held to deOate
the exrediency of surrendering and Miles was the
only member Of that council VINO stood staunch Tor
defense M all hazards Such IL the testimony OF
well-informed, yeTaclous officers.
All these considerations had conspred in the latter
DAVIS Of Miles's life, 10 plunge him into profound
melancholy, poisoned by an extreme morosenesF,
which he but unhappy disguised, and which wss
all the more fatal in IT. tendencies from the iact tha
I he was a confirmed SpTituslist Since the Bull Kan
affair be ID d had 10 heart for any cbanee no klnoiy
estations from the President the War Depart
l. e1t suffced to reassure him; he despeired Let US
then, give his memory the benefit of that graceful
reluctance with which the Military Commission ell
tered uoon the uyestg alton OF bis conduct: lie cam
not appear before any earthly tribunal to nsWer
The charges which so gravely affect MS characters ne
bas met bis death at the hands Of The enemy ms
fame is entitled TO The tenderest care. Poor Col.
Miles!
One word more: Col Miles has been condemned
with peculiar bitterness for the evacuation OF Mary
land Hghis ne if by that bunder or BETRAYAL, as II
is almost indiiiercuily termed, Harpers Ferry was
lost But it Is notorious that the part played by
MARYLAND lights in the capture OF the post was an
insiGuiGcant one. The Rebels had, AT no time, any
metal there OF sufficient weight TO operate effectively
against Miles's position on Bolivar hishts' IL Is
doubtful whether, from first to last, single shot or
shell from Maryland Nights helped to decide the for
tunes Of tie post IL II not reasonable then to pre-
sumo that an officer so experienced az the conmanceF
OF HarpeTs Ferry n constant communication, a. lie
v.q. with Col, Ford while that officers small COM
mand were engaged with the enemy on the ridge
would know this Had he not sent 70 Ford every
man lie could spare from garrison for winch be AGd
IN vain besought Ietnforccneuisl Had be not reason
10 apprehend that Ford would be presently over
powered and bis heavy sege-guns iail INT, NE
hands of the enemy, whereby the entire plateau 81
\ Bolivar flights would be at their mercy Can we
be sure that when lie abandoned 20 The enemy q
/ comparatively useless position, saved his heavy
guns. and Reinforced himself, that be did unwiseiy
! The Qnns were spiked and thrown down the slope,
and the flights evacuated, by Ford, early on SatuI-
/ day afternoon. Yet Oh Sunday we find MAJOR WOOD,
with four companies Of Col. ID Utassy's regiment,
ascending the Hights, and, without oppoAion, re.
covering four braas l2pOuuders and "a wagOn-loGd
Of ammunition. SO weak wes the attacking party
that they had not yet discovered Their advan-
tage 'and must have been afraid 20 reconnoltre.
Remember that, all this tine, a. i. Hill, who might
have strengthened their hands, wee held In check
by Franklin.
I But enough Of this Let US survey the mountain
top once more, and then descend.
/ Here near The old Lreastworl new and sub
stanta one Of stone and earth, 10 being constructed
by party Of soldiers, directed by Captain.
Another is shortly TO be raised, in front of tue Sig
nal Station-block houses also on tie L0Ih-easieIn
! ridge.
I Do YOU see flat narrow opening-a fat man could
not pass it-in the old hreastwOrk In the fight OF
Saturday morning Col. GraiLin posted man there,
and be was Immediately shot down; another ana
another, and yet another, shared their eom!ade
! fate. Iiout..C DOwney Of the 81 Maryland
passes the fatal gap, and is badly wounded; Col.
Graf.lin crosses 1t, az quick sep, TO draw tie
sharrsLooter's fire and mark his hiding-placc, and
his bress. IL grazed Then Capt. Fallon Of the 81
MARYLAND crawls into the thickct, and from behind
log brings down the fellow with Nes4on ritie.
/ IL as a negro.
Here among the felled timber are clusters Of
Rebel graves-their own dead, buried while they
held the Hight. There arc thIriy-two in all: Z.
II. Rogers. Co. T. 1h South Caroina"-J. W. H.,
Co. c, 7th s. C.--H. N. QuaInes, Co. X, 'th S. c.
A. p. Butler perhaps Il relative OF the dsiin.
guished SENATOR 81 5. CT" and next 70 Batter
what is this " A Union soldier, name unknown.
May he rest in peace, ard the Lord have mercy on
lis soul" On the head OF this grave is--whGt,
think you Ia fragment Of clothing, and an entire
fcalp
Bat II is tine TO 20. As we descend Loudon
Nights, which from this point Of observation appear
but as a continuation Of Maryland Hights, there is
DO sign Of the river that blawls between. Far
away, In the direction Of Smokers Gap, great
cloud Of white smoke the white internal powder
cloud" Perhaps Tolls slowly away to the north
west. Nearer 10 us, South Mountain is ali Oh Ire,
and mighty volume oil smoke, like huge Summer
cumulus, delays and balances itself over Pleasant
Valley.
| Fac,hs Descspsrs freyHi Then Harper'g Ferry
soundly as il has been damned by both tides, is
lades yet, for this descent il uneasy as il the
order OF solemn things were upturned aud Heaven
were - the bottom Of t-a preciptOus briile-path,