The New York herald., 1862-12-04

ton, II inhumanity In the conduct of . war for
the suppression Of q rebellion is to furnish
ground for the Interference of one nation in the
affairs of another. Both England and France,
however, will allow the Chinese to continue to
cut each other'Sthroats without troubling them
selves about the matter. Their fine strung sem
sibilities have no present motive for exercise in
that quarter.
The Report or the Secretary or War.
The report of the Secretary of War states that
at the time of date the Union army in the field
in ten different departments numbered over
100000 mon, and that when the quotas are filed
up the force will amount to million OF men,
and the estimates for next year will be based
upon that number. As the estimated cost OF
the army is about thousand dollars per man
in the year, the bill will therefore foot up
thousand millions for the next year, in addition
to the same sum for the period Of the war
already elapsed. This is a formidable debt to
incur if we should be no nearer the attainment
of the object Of the war at the end of the next
year than at the end OF the present If success
should crown the struggle, and the Union is
restored as it was, under the constitution as il
is, the nation will not grudge the expenditure
in the future, as 1t has done in the past, then
woe to those who have had the conduct of
it, with boundlcss means at their COM
mand The issues by the Ordnance Depart
ment include 1926 field and siege
pieces and 1906 fort6cation cannon,
1894 gun carriages, caissons, mortar beds, ira
yelling iorges and battery wagons; 1,276,6S6
small arms. 9S7 ,Z9l sets Of equipments and ac-,
coutrements, and 213,99l ,l27 rounds of ammu-
nition for artillery and small arms. By Mr.
Stanton's own confession .''a force has been
placed by the people of the United States at
the command Of the government to maintain
its authority more mighty in all the elements Of
warl!ke power than was ever before arrayed
under tie banner" Let us see what the Secre-
tary Of War has accomplished with it,
The Secretary gives q historical sketch of the
various military operations in the South includ-
ing the battle at Pea Ridge, in Arkansas, where
the Union troops under Curtis and Sjgel won
glorious victory. Secretary Stanton omits the
name of Sigel. He is equally unjust to Buell.;
for, while he takes credit for the fact that
Bragg's army was driven out of Kentucky, he
forgets to say it was Buell. who drove him,
while, on the other hand, he censures him for
allowing the rebel army to escape. In the same
way, while he magniies the unimportant SER
vices of others, he omits mention Of the name
Of Mcclellan and his two great battles Of South
Mountain and Antietam in connection with that
part Of his report which speaks of "the invading
army which recently threatened the capital and
the borders of Maryland and Pennsylvania has
been driven back beyond the Rappahannock."
Who won the battles which drove them back and
who forced them beyond the Rappahannock.
General Mcclellan. And why should not the fact
be placed on record, when the Secretary found
it necessary to give credit to General Wool
for the capture Of Norfolk? Strictly speak
ing, Norfolk was not captured at all.
After being evacuated by the enemy, it was
occupied by the Union troops without capture.
Not that General Wool would not have fought
like hero. as he did in Mexico, if he had had
chance given him for battle. 1t il exceeding
ly small on the part of Secretary Stanton to
ignore the brilliant services Of the man who,
when called 10 the command of q routed army,
and when the military authorities at Washington
and the Cabinet despaired of saving Washington
from destruction, rescued the capital from its
peril and drove the enemy into Virginia by the
greatest battle of the Var, which Mr. Stanton
does not think proper to mention at all, while
the most Insignificant little battles fought
elsewhere are carefully noticed and the
names Of the generals duly chronicled. Nor is
any credit given to General Mcclellan for his
original organization of the Army of the Poto-
mac out of military mob.
Again, the Secretary-is very obliyious of the
causes which placed the capital and Maryland
and Pennsylvania in jeopardy. Prince de join
vile traces those causes directly TO Washington,
and General Halleck clears his own skirts. He
says he found the army divided on his arrival at
Washington, with the enemy between its two
divisions. He does not state by whom; but, as
lawyer Stanton conducted the campaign before
General Halleck's arrival we all know who
was responsible for the division and the disas-
trous events which sprang from it. Why did
not Mr.. Stanton clear his skirts II he could,
"nu 10y VIC v"ino "hcro ~ oelongeu, ii
it did not belong exclusively to himself /?
And why does he not explain his failure
to supply General Burnside with the necessary
means for crossing the Rappslannock at Frede-
ricksburg? He ignores the rout of the army
Of Banks through the valley OF the Shenandoah.
and the whipping of Fremont by Jackson. who,
with small force, kept $4,000 men at bay
around Washington, all through the misman-
Agemcnt Of the War Department. Pope's ter
rible fight, which resulted from the same cause.
IS also passed over in report making nearly
six columns in the Secretary's organ. The Sec
rotary can give no good explanation Of the in
urious delay in the payment Of the troops
which has tended to disorganize the army the
amilies of officers and men being starving at