Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-09-06
COSTLY EXPERIENCES.

COSTLY EXPERIENCE.
II our armies in the field had only
been as numerous as the army OF
fault.Gnders who stay at home, safe be-
yond the reach Of rebel battles, this re-
bellion would have been crushed year
ago, and every traitor to his country
would have been inundated upon the
altar Of constitutional liberty. This
class Of .the.rcar warriors are
learninga most fearful lesson to-day, and
We hope they may profit by it. Their
immense facilities for information has
led the cause almost into jeopardy
With the New York Tribune at their
head, they have all along been telling
the country that tho rebels mustered
only despicable force at Manassas,snd
subsequently at Yorktown and Rich
mond. Thoy had the 'most positive in'
formation" that SO weak were the rel
ell forces at Riehmond, that at any tine
during the fast sumner, General McCl,l-
Ian might have swept down upon Them
aud taken the rebel capital, and over
whclmeJ the entire horde with his army
of $4,000 or 10000 men All over
the country these iault-hnders have
abused the noble general bee anse he did
not DO that which would certainly have
involved him and his army in complete
ruin. While our forces before Rich
mond have numbered less than one
hundred thousand, the rebels have hac
an army there varying from $50, 900 t.
100000 men. Now these valiant fault
finders can begin to see why it was thst
General Mcclellan wanted more men
when he went away to the peninsula ;
why he begged for rcinforcements when
he arrayed his men before the city VIII,
he was compelled to shift his position ;
and finally, why he was compelled to
abandon his ground entirely and bring
his forces back to cooperate with Gen
Pope. They can see-they are now
learning why Richmond was not taken,
ami why the back zone OF the rebellion
is yet unbroken. Our forces have no,
been in condition to attack Richmond
within the past sixteen months, and nov
our grand army is attacked by sally
from that same place, and has been
forced back by superior strategy and
superior numbers within stones thro
of Washington.
The mistake in the conduct of this
war has not been the refusal of the
President to emancipate negroes, as ab.
olitionists claim, but IN understanding
the strength and resources Of the enc
my. We have deemed them pusillani
nous, cowardly and enervated. We
have, in our great pride, calculated tina,
any ordinary general with hundred
Thousand men, could traverse the "sun-
nv south" at leisure, and reduce an,
place with the greatest facility. Fault
finders and fanatics have assumed tc
demonstrate this CONTINUALLY. How
fatal the error. It's costing the country
its best blood, audit persisted in viii
cost her, her Constitution. Let fault
finding cease, and energetic and patri-
otto action take its place. The south
isl giant and nothing Ness. If ",
would conquer, we must ma Ike our cal
culations accordingly. The rebel army
can yet be increased by quarter Of /,
million of men in addition to its pres
ent strength. Let the emergency be
met, else our efforts end in ruin
CHARAcrEs1srrc. 7{T(c New Yorl
Tribune, through pteteA fed Washing
ton correspondan+ kont2,,os ~ .h;.