The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-09-01
Fom the New York Times
The Movement Upon Richmond.

There il one feature of the current advces
from Washington which strikes the country un
pleasantly we mean the reiterated assurances
that our country Is sate,-that our position is
strong, and that W ashlngton Is out of dan5er.
This is all very we'll as preliminary ~ some
thing else. But the pubic is not free from
suspicion that il means more than that. 1t
sounds too mach Ike tue old story. Ii has been
the burden Ut our buas.s tor the past year and
half. Our army has been safe too long. The
people expect 1t now TO incur some danger,-to
Jake risks,-ln the hope OF achieving some POSI-
i've success.
The universal expectation of the country is
that our army ,cW adrance upon Richntonu IN
tuH f0rce, amt pthVM the needless de/0y Of an
hour. AS u matter OF course, they will walt
long enough Ior tue separate commdnus To COM
plete their junction, ana Tor the material Of
war to be brought Up. But they will wait no
longer They want no renewal OF last years
performance IN trout OF Washington The hints
that Mcclellan is to occupy his old quarters in
The neghbolhood of Alexandria, -lnaU EARTH
works are To be thrown up along the line of the
Rappahannock, and that not the slightest I'M
easness is now ielc in official quarters for the
safety OF Washington. sound like omlnous pre-
monltlUns OF new delays and Of hopes still fur
ther 10 be deferred. They bring a unpleasant
"reminiscences OF a long Winter IN front of Man
assas,-of long weeks spent in approaching
Yorktown, of the protracted ana disastrous
occupation of the swamps OF the Chlckahomlny,
OF wasted chances and opportunities thrown
away, through an exaggerated estimate Of the
rebel strength, and culpabe distrust OF our own.
1t is always easy to be wise alter the event.
We can see now halt-a- dozen occasions which,
if seized with prompt and dashng courage,
would have given US GROWING and decisive
victory. Time is wasted in deporiQg the weak
ness that allowed them to slip. But we should
only repeat outtolIy if We were to neglect the
practical lessons which they inculcate.
Everybody Knows now that if Mcdowell had
| fought the battle OF Bull Run one day sooner
than he did, hs would have wont it. Everyday
knows that if Mcclellan had pushed upon
Yorktown us soDn as he reached the Peninsula,
! he would have AIKEN it-that if he had followed
the retels with his whole force after Williams
burgh, he cou( have routed them that he
could have takei Richmond after Fair Oaks. and
that he could hive routed the enemy at Gaines
Mill, II he had thrown bis fresh troops upon
them, instead of withdrawing to tho James
River. 1t my be OF no use now to ccnsure
these repeated failures. But it is of use to take
notice that thy ARE all due to one detcct-lack
OF courage ami sef-confdence, lack of reliance
upon our owr troops and an undue estimate of
the prowess ald strength of the enemy. And
1t IL important that we should not continue to
commit this Mistake. 1t has cost Us enough
already. But for this lack of pluck which in
nine times or of ten is the highest prudence,
the war woull have been ended long ago. 1t
has COST us ahundred thousand lives, five hun
bred million i0llars, the respect and confidence
:, OF Europe, at worst OF all, the prospective aid
} OF powerful Union party, temporarily over
! borne, IN the Southern States. If we could have
, crushed the rbel army year ago, we should
have had by his time the popular vote Of half
the rebel Stals Tor return to the Union. When
g we shall havcit now-who can tell /!
We must lot make these mistakes hereafter.
:, We must discard the hes,tating, distlusgul
timidity outof which they have sprung We
have an arm in the field worthy OF our conf
t dence, and We must put confidence in it. We
must not shank from hurlng it upon the enemy
lest 1t shout be detc,le d-such an apprehension
goes far to'ard securing Its own fulfillment.
The rebels owe all the successes they have
e achieved totheir audacity. They have never
s heSitated tt attack,-dnd they have done it il,
every case II they expected to win and this
= very confence, by giving them increased
strength, aid by half paralyizing US, has gone
far iowa rdssecuring them the victory. We