Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-12-04
Prospect. of the Winter Oampaign.

The grand opening day Of the winter cam
paign draws nigh, and lookers-on Al home cor
slider, with daily growing interest, the prS-
poets of success during tho next ono hundred
aud twenty days, IL may DO useful 10 COM
pare this winters preparations with those
which accomplished last winters work.
A year ago we had not yet won great bat
tie on land; the navy had fought at Hatteras
aud at Port Royal, but the great operations of
| the war on land were rs yet scarcely begun
Our generals We're untried and inexperienced;
they were chosen for supposed and not for
proved merits; and from the then General-in-
| Chief down, there was not man IN active
command, except Gen. Sigel, who had even
led as many as 10000 men against an enemy,
| or planned aud carried out a campaign. so
too, our soldiers were untried; they had met
the enemy and beaten him in some minor ell
gagements in Western Virginia; the western
men had fought well at Wilson's Creek, but
the defeat and panic at Bull Run cast tae
| gloom Of doubt over all our armies.
These were the circumstances under which
the campaign opened, We had not only TO
beat the enemy, but our generals and soldiers
had to learn the business of war. The winter
| campaign was most brilliant. Roanoke, New
| oern, Pea Ridge, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, New
| Orleans, the brilliant successes of Mitchell, the
bloody fields of Willamsburgh and Fair
Oaks, New Madrid and Island Ten, Cross
| Keys, and other actions not only showed the
bravery of our soldiers, but made veterans of
| them. AS for their commanders, the long and
brilliant campaign enabled the Government
| for the first time to know who were the most
capable, the most energetic, the most trust
worthy among them, to lead our armies in the
next campaign.
We began last winter with new troops and
with unexperienced generals. We begin this
winter with veteran soldiers, and commanders
who have won their places by the only true
| trial, the trial by battle. Among so many
generals, all Impractical and strange to the
| field, 1t was to be expected that some would
prove to be lacking in Inequalities which COM
mand success in the field; it was the duty OF
the Government wisely to weed these on .,
and put at the head, as fast as they proved
| themselves, the most Jealous, the mtst Ca
pable, the most enterprising, the most success
| full.
| This duty the Government has so far fulfill
ed, that we see the new campaign opening,
with men as leaders of our armies who have
developed those qualities which promise to
achieve success. Burnside, Hooker, Sigel,
Banks, Rosecrans, Grant, Sherman, McCler-
nand Foster Hunter, these are the men to
whom, this winter, we look to lead our armies
to victory. They have all IN the past year
Of war gained the admiration of the people for
energy and success. They have all shown
daring and enterprise as well as technical
skill; they have all gained, in actual war the
reputation of Jealous and courageous leaders;
each has won his present position by success
full operations against the enemy; each enters
upon the new campaign with the experience OF
a year of battles, and with the help of armies
who have learned in dozen fields that the
| bayonet is the best weapon to use against the
enemy. More than this, the delays, the eau
| ton, which have, during the past summer, lost
us so many advantages, robbed us Of so many
of the fruits of last winters victories, will act
as lesson to those now in command; will
teach them that in war caution is a bad mas
ter; and that vigorously to follow up a
success is the only Way to turn il into viz
| tory.
But if the prospect on land looks well, on
the water it is equally promising. Last win
ter we were forced to risk our wooden ships
against the enemy's forts, and our gallant tars
covered themselves with glory in the attacks
on Hilton Head and New Orleans. But they
and we ran a frightful risk; in less daring and
sKillful hands, the best part of our feet might
have been lost; and while the splendid sue
cesses of Dupont and Farragut show that it is
always safe to hazard much if you have brave
men, and that, to use the words of Secretary
Welles to Admiral Farragut, Kit is the first
duty of commander in war to take great
RISKS for the accomplishment of great ends"
we may rejoice that the present campaign is to
be carried on, on water, with means far great
er and far better fitted for the ends sought to
be accomplished.
A fleet of shot-proof Monitors, with the
heaviest of ordnance will be this winter at the
command of those gallant and enterprising
men who last winter accomplished so much
with such small means; and there is reason to
hope that the navy, with the experience of a
year of war will gain new glory to itself and
new victories for the country.
We enter upon the winter campaign, then,
with veteran troops, used to see not only the
enemy's faces but their backs; with means
ana appliances OF war perfected through a
years experience, and with men at the head
Of our armies and fleets, whose names stand
foremost in the history of the last year, for
skill, daring, zeal and success. Slowly, one
after another, the ncapabes and the luke
warm have dropped out, and in their places
are new men, courageous and successful. We
take hope from this general survey of the field;
and are confident that if the campaign is
| rightly planned, if our armies are so disposed
as to concentrate instead of scattering them, if
they are so ordered as to pierce instead of at
tempting to surround the States held by the in
surgents, our forces now in the field will prove
irresistible, and will achieve such victories as
| must quickly crush and annihilate the Rebel
organization.-N Y. Post.
Gen. Mcclellan has the reputation of
being worthy and honest man. He deserves