Smyrna times., 1862-12-11


escaping the destruction intended for them,
and fell within the detenceS of Washington.
Upon this Gen. Halleck makes the follow
ing comment:
"Although this short and active cam
paign was, from causes already referred to,
less successful than we had reason to expect,
it had accomplished the great and impor-
tant object of covering the Capitol until
troops could be collected for its defence.
ITbd tie 4rmy Of tie P0t0mrc dIr4red q ic'c
dtysea3der tas rebel NU!y coVLl hare 6cea ett>iiy
dettrted and perhaps deytroyed."
1t is for Gen. Mcclellan to explain the
reasons Of his delay in obeying the order of
the 3D. of August. lie knew its object =
he knew the peril in which Pope would be
placed by movement of the rebels in force
against him and he must have known
the absolute necessity of a vigorous and
rapid transfer Of his troops in order to give
him the succour and support required. For
eteren days he made no attempt to obey the
command and it was then ten more before
he reached the point to which he had been
ordered. In the absence of explanation it
is not easy to reconcile this delay with his
duty to his superior officer or with fidelity
to the cause he prOtesSed to serve. What
ever may have been its motive, this delay
saved the rebel army of Jackson and Lee.
Gen. Mcclellan was next ordered into
Maryland to expel the army of Gen. Lee
which had crossed the Potomac and effect
ed Judgement there. He moved ON the
5th of September, fought the enemy on the
l4th with success, driving him behind An
tietam Creek, where he fought him again
on the 10th and l7th-defeatlng and driv-
ing him completely back to the Potomac,
and having hemmcd him in within very
narrow limits on that river, Gen. Helleck
remarks that son the 18th neither ,,trty re-
ne'ced tie dtttck ck"-though he gives 10 cx-
planatiOn whatever Of this neglect on Gen
McClellans part =" and in the night Of the
18th and 10Th, Gen. Lee withdrew his army
to the south side of the Potomac '-without
the slightest attempt at moleStation from
Gen. McClcllans victorious army which lav
within two miles Of the river. Nor did Gen
Mcclellan move at all from that position, in
| spite Of peremptOry orders, until the 25th
of October. The only remark of Gen Hal
leck upon this extraordinary conduct is, that
" the long inactivity of SO large an army in
the t;lre of a defeated foe, and during the
most favorable season for rapid movements
and vigorous campaign, was mdtcr ot
great disappointment and regret" On the 9TH
of November Gen. Mcclellan was relieved
from command OF the Army of the Potomac
and Gen. Burnside appointed in his place
Gen. IIalleck, in the remainder Of his re-
/ a..
! itary operations i'll the other Departments
which it is not necessary to repeat lie
closes his report with some brief but imp0r-
tant remarks upon the failure of our armie.
to reap the fruits of the victories they hav,
achieved, and upon the causes of this fata
defect
Marshal NIarmont, says the y. Y. Tins
in his treatise OH the principles Of Military
Science, says that 4" Generals who gain bat
ties are less rare than those who know how
to profit by victory. An ordinary General,
he adds, sis only struck by the losses he
has experienced, and hardly has suspicion
of those of the enemy Aeno, a1se tittn IN
decision and ti0G'tg, uastoud Of cogfienc:, ,clicj
s1erything ,rouLd a,aitoriec.', This, we suspect
explains the failure of which Gen. IIallecl
speaks, much more accurately than the rea
sons which he assigns. We lack General
who " h"0D ho~ to profit by victory" "Na
poleor," adds MarmOnt, :: was the first il
an epoch who has drawn from victory al
the consequences of which it is susceptible
4 ffer gaining a blttLe he marched u4th ruyltli'
IN pursuit Of h.e enemy, in order to obtain cas-
/ successes, and to rob him of the little con
, fidence which remained. With such sv.
tenn new battle was rarely necessary t
attain an important end" 1t is very evl
dent that cur Commanding Generals hav
: not hitherto been of this stamp-though
5 is but fair to add that in this particular tn
J rebels have been equally deficient with our
cnlvnc