Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-10-28
Gbt gtan0ar6,
T1E CAMpAIGN IN THE WEST.

in the West has proved failure Luz ro
- asno,od Jronobt which prevailed foS many months
n that quarter left the enemy high and dry IN tue
interior. deprived of his gunboats, remote from nis
base of supplies, and liable to destruction Ut any
moment from a vigilant and active adversary: i9
Southern people saw this condition OF th',lgs WIZ. WIN
perfect clearness, and expectation was ON upsoe all
the summer for brilliant and successl9i campaign
of our armies. The season has passed, winter Is
Coming on. and the enemy, without losing any
rround is already acting on the aggressive, driving
our armies before him.
That this disappointment of Southern exPecta'
tons is due to the want Of generalship in the west
ia perfectly clear and is the universal conVlceoh'
The public were disposed TO be charitable 10 uen'
erals Bragg and Van Dorm. No criticism was Ut
tered upon their movements, no complaint was tnaue
at their want of decisive energy, ana the most GUAR
table feeling towards them was INDUCED IN all cir
cIes They have been allowed u carte blanche by
the government and people, and the result Is
grievous disappointment on the part OF both. lea
nessee, instead OF beng cleared OF tue enemy
still oyerrun and under his heel Kentucky, instead
of beinp relieved, is abandoned to his mercy; the
Mississippi is in his possession; and IN TACT every
thing is in somewhat worse condition than It was
in the spring. This is the case, although the Gen.
eral in command has had large army at his diSpo-
sal as well conditioned any that this continent
ever before saw.
ficiently obvious. Instead of fighting Buell. in
pitched battle when he had him at disadvantage,
rear Chattanooga, inferior in numbers and remote
from supplies, where defeat would have been utter
ruin, General Bragg adopted the plan of taking pos
session of the country in his rear by detachmens,
and avoiding general engagements. The eXpedl-
tons of Morgan and Smith into Kentucky, and the
achievements of Forrest near Nashville, were bril-
liant in themselves and highly credtable to the Off
GERS in command but in their effect upon the gene
raj campaign, they served but little other purpose
than to give warning to the enemy of the danger OF
Buell. and to hasten the preparations for his rein
forcement After full time had been given to allow
ample renforcements to be sent to Louisville and
forwarded on the line to Buell., then General Bragg
began to move The grand object Of his strategy
beng to get to Louisville and penetrate the base OF
Buers operations he found it necessary, as the re-
suit Of his combinations, to make at last rapid
march upon that city, to nterpOse himself between
that General and the new troops pouring IN from
north of the Ohio; but Buell. beat him in the race,
and the whole object of the campaign was thus
thwarted and defeated. Bragg then had no other al
tentative, confronted as he found himself by Supe
rior numbers, than to fall back. This he has done,
and it is greatly to be feared that he has taken
route of retreat which will afford very little local
subsistence for his army The very fact that he has
taken the route leading to Cumberland Gap would
seem to argue that he was forced into it and was
There is this encouraging feature, however, in our
affairs in the West, that whatever may be the def
ciences of Generals in that quarter, armies
are in good condition for efficient service. This is
not only the case with the army in Southern Ken
lucky under the immediate command of Bragg,
which has not yet fought general engagement, but
is also the with the army of General Van Dorm,
now transferred to General Pemberton at Holly
Springs which has lately sustained severe reverse.
With every disposition to indulge the largest
charity toward General Bragg, public sentiment is
now in favor of placing some General of larger brain
and more active talents in command of that impor-
tant portion of the Confederacy. General Bragg's
capacity for organizing and training army may
be granted; but something more than the qualities
of drill officer and disciplining is needed in the
West 1t is asserted in favor of this General that
his army is in better discipline than any on the
continent; but all the advantages of the most per-
feet discipline may be lost by inactivity by
treat; they must be lost great measure by
whole season of inactivity followed by preciptate
retreat
The loss of campaign in the West is most Sc
rOus affair to the Confederacy. 1t may protrac the
war for years, by encouraging the Northwest to
hope that it may succeed in the business of subu-
CATION, and by thus ProlOngng It's alliance with the
families Of New England. We are to have peace
with the North only through the counSels and in
strumentality of the Northwestern and Middle
States; and every reverse or failure we meet with
in the West tends to identify the Northwestern
States more closely with New England. The cam
paign may yet be retrieved BY General of large
brain and active talents. 1t cannot be expected
that General Bragg can achieve in the remaining
month of the season, what he has failed to achieve
in the six months that have been lost.
The Enquirer thus notices the matter:
We publish to-day the official report of General
Bragg of the battle of Perryville 1t confirms the
nf no TO 81
conflict, and pays handsome tribute to the gal
lantry OF our troops. They drove the enemy for
twomiles, and piled the ground with their Slain
Night only terminated the slaughter and the pur-
suit:
Notwithstanding the victory, Gen. Bragg deemed
1T necessary to continue his retrOgrade march be-
cause OF the greatly superior force of the enemy
Beyond the chaStsement ITSELF and its relief to our
retreat the victory therefore, bears US but little
present iruIt. The great mistake of General Bragg
IN his Kentucky campaign, seems to have been in
not striking sooner, and before Buell., who was in
his rear, got around in his 'front.' and received rein
forcements.
The Dispatch makes the following remarks upon
the same subject:
The army of Ger. Bragg is said to be one of the
most highly disciplined in the service of the Con-
federate States. To such perfection has discipline
been brought that struggling is SAID to be almost
cellent disciplinarian, and very brave man but
he seems to have been greatly deficient in some of
the other qualities which constitute great CON-
mander No doubt serving under some man of
great military genius, he would have made an ex
cellent subordinate. The talent of separate COM
not seem to possess it.
When Zen: Bragg arrived at Chattanooga, about
the 18th OF July, 1t was confidently affirmed that
he would move in ten days. The greatest anxiety
was felt with regard to this movement, because
from the character oil the army he commanded, it
was expected that great blow would be struck -
Every body supposed he would attack Gen. Buell. at
Nashville, because the water was so low that he
could not be reinforced and that special terror of
all our commanders, could not be employed. If
Buell. were beaten at Nashville, the Eastern portion
OF Tennessee would be redeemed. Bragg would be
placed between Louisville and Rosencrans. He
could either drop down into Mississippi, and, rein
forcing Van Dorm fall with united forces on Rosen