The national Republican., 1862-09-27

O chance to look them over. II must dnd shnu
be stopped
THE MILITARY AND POLITICAL PO-
sITION.
1t 10 now the universal opinion that II the
enemy had been attacked on the day following
the battle Of sharpsburg, bis army would have
been annihilated. That was precisely what be
dreaded. A williamsport correspondent Of the
Philadelphia Press saye:
by prisoners who have been captured BY
our scouting parties, learn that the loss In thel
rebel ranks was terribly severe. and that LeS]
and jackson were downoast on wednesday
evening, and expressed their fears that MoClel.
Ian would reopen the battle in the morning.
During the night they never slept, being
busily engaged in ARRANGING details. Issuing
instructions to their generals, and throwing
reinforcements to their weak points. They
were so engaged that the dead and wounded
on the battle .neld were left alone, and with the
exception Of a few ofncers and privates, no one
was buried"
Accounts agree that our soldiers expected
and desired to renew the fight on Thursday.
We notice that correspondent Of tie New
York Word assigns, as Q reason for Gen. Nc
Clellan's inaction on Thursday, that " we had
not enough ammunition 10 carry Us through
another day of battle" That Is good reason,
II the fact be as stated; but the next enquiry
would be: how an army, sent into the field by
a Government with inexhsutible resources,
should find itself without ammunition after Q
sipgle days nghti The statement Of the
Worlds correspondent seems, indeed, too i'm.
probable to deserve serious notice.
The news from the upper Potomac is. that q
large part Of McClellan's army Is crossing the
Potomac at Harper's Ferry. The river Is low
enough to admit of fording BY infantry, and a
pontoon bridge has also been constructed. A
temporary railroad bridge will be put up In four
or I've days. The reports are, that the enemy
ia concentrating OF Winchester, and will fight
another great battle there. His general policy
must be, we think, to make a. slow a retreat
upon Richmond as possible, fighting OCCASION
ally under convenient circumstances, 90 as to
Wear out the good weather for neld operations
He is collecting large subsistence stores at
Richmond and the later hs begins upon them,
the longer they will hold out He. will stay in
the Valley IS long as possible, and long enough,
uuuOuOt'N J 3 ~ cav tuu kCuoi iahmoto VI tuut
victim zed region out Of house and home.
The rebels are reported to be destroying the
Baltimore aud Ohio railroad between Martins.
burg and Cumberland. Gov. Letcher has OFF.
ciaiiy pronounced that road to bea "nuis1nes,"
and the rebels generally appear to have spite
against it.
The contents Of Richmond papers to the i4th
Instant are telegraphed from Fortress Monroe.
Tsey claim magnificent triumph at Sharps-
burg, AID cay tha. McClellan's dispatches are
as false ns those Of Pope. They also repre-
sent that renfcrcenents have been sent to Gen.
Lee, sufficient to make up all bis losses.
From Kentucky We have repetition OF the
notable statement that Louisville Ia safe" We
have also something more serious In the fol-
loving from the Louisville correspondence Of
the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"The enemy are gathering q large number
OF recruits in the State Of Kentucky, many Of
whom have heretofore been acting as home
guards. In come instances, whole companies
have turned themselves, and the United States
arms which had been entrusted to them, over
to the rebels"
Il Is well known that the ten thousand arms
cent to (so. .called) Union mon ct the commence
ment OF this war, were nearly all turned over
to rebel uses. This later movement Of the
"homs guards" Is Of the same character, and
dos not at all surprise the country.
The army Of General Bragg, invading Ken
lucky, is claimed by its officers to amount to
eighty thousand men, but intelligent released
Union prisoners from Aumfordsville, say that
1t certainly does lot exceed thirty-hve thou
sand. they are said to be ragged, dirty, and
saoelesF, hu: we know by experience here
bouts, that all that does not prevent msn
from fighting well. Want and desperation
frequently make men fight better.
u was reported here last evening that the
rebels are rebuilding the railroad bridge over
the Rsppahannock, which would show that
they mean to fight for the region this eide Of n.
The Richmond Dispatch Of Sept. "a, snncun:
ces the arrival there Of two carloads Of negroes,
captured by the rebels at Harper's Ferry.
These negroes, the Dispatch says are to be
sold at Richmond. The country ought to know
that Harper's Ferry, down 10 It's capture by
the rebels, was nothing more, or less, than .
slave barracoop. Slaves escaping from the
rebels into our lines there, instead of being
freed, az the law requires them to be, were held
by the pro.slavery officers in command, as
prisoners. II they applied for passes to get
out, passes were refused. When this slave bar
ricoon was captured, all tho negroes In II fell
as spoils into the hands Of the enemy. The
number was very large. II the President had
sooner notified the laws Of Congress TO the
army, these outrages would not have been per.
petrsted. Nor was 1t only at Hsrper's Ferry,
that the law-making power has been set ct de-
6ance. We just have information from Helena,
(Ark } that Gen. Steele, commanding tempo.
rsrily in the absence Of Gen. Curtis, Is In the
daily habit Of surrsndering escaped slaves 10
their rebel masters. In fact, obedience TO the