The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1862-12-23

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wefc remted wth aaf artillery and
rihr p.tt. 5usi % fweep esuf j fgri
sal asal. shs Froand oter 81 & Ger
usgps he'd is apgfaei shca. ia3eel
il seems strange. after the Ores eiarpc
q sar treeps Ia frous q The rei.si line
aid asoefssinins ,beir preparations 70 4
vpsl charge II that dtrec,hn, that
osr Gsuerah aid noi change their
mode a attack. and show their wis
dom In Avoiding lbai line u approarh
which The rebels bad specially prepar
I'd Tor them. For ws take il there
wsS 10 law q necessity tia, required
lheiu 70 adopi line Il approach
which The rebels had specially pro-
,idsd for ihen, and they knew would
iasaFc their destruction.
Bot In directing great masses Of
men, there will be grea, mistakes and
measures viii be adopted that the re-
sah will Show 10 have been not only
izjsdicioas. bu, fatal.
Az IN ell engagements, some rcgi-
menls have suffered much more than
otherG II Is SAID that the New York
9th had bot 90 men The next morn
ing q, roli-call The position Of our
troops in the city was such that they
could no. act with any freedom IL
moving upon the enemy IAey,were
20 crowded and confined by he streets
which were exposed TO the rebel gun.
that they could no, move towards the
batteries, nor indeed even stand still
without being exposed TO their fire.
IL is possible that another attack
might have been more successful.
But il would have been attended with
fearful loss OF life, and might have
been Of no very decided advantage
that could no, have been obtained at
very much less sacrifice. II seems
that the rebels understand one thing
very well The importance Of choos-.
ing good positions. Positions such as
Bull Run, Cedar Mountain, and South
Mountain, where they can get up
high, shield themselves in the woods,
and make i necessary that they should
be approached, if at ALL over an open
plain, and where their artillery can
have full play and a fair sweep, 40
that by the time they reach the rebel
lines, they viii be nearly all killed or
wounded. IL seems TO us that The
great loss N our men at Cedar Noun
tain, was the result Of charging through
mile Of open ground, under fire Of
the batteries all the way. We think,
ordinarily, that charges under such
circumstances, cost more than they
come TO, and that our men having
made enough Of them already to prove
their courage and valor, may now be
permitted to select more equal ground
for an attack whenever one is deman-
ded. We hope, therefore, that in the
next battle We shall get to the hills
and woods before the enemy. Then
II attacked, we shall probably have
The same story to tell about them that
they do about US. Let il be remem-
bered, therefore, if the enemy should
set death trap for US, aud invite us
into Il, that we are under no obliga-
tons to comply.
MONDAY, Dec. 22.--We have this
morning information which puts a new
character on the affair at Kingston,
N, G, Instead of q defeat OF our
troops, as before stated, our forces
captured the place, with 800 prison.
ers and II pieces Of artillery. 1t is
expected that Gen. Foster viii follow
up this success and make an advance
upon the railroad line at some point.
If he succeeds in this il will be an inn
portant measure. and interrupt com
munication with Richmond by this
route.
Gen. Lee, the rebel commander,
states the loss of the rebels al 1900
killed and wounded. Other accounts
had put il at 5000. Lees report
would carry the idea that the force on
that side was much less than ours.
From wha, be says, we should con-
cludc that IL the Division under Gen.
Hooker had early reinforced Frank
lin's troops, that an energetic General
might have defeated the right wing
Of the enemy, and entirely changed
the result Of the battle. There may
have been greater difficulties than
now appear IN the way Of such a re-
salt.
Gca. Banks expedition calls out an