The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1862-12-25
Letters from washington.
Correspondence Of Cincinnati Gazette..

W Wv ~ w w vi O6
removed2 Will McClt Ian be restored?
Will the army go into winter Quarters?
Aud, if i: does, wiil not foreign intprven
tlon--that ever pr sent skeleton in the
tiouse-inevitably follow?
The stupefacti"n that first fol owed the
news of our reverse is already giving way
to such eager and angry questioning 1t
ls too earl y to give sati. lac ory answers.
but it cannot he long before the public
impaiiencc will force out some tx plana.
lions.
HOW THE DIFFERENT PARTIES TALK OF OUR
REvERsEs.
Already we have II perfect Babel of con
tending opnions-inspirrd, for the most
part, by contending Interests. The Nc
Clellan political party-llian with no
party was ever batter organized-always
prompt 10 turn everything TO it's own ad
vantage, is loud 10 it's moraizings These
are the 6rst fruits. we are told Of the
removal of McCle!lanl You see that no.
body can do anything with that army but
Mcclellan! This is the way your On
10 Richm md" policy sucreds without
McCIelIan! Burnside was your best G n
eraI, bur, you Sc how ven ne succeeds
without the Iransceudnt military geniu,
rof Mcclellan. The cause is forever lost
unless within ten days yon restore the
supreme command to--McCIcllan! Now
You u be glad to come back to Nc CelIap |!
Didn't W.T. tell You SO all along?
There is another aud much more rea
sonable party, composed Of mn who ave
believed that Stanton and Halleck la /
treated Mcclellan unfairly, and henc.
have come to distrust those officers IN
everything. It's the old game, these gen
tIcmen say. Hall ok is breaking down
Burnside, just as he broke down McClel
Ian Stanton though scing like bull
would drive rebels out OF Frede ick burg,
just as it drives his peers in disgust
out Of the War Department. FlaIIeck,
who neverslw battle in his life, thought
it would be a fins thing to cross deep
river, in The lace Of the rebel army, aud
Storm such works Stanton pursued th+
same insane folly he has always f,llowed,
scattered our forces, sent Banks of to
Texas or Patagouir when he shonld have
ben in Vlrgluia, kept the Suffolk and
Norfolk ar'nles froM CO Operating and or.
der~d Bnrnsl Q uuaided, to but. like the
bull al tie locomotive. with excelL ut vi
gor bnl unsound dis relion, iato imprel
nabIe works of the enemy
We always old you it was folly to re.
p ace Mcclellan with another man IF the
sam1 sort, ieeblo echo o, the grea, orig
'nal Slow Man. Sav others. WY couldn't
you have lsarned from eighteen month =
experience that you wanted MAN al the
head your army? Why couldn't you
take such an one, when the fiery test of
battle had pointed him ou,? WHY mus
you needs take second class man for the
foolish purpose Of cnncililsring yourNorrb
ern enemies, when you knew him 10 he
second'rlas5, sud whsn a 6rst class man
was at your command?
It's all because Of the Presidents m d
dl"soms imbeciIity, grow some in an un
der Ions It's more of the traitorous
policy for prolonging the war till both
sides shah be exhausted aud ready for
peace, say others. 1t is simply such a
reverse as any General might meet. Will
II Is really encouraging, sine It shows
readiness to fight. mobility If the army,
and skill in getting out of Tad scrap ),
say The more hopeful 1t was our last
golden hour, say Others, and we have lost
it.
Out Of all this who shall decide?
WHAT MUST sETTLE THE QUE,TIoN OF RE
sPoNsIBILlTY.
1t is clear tia, the drSl requisite to any
intelligent opinion on the subject (i' in,
teillgeut opinions are what half tie grow
lers really want. is an answer to the
question. by whose order WAS the move.
ment upon the cnemy's work made?"
Therr can bs no fault found with cross
ing the river. 1t was practicable, and
with four or FIVE bridges, and under co
yer of our hrisling line Of artillery. il
was safe. Nor can any one he blamed
tor ordering an advance from Frederick
burg toward the en-mv. Il is believed
there were good reasons for susprctinl
that the hulk Of the rshel army had re
treated to Richmond, leaving tut an ourer
shell of picses and camp guards to de.
lude US into delay bcf r. THAR worss |
was tns huty of any General to find out
wheth~r there was anything TO obstrucl
his progress or not T. recOnno ssancc in
force ws4 nae ssity of the situation,
Who turned that reconnoisonc' into a
desperate attempt 10 carry Me encmy's s
works? This is the crucial question on
which everything depends. II Burnside
in plain view OF the works. and after the
presence of the enemy in heavy force
had bsen demons'ra persisted on his
own responsibility in ordering an alta k
that threw away 50 many men and gain
ed us nothing whatever, it q i'll require
more light than any one supposes can he
cast upon the subject, to reli We him
from the impu'atinu of having committed
a grave military buudrr. If Halleck, or
5 anton, or The President ordered the
assault, it will require more than merc
excuses Of not fully understanding the
situation, TO relieve them from the terri
BILE sponsibility to which the people
will hold the authors of this tragedy -
But until the person und whose orders
the attack was made, is discovered, it is
folly TO be distributing oensure in the
dark Somebody has blundered - let us
know who before We entansle ourselves in
party quArrels about the merits Or de-