New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-07-19
REBEL GROWING.
yros, The Peteys5uyq Va Exprsss, July 1

eve have made oor last retreat-we have mes
with our last defeat" Such was the pompous bonn.
bsst which Napoleon Mcclellan addressed 10 his
army upon taking command Gi IT, II will pres
in which he announced to his Government his deter
minatiou to follow the Rebels up to Richmond
| from Yorktown, and annihilate them. These were
seemingly very heroic explosions OF valor, and
served wonderfully to fire mp public expectation at
the North.
With General 10 intrepid Of speech, 80 Nspols.
onic in kilograms, the universal belief 10 Yankee
doodledom WIS that he was invincible IN tie held-
tina. be had only to march forward az the head OF
his legons 70 put an end TO the rebellion ard to the
war. This Goliath of the Puritanic PListiDes was
TO sweep everything before him. Never did CON.
iDander promise such grea. things Never did mortal
warrior pledge himself 10 such pr0dgious deeds OF
arms. There was no such word 40 " IaIl 10 MS
vocebula.y-no euch emotion as fear in bis bosom.
Toe earth Amos, trsmbled under bic feet az with
towering audacity be proclaimed his liked and
irrevocabe purpose to rush onward, conquerhg and
10 conquer.
How il this mighty man fallen He was ost.
witted BY the Rebels 1T Manassas. He then
tried bis fortunes In the Virginia Peninsula, where,
instead OF boldly marching up 10 Richmond, no
commenced series Of demonstrations wthths spade
and pick--niade the dirt fly with these trenchant
weatons-crep, on ike . tortoise, batting every
few hundred yards TO throw up breast works ana
dig trenches AT Last he reached the banks Of tho
Chickah0nny, where ne was almost III si9ns oi tps
s,eeples Of Richmond.
He had but few miles further TO "press" the
Rebels before they would be driven plumb ITO
the wall" But the pressure" did not come. He
sat himself down IN the ewanps OF the famous OLD
stream, and again whacked away with the spade.
He studiously Stunned nearer approach 10 the city
he had doomed, and was content quietly 10 await
To Developments Of the future. Ia the mean time,
20 kes2 up the spirits Of the people whom be had so
long dellied by biz grand sasurtnces, be gave the
cue 70 the lying correspondents OF the Lincoln press.
and they rang ont the inspiring declaration that the
capture OF Richmond was with McClciisu only -
Question of time.'
This was enough. They clasped the new phau-
tom 10 their b0sopls, and there were no bounds TO
their silly enthuriasm. In the cou Be Of time"
thew were told that the Rebel capital would surely
fall into McCIellans hands, and in the rsPtures e.
cited by this magnificent intelligence, they forgot
tina, tine was counted by years as well as days.
Huving thus masked all lis delays under bycibse
Ambiguity Of words, which might be construed
either into an immediate or indefinitely remote - &c.
this ''hoipressed military darling toe Yankees
Ieisnrely proceeded with the construction Of bis
parallels AID redoub his trenches and his sbatiise
end when they were ell completed, he considered
himself goriousIy secure against any attack OF tho
Rebels"
But 30 was no: permitted long 70 remain under
this hallucinsticn. The Rebels" tired and die
au.ted with bis nterminpble proeras,iDations, first
Sent cavalry brigade around his rear, 10 ascertain
his position. 1t one Of the most remarkable
aud brilliant Reconnaissance that wac ever effected,
and Mcclellan az SOON 40 be heard OF II, should
have known what it portended, and have acted &C.
cordngly. But he treated II as triing atsir, NOS
worthy Of serious notice.
Then il was that he ought 70 have anticipated the
threatened Confederate movement by 9 bold and
vigorous dash upon Richmond, having his intrench-
ments to fall back upon In case OF his rep9ss ms
would have been generals-ip Of the Napoleapic
s,aup and, whether successful or unsuccessful, he
would have won q substantial reputation by such
display. But be was not equal TO the occasion. lie
his inglOrIous rest behind bis fortoaons
until he wac startled by ski.lful and furious on
: ought by the Rebels upon the most elaborate
and strongest Of bis works.
The tug of war came, and lie had now TO prove
his fighting capacity. Surely he could beat back
FROM bis lines despised and delded enemy. Surely
he could maintain positions which he had rendered
;mn, eonahle by bis labors. But not 30. For hours
and DAYS the the bloody conflict went on. Position
after position YVES wrested from him, hi, guns turned
aoa,pst him. his communications destroyed, aud he
whole army threatened With capture.
Az last, cut OF from the Pannnkey. and compelled
to make the best retreat be could in order 10 save
himself and the remnant Of bis forces from TIE
hands of the victorious Rebels" he slipped ost in
the dead hours Of the fourth night after the battle
and made tracks tor his gunboars In
James River, pursued by the Rebels, but having
too far the start Of them TO be intercepted. Onward
he sped until, with his wsaried, BATTERED, ha.dc-
moralized aruly, be gained the shelter which hs
sought. and "a. down under the protection ~ the
euus OF the war vessels, which the Coniederaes had
no means Of slienclng.
And there he ~ now, pushed back nearly seventy
miles from his lines, leaving them in our pcsssson,
with thousands Of prisoners, besides hundreds Of Die
uuburied dead and destitute ,unded for 10 to iaso
care of-not 30 mention large number OF bis most
spleudid guns u great quantity OF small arms am
munition stores, &c. Never was there ruch
greater contrast In human condition than that which
is now presented between Mcclellan re he wac two
short weeks ago. and Mcclellan rs he 10.
Arrayed in all the prlde, pomp and giorious cir
cumstance" of war-breathiDg notbigg 10 ils people
but the lsiet pnnuncafons OF coming saccesa. thai
would immortalize him-sround him one Of the
most splendid armies flat was ever put IN the 6ed,
flushed with q confidence III him az ,kcir leader,
that made the idea of its being overpcwered or
yanquished by the "Rebels' perfectly fidiculous-
this icas McCellans condition in the 6rst casc. ln
the second, We see him beaten aud fugitive Gen.
eral and bis army wreck, both rejoicing at the
hair breadth escape which tley had made, after
having lost the fight into which they were involur'
tarly drawn.
lie is still at the head Of force, but Is
is for the most art mposed Of men who have oeen
by the tremendous defeat when tney
have sustained. They are DO longer tho iofmidsoie
hosts they were, when with uDbroken from Iney
wer prepared to drive the "rebels' before them as
holiday am l-ement and 60 juoiate over the 1aii o.
Riei mond. They may be reoniorcedeyer 30 heavily,
bnt This will not avail IL en- The Confederaes can
be reinforced TOO. Their prestige Is gobe, and AL
hot "a wanted 10 conssmlnate their destruction 10
for them to try the fortunes Of another fght..
lhs !. what %. ;as. Shas they wI carefully i
avoid DOING But the great straiegist, who
.eedsd ia bringing them mp to the scratch on the
Of June, is visiIanily watching them and d.
citing his attention ceasele-sly to lis new posi-
ron. They may again ind themselves in al uocom-
Portable prediesment, notwithstanding their gun
boats.
cr,opvssyn The True pr,s5ok,r.an and