The New York herald., 1862-11-19

| tion their due. We would suggest that for the
convenience of the pub lie, the Park be open at
all hours-that its roads be free to all alike
both day and night.
The Army or the Potomac Onward. by
Way OF fredericksburg.
| The Army Of the Potomac has moved or is
moving down from the neghborhood Of War
renton and the foot hills of the Blue Ridge
chain of mountains to Fredericksburg, as its
new base of operations. BY turning to map
of Eastern Virginia, the military advantages Of
this change of base' will be apparent to tho
reader In advancing southwark from Warren
ton the rear and both tanks of General Burn
side would be exposed to the hazards Of rebel
cavalry forays and surprises, involving the
possible losses OF valuable supply trains and
depots Of provisions But with his 6ass Of Opera
tions at Fredericksburg, his right commands an
| open country, and his left flank is completely
protected by the Rappahannock-.a deep. navi-
gable rlver-frow said city TO the Chesapeake
Bay. A great bend in the majestic Lower
| Potomac brings that river, too, within the i'm
mediate reach of fredericksburg, the famous
landing Of Aqua creek being only nine miles
north of the city, with which it is connected by
! railroad.
Thus the broad and deep Lower Potomac,
for nearly half the distance between Washing
ton and Richmond becomes the direct, cheap,
safe and commodious channel down which the
| supplies for General Burnside's vast army will
be transported to his principal depot at
Aqua creek, which will be perfectly secure
/ IF turn tbraa 'lIs
too, the immense force which would be required
to protect his railway communications to Wash
ington on the Warrenton line of march may be
dispensed with by General Burnside and the
different detachmens of his troops watching the
passes of the Blue Ridge may now be con.
centrated around Manassas Junction, Centre
vile, &C., into powerful army, sufficient for
all the contingencies of possible attack from
Stonewal jackson in that direction Indeed,
with these additions to the reserves of General
Sigel. he will be strong enough to cross over
the Blue Ridge, if deemed expedient, and hunt
Jackson out of the Shenandoah valley, or to
cut him of from Richmond, il still lingering
about Winchester.
The late rains and snQws have rendered the
Upper Potomac an unfordable stream to infant
ry, and not altogether safe for cavalry; SO that,
with Sigel's reserves near Manassas and the
strong Union column in occupation of all the
heights around Harper's Ferry, there is very
little to be feared from a rebel raid across
into Maryland or Rennsylvanis from any
| quarter. In the Virginia campaign of last
spring, undei the general direction Of the Sc
cretaIy Of War, too much was attempted with
| the immediate forces at his command. The at
! tempt was made, in conjunction with the ad-
vance upon Richmond to hold one hundred
miles of the Shenandoah valley and all the
vast intervening region between that valley and
| Fredericksburg. Hence the expulsion Of Ge-
neral Banks from the valley, and the successful
tactics Of Jackson in diverting large Union
force to recover il, while he was moving down,
under cover of the mountains, his forty thou
sand men to turn the fortunee Of war against us
| at Richmond.
| General Hallsck profting from this costly
| experience, has wisely concluded that the occu
| patton Of the Shenandoah valley is a stumbling
block to an advance upon Richmond, and not
necessary to guard the rear of Washington;
! that this object can be much better attained by
. strong garrison at Harper's Ferry and an
active and we'll appointed movable army
column between Leesburg and Manassas.
Thus he gains forty or fifty thousand men who
| last spring were wasted in useless outside ope-
rations and he is relieved of the difficult and
| thankless task OF establishing depots of army
| supplies at distant points Of no military value,
and liable at any moment to capture by sudden
raids Of the we'll informed enemy.
Fredericksburg is distant only sixty miles
fron Richmond, over generally level or softly
undulating sandy country. Over the railroad
and numerous parallel common highways of
| this intervening region we have no doubt
that the difficulties Of army transportation
will be much less from this time till March
next than they were in April, May and June
last in ihe Richmond peninsula; for the heavy
and numerous rains Of last spring and summer
in that peninsula are without a precedent, we
dare say, in the records offifty years. We con-
cluds, therefore, that General Burnsids's army
will not 60 into winter quarters this side Of
Richmond, and for the very good reason, among
| others, that during the winter, when the low
grounds are frozen over, the roads in Eastern
Virginia are better for army purposes than
under the thaws and rains Of spring. Nor do
we suppose that the whole business of this ad-
vance upon Richmond will devolve upon the
army Of General Burnside In his favor We
have now the command Of the James river 10
Fort Darling and Of the York river, including
Yorktown and Williamsburg, and the men and
means for CO operating land and naval force
by these two streams equal to an army Of
hundred thousand men,
In every point Of view the present move.
ments for Richmond are immeasurably stronger
and better organized than those Of last spring.