The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1862-05-01

The New York Herald of the 18th inst,
contains map of the seat of war at and
about Yorktown accompanied with the fol-
lowing historical account of the memoriaqle
siege of 1871, as compared with the pres
ent:-
In the first instance the object of the war
was the establishment of the Independent
nationality of the Union against powerful
European enemy; in the second instance,
our object is the maintenance of the Sin
tegrity of the Union" against the most cause
less, foolish and hopeless, and yet the most
formidable, domestic rebellion in the records
of any nation on the face of the earth. In
the first of these two great wars, after five
years of gloomy and doubtful struggle
against superior numbers, resources and
facilities for war, by land and sea, the final
issue was decided in favor of the Union in
the successful siege of Yorktown; in the
present war, with all the advantages of su-
perior numbers and wariike means and re-
sources, and after a numerous train of
brilliant victories, by land and water, who
can doubt the issue of the second siege of
Yorktown? Surely it will virtually end
the war, as did the first siege, in favor of
the Union.
But in view Of the grand results depend.
ing upon the siege of Yorktown Of 1871,
how insignificant appear the contending
forces of that day, compared with those now
gathered around that famous locality. The
army surrendered BY lord CORVALLIS amount
ed to 1000 men; the combined forces be-
sieging him consisted of I 900 French troops
$500 American continentals, and $500
militia amounting in all to 16, 900 men,
The killed wounded and missing of the
British, during the hot work of a close siege
of nineteen days, from the lst to the 10Th
October inclusive, were some $50 men; of
the allies, about 800. The artillery EN-.
ployed in the defences Of lord CORVALLIS
hardly amounted to fifty pieces, and these
were chiefly ski Founders, and the artillery
investing him was largely composed of six
Founders.
Now, with General McClellan's approach
to the work of besieging Yorktown, instead
of a resisting force of seven thousand, he
finds himself in front of an enemy number.
ing perhaps one hundred thousand men; and
instead of little circle of defensive works
embracing forty or fifty guns of the small
est calibre, he finds himself confronted by
yawning labyrinth of esrthworks, extending
across five or six miles, from river to river,
and armed with perhaps not less than five
hundred heavy cannon, including numerous
l00-pouuders and long range rifle pieces.
And yet We are satisfied that Washington,
in moving upon Yorktown from the North
and West. in conjunction with a French
fleet and army from the East, commanding
both rivers and the peninsula, confident, as
he had every reason to be, of complete
success, was not more confident than Gen
eral Mcclellan may justly feel of repeating
the decisive victory of Washington. That
he will do it we feel entirely assured; and
if he should do it within Washington limit
of nineteen days, or within period twice
as long, the country will appreciate the
crowning glory of this achievement.
The siege of Yorktown, 1871, resulted in
the independence and organization of the
American Union, with its three millions of
population; the siege of 1862 will re-estab-
lish and perpctuatc this Union, starting
afresh with thirty millions of people, and
going on in its reinvigorated prosperity
until it shall culminate in population of
two or three hundred millions, the central
and ruling nation of the globe. But. drop
ping our parallel between Yorktown of the
aast and Yorktown of tie presen: cetury,
under siege, the question still recurs, What
will be the immediate results, in military
view, of General Mcclellan success in that
quarter? We answer, that the rebels have
chosen that narrow neck of peninsula at
Yorktown as the protecting gateway of Rich
mond, their ''Confederate' capital, and that,
in forcing this gateway, General Mcclellan
will secure Richmond without further op-
position.
Upon the siege of Yorktown, then, de-
pcnds the immediate collapse, from Virginia
to Texas, of this rebellion, or its prolonga-
tion yet little while. After their late
disastrous reVerses in the East and the West,
the leaders and rulers of this rebellion if
driven ignominiously v from Richmond, and
if still at large, will find no resting place
this side of Mexico. They understand the
desperate necessity of final struggle for
Richmond. They cannot abandon it with
any degree of safety against popular South
crn reaction, and they have therefore re.
solved to make stand at Yorktown. We
think that this is matter for public con.
graduation, because we believe that in
making this stand the issues of the war are
reduced to this single siege, and that Nc
Clellan will thus be saved the trouble of
following up bis enemy into the Carolinas
and Georgia.
Meantime, it is probahle that the monster