St. Mary's beacon., 1862-10-02

The last weeks news from the upper
Potomac IL both varied and contradictory
Private reports, coupled With the con-
stant aud heavy booming Of artillery. in
dictate that there has been fighting in tha,
vicinity; but whether on the north or
south side Of the Potomac, and whether
adverse or favorable to the cause Of eoer.
cion. 10 left matter for doubt and con.
tctare- Ii may be fair to presume. how
ever, that no great Federal success has
been achieved, from the reticence that fol-
lows Mcclellan. movements. If he, OF
any considerable portion of hi. army, has
crossed the Potomac, the authorities a,
Washington are slow to chronicle it. Il
On the coatrary. Lee has recro.sed the
river. ~ has been reported. and the late
sighting has really taken place in Mary.
land. the movement is . secret that ha.
been well kept from the pukl;c. The
Washington Star claims, that the Con.
federates haze :allen back along the entire
line OF the river. and that the main body Of
their forces rests between Martinsburg and
Winchester. The Baltimore Sun, also,
has adviees to this effect, but neither OF
these journals publi.h this information as
Official. Indeed. the mysterious admis-
sion of ignorance on the part of the Bslti-
more and Washington press. upon the
suhject Of army movements in this locali-
~, 10 unprecedented and marvellous. Tele-
grams and dispatches, from the comman-
der iu chief aud the Associated prezs
agents. are no longer to be seen in the
columns of our cotemporaries. The terms
later and --latest are no longer paraded
toour gaze. and large capitals and italics now
lie busted in the cases of the typocs. Nc
Clellan no longer publishes his intention
to push the rebels to the WALL" nor has
he even essayed to inform us of his atten-
tion to cross the Potomac. 1t il true. be
has said something about being in Rich
mond ''by the first FROST" but the route he
intends to pursue he has very prudently
concealed from his enemies. We have
heard from him once. only snce. since the
great battle at Antietam. His victory over
the rebels Was most complete. but he ia too
modest to 90 report it. He contents him
self With simply showing his own loss to
have been about Is. 900, whilst that of the
rebels. from careless observation and what
the people in the neighborhood told him.
must have reached 10000 or $4,000.
straeglers included. Gen. Lee, however,
demars to this declaration. 20 f.. a. it per-
tains to his own loss. aud claims that it
only reached 5000. Wilkes Spirit Of The
Times. likewise. difsers With Mcclellan
upon the subject Of estimate of losses. He
does NOT deny that there Was great dis
parity. but simply shows that the boot was
on the other foot. He chronicles Lees
raid into Maryland as BY far "the most
brilliant achievement Of the war;" The
capture Of Harper's Ferry and the fights
throughout he regards as rebel successes.
and he concludes BY stating that. whilst
che Federals we're badly cut up and out
generated in every engagement. If Nc
Cieiian inflicted any serious damage apon
Lees forces. nobody knows It but himself
The Federal organs admit. that Lee has
been heavily reinforced since he re-crcssed
she Potomac, and think that another en-